There are several ways for you to get involved in the mission and ministry of Fourth Presbyterian Church. Please see below for current volunteer needs as well as details on Helping Hands, a hands-on outreach group.
Contact Robert Crouch, Director of Volunteer Ministry, (312.981.3382) for more information on how best to share your gifts of time and talent.
Please check back often for updates on volunteering needs.
Current Volunteer Needs
- Women to serve as hotline volunteers for the Sunlight Project, a Fourth Church program that addresses sexual exploitation and trafficking of youth.
- Member hosts to serve refreshments at Coffee Hour
- Books Nook attendants to staff the Book Nook at Coffee Hour on Sunday mornings on a rotating basis
Book Nook volunteers set up the book cart and table before Coffee Hour begins, help people select books, and process sales. Prospective volunteers need to be members of Fourth Church but do not need to belong to one of the book groups or to have read the books on the cart. There is no firm time commitment, but most volunteers sign up for one shift a month. Shifts run as follows: Sundays, 8:55–9:30 a.m., 10:25–11:00 a.m., or 11:55 a.m.–12:45 p.m. This volunteer opportunity is especially appealing to people who enjoy meeting others, sharing hospitality, reading, and assisting people in finding just the right book.
- Food repackers to help at the Greater Chicago Food Depository (4100 W. Ann Lurie Place), Tuesdays through Saturdays
Volunteers will help repack bulk products into individual and family sizes, assemble boxes, check expiration dates, and label products.
Participants must be at least fourteen years old; however, children ages five through thirteen may volunteer with an adult during monthly Kids' Days.
- Aspiring gardeners to work at the Chicago Lights Urban Farm, Saturdays, 12:00 noon to 3:00 p.m.
A tour of the Urban Farm (444 W. Chicago Ave.) for new volunteers will be held on Saturdays at 12:00 noon. For large-group volunteering, contact Stephanie Budd.
- Bicyclists to deliver Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) bags in the community, Saturdays, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon
- Summer Farm Camp volunteers to work with camp participants aged 5 to 13 years
This program is in session Tuesdays and Fridays, June 23—August 14 from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. Volunteers must commit to one day a week for the duration of the eight-week program. For more information, contact Stephanie Budd.
- Summer Day volunteers to work with under-resourced students in first through eighth grades for six weeks, June 24–July 31
Available positions include classroom assistants, art class assistants, meal-time helpers, and field trip chaperones; times vary based on position. New volunteers (sixteen years or older) are asked to attend one of following orientation sessions in Room 5G: Thursday, June 4 at 3:00 p.m. or Thursday, June 11 at 5:30 p.m. RSVP online here.
- Creative volunteers to create holiday (i.e. Easter) greeting cards for Social Service Center guests
- Chicago Lights Urban Farm Youth Program volunteers to work with program participants aged 14 to 18 years
This program is in session
Wednesdays—Saturdays, July 8—August 15 from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon. Volunteers must commit to one day a week for the duration of the six-week program. Volunteers must be at least 21 years of age. For more information, contact Ben Jaffe.
- Handbell ringers to join the Handbell Choir
Beginning or experienced ringers are encouraged to be part of this musical group. Rehearsals are held on Sundays at 8:00 a.m. The Handbell Choir plays on occasion at the 9:30 and 11:00 a.m. worship services.
- Dessert bakers for Monday Night Supper, on rotation
- Individuals to organize and pack supplies on Sunday afternoon for Monday Night Supper, on rotation
Organizing and packing takes approximately thirty minutes.
- Bag lunch assemblers and distributors on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, or Thursdays from 10:30 to 11:45 a.m. or 11:50 a.m. to 1:15 p.m., on rotation
This volunteer opportunity is primarily for individual adults.
- Sunday Night Supper dining room helpers to assist with setup, beverage pouring, hosting, and cleaning from 3:30 to 6:00 p.m., on sign-up basis
Small groups are welcome.
- Monday Night Supper dining room helpers to assist with setup, beverage pouring, hosting, and cleaning from 3:30 to 6:15 p.m., on sign-up basis
- Grocery shoppers for Sunday and Monday Night Suppers and sandwich teams, on rotation
Shoppers are scheduled quarterly and shop about once per month. A list of the items to be purchased is emailed early to midweek. Volunteers shop for groceries at a time convenient for them (typically on Friday or Saturday for use on Saturday or Sunday), deliver them to Fourth Church, and secure them in refrigerators and cabinets downstairs. Email access and a car are essential. Costco membership a plus! Shoppers are provided a copy of the Fourth Church sales tax-free letter and submit receipts for reimbursement. Shopping and delivery takes two to three hours, depending on the length of the grocery list, traffic, etc.
- Transporters to help unload the food truck and put away groceries in the Social Service Center pantry
Volunteers will be scheduled on the second and fourth Fridays of the month, usually in the morning, on rotation.
- Members to serve as liturgists during morning worship services
Fourth
Church members are invited to serve as liturgists during the morning worship services on an occasional schedule. The responsibilities include meeting with the lay liturgist coordinator to rehearse the passage, arriving the day of the service at least twenty minutes early and meeting with the worship leader ten minutes before the service, reading the passage at the planned time in the worship bulletin, and staying at the service until its conclusion.
- Volunteers to wash and dry clothes, on rotation, for a family with a chronically ill child, located in zip code 60618
- Members to serve as ushers to serve during the 8:00 and 11:00 a.m. worship services
- Church members to serve as Nursery caregivers on Sundays at 9:30 or
11:00 a.m.
To volunteer, contact Robert Crouch (312.981.3382).
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Helping Hands
The Fourth Church mission group Helping Hands works as a team on painting, construction, cleaning, and gardening projects. If you’re interested in hands-on outreach in the Chicago community, this group is for you!
For more information about Helping Hands, contact Nancy Davis (312.274.3815).