LGBTQIA+
Widen Our Welcome (WOW)

Widen Our Welcome Brunch
Once a month the Widen Our Welcome (WOW) group gathers for brunch at a nearby restaurant following the Sunday worship service. All are invited to join in this time of fellowship.

For details, email Simon Crow.

A Welcoming Church

Inspired by the radical hospitality of Jesus Christ, Fourth Church welcomes all of God’s children into the life of the church regardless of sex, gender, sexual orientation, age, race, ethnicity, physical or mental ability, mental health, educational background, economic situation, religious background, or documentation status.

Our mission statement affirms this commitment to be “a light in the city, reflecting the inclusive love of God. Comforted and challenged by the gospel of Christ, we strive to be a welcoming, serving community. ... We affirm the worth of all and nurture each individual’s spiritual pilgrimage.”

For more than twenty years, Fourth Church, which is a partner congregation of the Chicago Coalition of Welcoming Churches, has been a publicly welcoming congregation of LGBTQ persons.

In 1997, John M. Buchanan, then the Pastor of Fourth Church, was one of the founding co-moderators of the Covenant Network of Presbyterians. Fourth Church’s Session supported overtures to the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA) that eliminated the denominational ban against LBGTQ persons being ordained and supported Presbyterian pastors conducting same-gender marriages.

Consistent with our welcome of all, we celebrate marriage ceremonies for same-gender couples and administer the Sacrament of Baptism to children of same-gender couples.

For more information about Widen Our Welcome, contact Simon Crow (312.573.3369).

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