FOURTH PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
May 5, 1985

Sometime in the middle of a reception which was held

on April 17, | greeting a room full of officers and members
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of Fourth Presbyterian Church, \and feeling their ‘love for

the church and high hopes for its future, the abstraction
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became a _ reality for Sue and for ne. | It appeared that
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we were actually coming to Chicago. | In the search process,

as it is designed by Presbyterians, the principle parties
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learn the art of keeping the realities safely abstract. |

But that_day, and supremely, this day, the reality” £ this
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new thing became gloriously concrete.
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We, and you, experience a kaleidescope of emotions. tedan,

We can't help recalling a warm September day in 1959, | somehow
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managing to come across Northern Indiana and into the city
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and onto Lake Shore Drive at 5:00 p.m, pour first exposure
a a SES Derere aarecnns ccermerrassar (qmmnimecomecnnnage

to the city \\ and finally finding a place to pull over to

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gather our resources and coura e Nana Sue opening the door
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and a plant we had carried from Pennsylvania falling out,

and our kneeling to gather it up and saying %—____

( be SS hear ree eae ,_ wand tbe sens e
ef SSSsaarh ( a i )
mee VETY YOURS. and very frightened = pad. wi

God's good providence, we would be given what we needed. Cwrtadaer +

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And another memory is near the surface as well: } this
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one just four months ago, January 11, to be precise, a
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cold Friday afternoon, and we were back in Chicago, this
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time to talk to the Pastor Search Committee of this church,

and we were ushered into this magnificent space and Morgan
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. , Wosts+ Warten

Simmons just happened to be at the organ, and our

asked us for a favorite hymn and we said \"Praise Ye the

Lord, the Almighty," and Mr. Simmons played it strongly

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and I @R tie words hme “a MENA Wr “me x
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Hast thou not seen, how thy desires _e'er have been
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granted in what He ordaineth ?

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And} we recalled that day long ago and the steadfastness
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of the grace and providence God gives and we—trusted, deeply,
that somehow_God's will does get done’ in the courts and
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bureaucracy and committee structures of the church.

I will have much more to say on other occasions about

the meaning the city has for us, and I fear I will risk

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boring you with the novit.| Allow me now to say how delighted

we are to be here and how we look forward to all that lies
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ahead.

GQ Crnfegsim ~ hed We was Scarmd = Som Abas emer
\he weak om Ae say tut be Waa’ aA Atak ay

\s = aaa a ke Ogu got 35, lad Nae t olayzd est. - Thai

- Wowk of KC PO wore Oo
ote Ww fect Cr peri >

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ti

Th
m : more trepidation Chrerr—hepmenae} y /
- the PaStor—Nomtnating Committee __Seme—ttrings,—of—eearse;
neVer-Chanee

pf
*

However, I was touched to read the pyayer_on the front

of the bulletin for the Sunday of the congregational meeting whe ar
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which asked God to look graciously on this church in that Cred cals

important hour. \ Please join me - in this important hour
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ja similar prayer.

Almighty God, give f every good gift: Look graciously

on Te church. , 8 we worship’ and work and pray and serve

togethem, b us. as Me begin this journey together,

grant ud to grow in fai hand in discipleship.

Almighty God, giver of every good gift, look graciously
on your church now as you have in the past.| We give thanks
for all who have gone before, and for the privilege of
oyr ministry in this new day. | As we begin this journey

, BL \ 4 in t hi d k d
teererer ess us s we begin to worship and work an

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pray together, grant us to grow in faith.\ Equip all of
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us for our ministry of service in your church and in the

world you love so much: t srcipittemdioasimnactibchtalnonmciteatinitil.
Amen. en) Seek le vs, 6 Gd -Wl Yovr ard ~ gop. us tb

Yove apn \~ AY Lao, - We Wr olay oe thas i¢