Women at Fourth
Women at Fourth is a community of women at Fourth Presbyterian Church who care for and nurture each other, deepening relationships with one another and with God through ongoing programming and special events. This fellowship group offers opportunities for women to connect through participation
in service projects, faith-building gatherings, and more!
To learn more about how you can become involved in Women at Fourth or to sign up for the monthly email newsletter, contact staff liaison Anne Ellis (312.573.3369). All women at Fourth Church are invited to join Women at Fourth!
Blue Bow Campaign
Women at Fourth Bible Study Groups
School Supply Drive
Women at Fourth Events
Ongoing Groups of Women at Fourth
Benevolent Guild
Books by Women
Knitting and Crocheting
Women at Fourth Annual Projects and Program
Child Abuse Awareness: Resources and Hotlines
Prayer Support
Blue Bow Campaign
Help us recognize National Child Abuse Prevention Awareness Month.
Since 1989, millions of people have joined in displaying and wearing blue bows during the month of April to raise awareness for the observance of National Child Abuse Prevention Awareness Month. Women at Fourth urges you to join in making a difference in the lives of our country's most precious resource. See below for ways you can get involved.
Click here for a list of child abuse awareness resources.
Women at Fourth Bible Study Groups
Horizons: A Monthly Women's Bible Study
Wednesday, August 14
12:00 noon to 1:00 p.m.
Room 4K in the Gratz Center
Interested in taking part in a Bible study that has been field tested by women's groups all over the country? Join us for a monthly women's Bible study, offered through Women at Fourth, based on the guide from Horizons magazine.
The Presbyterian Women Horizons Bible study is a nine-lesson study that runs from September through May. However, our group at Fourth Church does not disband for the summer: we like each other, and some of us actually have more time to attend in the summer!
We have chosen an alternate study for the summer months: we’re looking at the familiar story of Ruth in a new light. While the book of Ruth is most often viewed as simply a beautiful love story between a submissive Ruth and the wealthy Boaz, that hardly scratches the surface.
Our summer study will make Ruth come alive. We will uncover a Ruth who, far from being a passive woman saved by a man, broke the rules, and we will learn how God used Ruth to build God’s kingdom.
We had a great meeting in June, and we hope you will join us on the second Wednesday of July and August as we challenge the old mindset of gender and turn the story of Ruth from a love story into a life-transforming biography.
Our study is based on the book The Gospel of Ruth: Loving God Enough to Break the Rules by Carolyn Custis James. (It is not necessary to purchase the book, as there will be handouts in class.) The Gospel of Ruth is available through various online booksellers.
Contact Anne Ellis for more information.
Upcoming Women at Fourth Events
July Gathering: Ice Cream Social
Thursday, July 25
5:30 p.m.
Bumpus Room
It's time to celebrate a year of fellowship, service, and learning with some cool summer treats! We’re having an ice cream social on Thursday, July 25. Please bring your favorite topping; ice cream will be provided. Also, if you have a favorite passage we could all use during our summer spiritual journeys—a devotion, a prayer, or the name of an inspirational reading—please bring it along. We’ll compile a list and send it out to you all to enrich your August holidays.
In addition to our fellowship, we will be preparing our School Supply Drive backpacks for distribution to Summer Day and Dance Academy students. Our group plays an important role in making sure the supplies from the drive reach everyone in need. We’ll work on the backpacks from 5:30 to 6:00 p.m., and then our meeting (ice cream included) will be from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m.
If you can come help at 5:30 p.m., RSVP to Anne Ellis.
We’ll also take a look at the programs we’ve enjoyed over the past eleven months and rate the ones we liked the most. We’ll also hear about our exciting plans for the coming year, beginning with a presentation by Shannon Kershner in September. And just to top it all off, whoever comes closest to guessing how many jelly beans are in a jar will win a valuable prize!
Finally, please remember, there will be no gathering in August. We'll be back on schedule in September.
2019 School Supply Drive
Our annual School Supply Drive is underway—and we need your help!
Join us as we collect backpacks for children connected with the Chicago Lights Summer Day and Dance Academy and school supplies for the Tutoring programs.
There are a variety of ways in which you can participate and help these children get their school year off to a good start:
- Donate supplies for the Chicago Lights Tutoring program serving 400 students. A list of needed supplies is available here.
- Donate supplies for backpacks filled with school supplies. Our goal is to collect enough supplies for 280 children and youth. A list of needed supplies is available here.
- Help receive, sort, and distribute backpacks and supplies. A list of volunteer opportunities is available here.
We hope you’ll join us as we help students start the school year prepared with all of the supplies they need to focus on learning!
Donation Drop-Off Information
Supplies and cash donations can be dropped off Sunday mornings during Coffee Hour or weekdays at the 126 E. Chestnut reception desk.
For more information about the School Supply Drive or to sign up to volunteer, contact Anne Ellis (312.573.3369).
Ongoing Groups of Women at Fourth
• Benevolent Guild
Wednesdays at 9:30–11:30 a.m.
Room 5B in the Gratz Center
Do you have some time to share on Wednesday mornings? The Benevolent Guild invites you to join them in the fun of creating handmade stuffed animals for children in hospitals and shelters and taggies for infants in the NICU at Lurie Children’s Hospital (no sewing experience necessary!).
For more information, please contact Anne Ellis (312.573.3369).
• Books by Women
Second Tuesdays from 6:00–7:15 p.m.
September through June
Bumpus Room in the Gratz Center
Details and a reading list are available here.
• Knitting and Crocheting
Fourth Tuesdays from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m.
Room 4F in the Gratz Center
Join this active group of women who knit and crochet items for those in need (items such as hats and scarves for adults and children, children’s pajamas and clothes, baby booties and crib caps, lap robes, and more). The group is designed
to accommodate individuals’ own
schedules, allowing participants to drop in
for as much or as little of each gathering
as they’d like.
The group meets at Fourth Church for a time of fellowship, to drop off items they have completed, and to pick up yarn and material for new projects. Items are then donated to children and families in shelters, hospitals, and nursing homes.
For more information, please contact Anne Ellis (312.573.3369).
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Prayer Support
In need of prayer support?
Share your prayer requests of joy or concern
with our Fourth Church Women's prayer circle.
Email prayer requests
to 4thwomenpray@gmail.com
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