January 2, 2022 Ann Williams
| Group Leaders: | Jennifer Blakeney and Lisa Vahey |
| When: | Monday evenings, 7:00-8:15 PM, January 24, 31, February 7, 21, and 28. Please note: this group will NOT meet on February 14. |
| Where: | On Zoom only. |
| Resource Text: | Me and White Supremacy by Layla Saad. This book is widely available in print, digital, and audio formats from bookstores and local libraries. |
This book club is organized around the book Me and White Supremacy by Layla Saad. At each meeting, we’ll discuss the book (which is organized into “weeks” of learning that we’ll follow). There will also be journaling and reflection as we read, share, discuss and grow so we can see, understand, and actively dismantle white supremacy.
To sign up: You can sign up here.
December 27, 2021 Ann Williams
The Ministry of Adult Spiritual Growth is pleased toannounce the following classes and groups for Winter of 2022. We believe that all adult Christians need lifelong Christian education and spiritual formation. Please consider signing up for one of these opportunities to learn and grow as a Christian!
How the Scriptures Came to be THE Bible
Follow Me: Baptize and Live in Community
Open our Eyes and Hearts to Racial Injustice
A Conversation with Susie Kaeser, author of Resisting Segregation, co-sponsored by the Black Caucus and the Racial Inequality Repair Committee.
Discuss Caste: The Origins of our Discontent by Isabel Wilkerson, sponsored by the Black Caucus
“The Sum of Us” Book discussion
Reconnecting with God’s Creation
Preparing for End of Life — For your Family Members and You
Tags: Adult EdDecember 27, 2021 Ann Williams
| Group Leader: | Tom Zych and Kathryn Eloff |
| When: | Sunday mornings, 9:30–10:30AM, January 9–March 27, 2022 (12 weeks). The room will open at 9:00AM. |
| Where: | The class is offered as a hybrid so that you can join us via Zoom or in-person in South Hall. |
Have you ever wondered how our Scriptures came to be “the Bible”? Have you wondered how the books we study got into the canon in the first place, and who decided what was in and what was out? Or even when that came to pass? We share texts with our Jewish sisters and brothers, but we use different collections and use the texts in different ways. When and how did this happen?
We invite you to participate in a 12-week class on the development of the Biblical canon. A mix of presenters and styles, with a variety of readings, outside speakers and our own Pauline scholar, the course will be organized around Bart Ehrman’s “The History of the Bible: Making of the New Testament Canon.” There will be readings (including particular sections of scripture and extra-canonical books).
It’s hard to predict what will be best about the series, but the first class will certainly be a highlight. Our good friend, Rabbi Roger Klein, will start us off with an outline of Jewish thought on the formation of the canon of the Hebrew Bible. And he will pick up on an idea that has been raised in our own classes: should the canon be open to new books or to remove old ones? Is it a formal discussion in our own faith? Should it be? Do we have a tradition that parallels the oral and rabbinic traditions of the Jewish tradition? Does the text itself ask for ongoing interpretation?
To sign up: You can sign up through Breeze here. Or you can email your intention to Kathryn Eloff at kathryneloff@gmail.com.
Tags: Adult EdDecember 27, 2021 Ann Williams
| Group Leader: | Cynthia Lehman |
| When: | To be determined. Cynthia will talk with people who want to participate and choose a time that works for all |
| Where: | On Zoom only. |
| Resource Text: | The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together, by Heather McGhee. Purchase online here. |
Heather McGhee wonders at the beginning of the book why we can’t have nice things. By that she means policies and systems that work for all of us. Her exploration of that question produced a book that examines all of the ways that the zero-sum game prevents us from creating thriving communities that work for everyone. This book discussion will meet on Zoom at a time that works for all.
Sign up here.
Tags: Adult EdDecember 27, 2021 Ann Williams
| Facilitated by: | Eileen Viscaino and Ann Williams |
| When: | Sunday mornings, 9:30–10:30AM, January 9–February 27, 2022 (8 weeks). The room will open at 9:15AM. |
| Where: | On Zoom only. |
| Resource Text: | Your own Bible and a resource book for each month, available in printed copy at the church for $8 each. |
This class series is continued from the Fall and Advent classes, focusing on ways for adults to live and grow as Christians. Each week, we prepare by reading Bible passages and the book, and by reflecting on the topic for the week. On Sundays, we have a group discussion, following the interests of the group members.
