VIEW CLASS RESOURCES

Adult Education Opportunities

The adult education programs of Fourth Church provide short-term and ongoing education for our members, friends of the church, and the wider community, through both in-person and Zoom options.

Video Archive of Past Adult Education Classes
Top Ten Bible Podcast

Jump down to

Subscribe to our newsletter
Share your input
Contact the Adult Education staff 

CURRENT CLASS OFFERINGS

The Other Man Behind Handel’s Messiah
Sunday, March 22
Borwell Dining Room and livestreamed
John Clum, Professor Emeritus of Theater Studies and English at Duke and Fourth Church member
Register here

John Clum will lead us in discussion about Charles Jennens, an English landholder, art expert, Biblical scholar, and the librettist for many of Handel's major oratorios including MESSIAH. John will tell the story of the friendship and artistic collaboration of Handel and Jennens and discuss Jennens’ text for the most performed oratorio.

No classes:
• March 29, 2026 Palm Sunday
• April 5, 2026 Easter

Adult Education Programs for Spring 2026 

Sundays at 11:00 AM CT  (All sessions will be live-streamed and available for replay on YouTube)

Care of Creation  
Session I, Earthkeeping as Spiritual Practice 
April 12, 2026

Amy Pagliarella, Parish Associate for Caring Ministries, Fourth Church  

From Genesis to the Gospel of Matthew, the biblical imperative of human stewardship of the earth is quite clear. Our care of God’s creation will be explored and discussed in class, along with tangible projects we can undertake on earth’s behalf.  

Register Here

Care of Creation 
Session II, Respiratory Health in Chicago 
April 19, 2026 

Brian Urbaszewski, Director of Environmental Health, Respiratory Health Association 

Scientific findings regarding the relationship between Chicago residents' respiratory health and their home or workplace locations will be presented and discussed. The effect on children’s health and longevity in adults will also be included, as well as the inequity of zip codes. 

Register Health

Ethics in the City of Chicago 
April 26, 2026

Bill Conlon, Recently Retired Chair of Board of Ethics for Chicago, Retired Partner of Sidley Austin  
Deborah Witzburg, Inspector General, City of Chicago 

“As long as human beings are involved, there will be ethical issues.” From misuse of funds and bribery to unreported lobbying, allegations of misconduct, and conflicts of interest, Chicago’s city government regularly confronts complex ethical challenges. Charges are initiated either by the Inspector General or the Board of Ethics, and after fact-finding, final judgments are made by the Board. Examples of this work and general conclusions will be shared from the speakers’ many years of involvement with these issues. The impact on the city’s citizens its finances, and its reputation will be discussed. 

Register Here

Fundamentals of Evangelicalism 
May 3, 10 and 17, 2026 

Justin Myers, Journalist and Fourth Church member 
Joelle Kidd, Award-winning journalist and author of the book “Jesusland” 

This class dives into the core beliefs and spiritual machine of Evangelical Christianity and explores how it differs from Mainline Protestantism in order to foster deeper discussions among Mainliners when speaking on Evangelical topics and supporting ex-Evangelical members. Attendees are encouraged to read the book “Jesusland” by Joelle Kidd as a primer for the class, though this is not required.

Registration

Session I, Path to Salvation 
May 3, 2026 
Justin Myers 

Evangelicalism 
Session II, The Media Landscape 
May 10, 2026 
Joelle Kidd 

Evangelicalism 
Session III, Reading the Bible 
May 17, 2026 
Justin Myers

May 24 - No Class; Memorial Day Weekend

Words that Framed our Nation’s Founding 
May 31, June 7 and 14, 2026 

Jeff Doane and Joe Morrow discuss Danielle Allen’s book “Our Declaration: A Reading of the Declaration of Independence in Defense of Equality” 

As we celebrate the sesquicentennial of our nation, this class will explore the words that framed our founding through Danielle Allen’s book, “Our Declaration: A Reading of the Declaration of Independence in Defense of Equality.”  According to author Cornell West, “This wise and rich book is what we need in these troubled times.” We will also consider the only active clergy person to sign the declaration, Presbyterian pastor John Witherspoon. 

Register

If you want to tap into the rich resources of previous classes, simply click on this link to find all the adult education classes that were recorded.

Videos of Tom Are’s Bible Study on Philippians

During the pandemic, Tom Are wrote a short book, Joy Even on Your Worst Days, which he calls “a preacher’s read of Philippians.”

Using the book as a guide, in autumn 2024 Tom led us in exploring the letter of Philippians, the most joyful writing in the Bible even though it was written while Paul was in prison.

You can view the four presentations from the Bible study here:

Video of Session 1
Video of Session 2
Video of Session 3
Video of Session 4

Give Us Your Input

To make an inquiry for information or to send evaluative comments, or to suggest a future course offering, email the Adult Education office.

Recommendation Form for a class or speaker
Proposal Form to submit a class of your own for consideration

Staff/Contact Information

Matt Helms
Associate Pastor
Email

Back to top