Coming Up - Educational Opportunities
Sunday School - Children
Sunday School will be available during the 8:30 and 9:45 Services. Elementary children will be grouped by grade level. Preschool children, ages three (potty trained) through five, will be grouped accordingly. Curriculum - Rock Solid – Building a Heart of Faith
Sunday School -Youth
Sunday School for youth is offered at the 9:45 and 11:15 Sunday School hours. At the 9:45 hour, Middle School and Senior High meet separately in their respective youth rooms. At the 11:15 hour, all youth grades 6-12 meet together in the Senior High room. Both Sunday School hours use the curriculum Bible Lessons for Youth, which covers the entire Bible in six years. It is based on the International Lessons Series and uses a Bible-to-life approach. It also uses activities to engage student interest and focuses on how Scripture relates to their lives.
Sunday School -Adults
· 8:30 am Chrysalis Adult Class – Wayne & Edie Gordon: For John Wesley, the Bible is the joyfully consistent testimony of God’s never-ending grace and ever-seeking love. Likewise, studying the Bible is more than merely knowing what Scripture says; it is also about living every day as a child of God. In This We Believe: The Core of Wesleyan Faith and Practice, Bishop Will Willimon systematically lays out key Wesleyan tenets of faith so that you will have a fresh way to hear God’s voice, share in God’s grace, and become more like Jesus Christ.
· 10:00 am Treasure Seekers Adult Class - Julia Kecskes, Donna Jensen, Stacy Albert & Jackie Stone: Popular author J. Ellsworth Kalas has a few things he’d like to share. In I Bought a House on Gratitude Street, Kalas imparts insights gathered over the years through different means. “Some…have come to me by my seeking, some have been shared with me by people of wider experience, and some have been thrust upon me by my mistakes.” With his familiar style, Kalas shares life-lessons on matters of friendship, prayer, sin, and success--all through the lens of Scripture.
· 10:00 Good News Adult Class – Lynn Cupp: Based on the Uniform Series, this quarterly study on Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon and Matthew presents stimulating lessons that explore the biblical message and how to apply it to daily life. The curriculum helps adults move from a focus on the Word to reflection on personal, family, church, and community concerns. Ideal for a variety of settings, lessons are Bible-based, Christ-focused, and United Methodist – approved curriculum for use in adult Sunday school classes, mid-week Bible study, and small-group studies.
· NEW! 10:00 am Adult Class – Begins September 18th – Brad Hamilton: Kames W. Moore says that just as Missouri is the “Show Me State”, this is a “show me” world, where talking a good game is not enough. In When you are a Christian, the whole World is from Missouri, Moore contends that we, as Christians, must show the world that our faith is not only a way of believing but also a way of behaving; something we live out in the world every day. Held in the Library.
· 11:15 Adult Class – Candice Bennett: Starting September 11th, this group will study Serious Answers to Hard Questions, which covers topics like evil, religion and science, other religions, evangelism and tolerance, and the Gnostic Gospels.
Sunday Evening
6-7:30 pm - DISCIPLE I (32 wks) - Begins September 18 - led by Mike Jensen. DISCIPLE affirms that the canon was formed as it is in order for God to speak to us. DISCIPLE I gives equal time to both the Old and New Testament, emphasizing the wholeness of the Bible as the revelation of God. DISCIPLE aims at transformation, not just information, and calls on persons to submit themselves to examination by Scripture, to put themselves under the power of God’s Word, and to be changed by God’s Word. DISCIPLE invites persons to bring their experiences and struggles to the Scripture.
Tuesday Morning
9:15-10:30am – Tour of Duty: Preparing our Hearts for Deployment (9 wks) – Begins September 20 – led by Katrina Kepran. Military families like to be prepared-they plan, strategize, organize. But whether they’re active, National Guard, or Reserve, when deployment comes, all the planning in the world can still fail when it comes to their hearts. This study is an excellent starting point for military wives to get connected with others in the military community who share this common thread. They can learn to lean on God and come out of it confident in the knowledge that God is with them, loves them, and will not abandon them.
Wednesday Mid-Weeks
Short-Term Study
· 6:30-8:00 pm - Genesis from Scratch (8 wks) – Begins September 21 – led by Lisa Geiger. Replete with some of the most familiar and beloved stories from the Bible (Adam and Eve, Noah and the Flood, Sodom and Gomorrah, and Abraham and Isaac), Genesis also tells the story of God’s creation of the universe. It is about beginnings—and thus is the perfect book to begin the expanded Bible from Scratch series.