For January, we will study and discuss the practice of Baptism, a practice that is “in some ways, incredibly simple… A few words and a handful of water are the only essential ingredients. At the same time, baptism represents a great event with profound significance for the life of discipleship… it plunges us into a pool of meaning and mystery deep enough to swim around in forever….” (Baptize, p. 4)
During February, we will study and discuss Life in Community. We affirm that “no one is able to, nor are we supposed to, follow Jesus on our own. We need one another for this journey of faith.” Therefore we will discuss such questions as, “How do we navigate our differences find common ground, and learn to create a life together with all the unique aspects that make us who we are?” (Live In Community, p. 4)
This class may be of special interest to parents, since our Family, Youth and Children’s program is using a children’s version of this same curriculum, allowing families to study similar material together.
To sign up: You can sign up here.
Tags: Adult EdDecember 27, 2021 Ann Williams
| Group Leader: | Quentin Smith and Ron Zimmerman |
| When: | Sunday mornings, 9:30–10:30AM, January 9–February 27, 2022 (8 weeks). The room will open at 9:15AM. |
| Where: | On Zoom only. |
| Resource Text: | The Color of Compromise: The Truth about the American Church’s Complicity in Racism, by Jemar Tisby. This book is widely available through many local library bookstores and online bookstores. You may order here. |
Noting that FHC has boldly declared herself a Matthew 25 church, the class asks what does that mean and, more importantly, how does it manifest itself when we also consider Micah 6:8 and Mark 12:28–34.
Shortly after the infamous Birmingham church bombing in September 1963, a White lawyer addressed his friends, neighbors, and colleagues and posed a profound question “Who did it” he asked. The lawyer responded to his own question with a provocative answer. “We all did it,” he concluded. Jemar Tisby writes, “being complicit only requires a muted response in the face of injustice.”
To sign up: You can sign up here.
December 27, 2021 Ann Williams
| Group Leader: | Kemp Jaycee and Steve Sedam |
| When: | Sundays 4:00–5:30PM, March 13–June 5 |
| Where: | Zoom |
If you want to explore the spiritual dimensions of your relationship to the natural world while learning about current environmental issues of local and global significance, consider signing up for “Reconnecting with God’s Creation.” More information will be forthcoming about this 13-week course (Sundays, 4 – 5:30 p.m., March 13 – June 5).
Sign up here.
Tags: Adult EdDecember 27, 2021 Ann Williams
| Group Leader: | Katherine Eloff, Carol Gifford, Cythia Lehman, and Ann Williams |
| When: | Spring 2022 |
| Where: | TBD |
More details coming soon.
Tags: Adult EdDecember 27, 2021 Ann Williams
| Group Leader: | Pastor John Lentz |
| When: | Wednesday mornings at 7:30AM |
| Where: | Before the pandemic, we met in person and provided bagels for everyone. We hope to do that again soon. |
Participants meet for coffee and bagels and a lively discussion of the upcoming lectionary passage. Drop-ins are welcome. There’s nothing to read ahead of time.
To sign up: For now, we are meeting on Zoom and bringing whatever breakfast we have at home. If you are interested, please sign up here so we can send you the Zoom link.
Tags: Adult EdDecember 27, 2021 Ann Williams
| Group Leader: | Pastor John Lentz |
| When: | Every first Saturday of the month starting Sept. 11 from 8:00 AM–9:30 AM |
| Where: | Before the pandemic, we met in person. Right now we are meeting via Zoom. We hope to meet in person again soon. Drop-ins are welcome. |
Men of the FHC congregation get together for a lively group discussion.
To Sign Up: For now, we are meeting on Zoom and bringing whatever breakfast we have at home. If you are interested, please sign up here so we can send you the Zoom link.
Tags: Adult Ed
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