Faith Formation
Click here to download our full Winter/Spring 2020 Faith Formation brochure.
Sunday Morning Classes
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"Are We Sure We Want to Be Jesus’ Disciples?
The Gospel of Mark as Real-Life, Costly Drama" Six Sundays of Lent, March 1-April 5, 9:30 AM Imagine you are living in the last quarter of the first century A.D. in the city of Rome. Imagine, too, as one interpreter put it, that “suffering and death are not merely concepts which one could hold at a safe distance.” For now, unexpectedly, you are being called by the risen Jesus to “take up your cross and follow” him “immediately,” just as he had summoned the martyred Peter and Paul and the rest of his first followers to do the same. Your decision is laden with great risk and potential misunderstanding. So Mark has written his Gospel to share with you the "good news” (evangel) of Jesus's gift of faith and sight to you, that in trust and courage you may follow him in the face of your fear and hesitation, right now. Join the Rev. Charles Davidson as he leads us in this exploration of our present discipleship for the season of Lent. |
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Sunday Morning Class will not meet on Easter Sunday, April 12
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"God Will Call"
Two Sundays, April 19-26, 9:30 AM The Rev. Jim Chatham returns to help us understand that, from one end of the Bible to the other, the single most prominent thing God does is call people—God encounters us in the normal course of our secular pursuits and beckons us to play a role in God’s agenda. In this course, we will look at whom God chooses to call, what God calls them to do, and how they (we) respond. |
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"Contemporary Lay Women Theologians"
Three Sundays, May 3-17, 9:30 AM
Anne Lamott (author of Traveling Mercies and Hallelujah Anyway), Kate Bowler (author of Everything Happens for a Reason and Other Lies I Have Learned to Love), and Marilynne Robinson (author of Gilead and Home), and are among the lay women theologians whose rich and deep theological insights have challenged and nourished Christians in recent years. Join the Rev. Russ Moxley and the Rev. Kim Wells as we explore the distinctive contribution of lay women theologians and invite you into a time of reflection and discussion. This course will complement a corresponding small group book study on Rachel Held Evans’ book Searching for Sunday, led by Peg Lewis on Tuesdays in May. (See below.)
Three Sundays, May 3-17, 9:30 AM
Anne Lamott (author of Traveling Mercies and Hallelujah Anyway), Kate Bowler (author of Everything Happens for a Reason and Other Lies I Have Learned to Love), and Marilynne Robinson (author of Gilead and Home), and are among the lay women theologians whose rich and deep theological insights have challenged and nourished Christians in recent years. Join the Rev. Russ Moxley and the Rev. Kim Wells as we explore the distinctive contribution of lay women theologians and invite you into a time of reflection and discussion. This course will complement a corresponding small group book study on Rachel Held Evans’ book Searching for Sunday, led by Peg Lewis on Tuesdays in May. (See below.)
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Tuesday Morning & Evening Small Groups
Book Study of Searching for Sunday Four Tuesdays, May 4-25 In Searching for Sunday, author Rachel Held Evans—an important woman lay theologian—describes her thorny relationship with the church of her childhood. Through a series of stories told around the sacraments—baptism, confession, and communion, among others—Evans offers a roadmap back to the church and to the resurrection that awaits us there. Peg Lewis will lead a four-week, small group discussion of this book. There will be two options—a morning group at 10:00 AM and an evening group at 7:00 PM—on each of the four Tuesdays listed above. Each small group will be limited to 10 participants. Sign-up sheets and copies of the book for sale will be available in the Narthex in April. |
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Summer Preview ...
"On the Brink of Everything: Grace, Gravity and Getting Old" Tuesdays in July "Let's reframe aging as a passage of discovery and engagement, not decline and inaction." "Old is just another word for nothing left to lose, a time to take bigger risks on behalf of the common good." As a continuation of our offerings for older adults, this summer study of On the Brink of Everything, one of Parker Palmer’s more recent books, is for all who want to grow b/old gracefully, age reflectively, and seek life-giving ways to engage the world in which they live. This book discussion will be held on Tuesday evenings in July. Stay tuned for details as summer approaches. |
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Contemplative Formation
Lectio Divina & Group Spiritual Direction The Sanctuary Pastor Kim Wells, Leader Contact Kim for next group meeting times There are two kinds of reading--one is for information, and the other is for formation. Reading for information is like reading a newspaper, filling our mind with the facts. Reading for formation, though, is like reading a love letter – we savor every word, allowing what we read to deepen our relationship with the one who writes to us. |
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When we read the Bible for formation rather than simply for information, we read it in a holistic way that allows our relationship with God to deepen, and we are formed by our encounter with God through scripture. Meaning “spiritual reading” in Latin, lectio divina is a simple, facilitated group process that invites participants to contemplate how God is speaking to them personally through scripture. All are welcome, and no experience is required!
Children, Youth, and Families
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Our children and youth participate in the whole, intergenerational life of the church, including our worship, education, outreach, and fellowship ministries. Our children and youth are especially beloved participants in our Sunday morning worship services and often have leadership roles.
Since we are a small church, our approach to ministry with children and youth is mostly intergenerational rather than age-specific. Throughout the year, we participate in activities specifically for children and youth along with other churches in our Presbytery as well as at the nearby Montreat Conference Center. If you are a family with children and/or youth and have a bit of a pioneering spirit, we would love the opportunity to work with you to incorporate your family and your family's needs and gifts into the intergenerational life of our church! For more information about opportunities for children, youth, and families, contact Pastor Kim. |
Presbyterian Women's Circle
Our PW Circle meets at 2:00 PM on the last Thursday of the month. We are using this year's Horizons study guide: Love Carved in Stone: A Fresh Look at the Ten Commandments by Eugenia Anne Gamble.
You can purchase it from the Horizons website.
Questions? Contact Susan Maveety.
Our PW Circle meets at 2:00 PM on the last Thursday of the month. We are using this year's Horizons study guide: Love Carved in Stone: A Fresh Look at the Ten Commandments by Eugenia Anne Gamble.
You can purchase it from the Horizons website.
Questions? Contact Susan Maveety.