· 6:30-8:00 pm (Women’s Group) - Goodbye Murphy's Law: Whatever Can Go Wrong, God Can Make Right (10 wks) – Begins September 21 – led by Suzanne McIvor. “We live in a world where people tend to expect the worst. But God has an amazing plan for each of us, and this plan is not some elusive, mystical riddle we cannot decipher. We can move past dry spells and give up dread and fear. We can shape a vision for our life that is large and special and meaningful.” In this inspiring and useful book, Judy Pace Christie helps us to seek and discover God’s will in our lives through listening, discernment, prayer, and perseverance.
· 6:30-8:00 pm (Men’s Group) - The Man Code: Keys to Unlocking a Balanced Life (7 wks) – Begins September 21 – led by Chris Wszolek. Men! Let's face it. Much as we need it, we tend to avoid building true friendships with other men. We have plenty of "buddies" we can talk sports and weather with, but getting below the surface feels like work to us. Even tougher is consistent intimacy with our Heavenly Father. Convicted? Want to do something about it? Let The Man Code be your wake up call. Following Dennis Swanberg's simple yet profound principles can help you find the motivation to develop genuine relationships and make a difference to those around you. This little book will open your eyes!
Long-Term Study
· 6:30-8:30 pm - DISCIPLE II (32 wks) – Begins September 21 – led by Fred Brockhausen. DISCIPLE II is the second study in the four-phase Disciple program and is prepared for those who are graduates of DISCIPLE I. This study proclaims the transforming power of Scripture while teaching Bible study skills that take participants deeper into the Scripture. The importance of keeping Bible study related to witness is reinforced while participants are encouraged to practice spiritual disciplines arising out of Scripture for the purpose of changing habits and transforming lives. The study also emphasizes the rhythm of coming to God and going for God, of being in the Word and in the world individually and corporately.
Thursday Evening
· 6:30-8:00 pm - 7 Deadlier Sins (8 wks) – Begins September 22 – led by Chris Haws. The most important thing to tell you is: This brand-new book is different from most of the “Gospel According to …” books that are popular with Bible-study groups these days. In most cases, the author shares a biblical interpretation of popular novelists, cartoonists, movies or musicians. In this case, Benjamin Pratt discovered a great deal of literary evidence that Ian Fleming intentionally wove major spiritual themes into his novels. His new book is a key unlocking secrets Fleming hid in plain sight. Bible study groups, until now, would not have dared to discuss this connection. The novels were just too provocative. This new book is a tribute to Fleming’s depth and artistry and encourages readers to go out, get copies of his novels and read them with fresh eyes.
Young Adult Studies
Wednesday Mid-Weeks
· 6:30-8:00 pm (Young Adults’ Group) – The Christian Atheist: Believing in God but Living as If He Doesn’t Exist (8 wks) – Begins September 21 – led by Michelle Matthews. Former Christian Atheist Craig Groeschel knows his subject all too well. After over a decade of successful ministry, he had to make a painful self admission: although he believed in God, he was leading his church like God didn't exist. To Christians and non-Christians alike, to the churched and the unchurched, the journey leading up to Groeschel's admission and the journey that follows--from his family and his upbringing to the lackluster and even diametrically opposed expressions of faith he encountered--will look and sound like the story of their own lives. Christians and Christian Atheists everywhere will be nodding their heads as they are challenged to take their own honest moment and ask the question: Am I putting my whole faith in God but still living as if everything was up to me?
Thursday Evening
· 6:00-8:00 pm (Couples w/ Kids) - Love and Respect (1st & 3rd Thursdays) – Begins September 15 – led by Gene & Monica Levow. This groundbreaking book--featured on Focus on the Family's radio program--offers much-needed help to husbands and wives everywhere. Love and Respect is a marriage study by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs that discusses what each partner can give the other to make a marriage its best. According to Eggerichs, "Research reveals that during marital conflict a husband most often reacts when feeling disrespected and a wife reacts when feeling unloved.” Displayed in the Bible in Ephesians 5:33, there are two main ingredients to a successful, long lasting marriage: love and respect. The way men and women feel are not wrong, just different! Come learn how to resolve conflict, deal with negative reactions, as well as motivating each other by meeting each other's needs in the Biblical sense. The group will meet in Monica and Gene Levow's home (5031 Clairmont Ct. VB. Dinner and childcare will be provided.
· 7:30-8:30 pm (Young Adults Group) - Mere Christianity (2nd & 4th Thursdays) – Begins September 8th at IHOP in Landstown Commons – led by Drew Midland. One of the most popular and beloved introductions to Christian faith ever written, Mere Christianity has sold millions of copies worldwide. Rejecting the boundaries that divide Christianity's many denominations, C.S. Lewis provides an unequaled opportunity for believers and nonbelievers alike to hear a powerful, rational case for Christian faith. It is a collection of scintillating brilliance that remains strikingly fresh for the modern reader and at the same time confirms C.S. Lewis's reputation as one of the leading writers and thinkers of our age.
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