Adult Sunday Morning Electives
Our Sunday morning schedule includes elective classes for adults. Our classes are typically divided into these four areas:
BIBLICAL STUDIES courses encourage a biblical foundation for our daily lives and equip us as witnesses.
CHRISTIAN THOUGHT courses use church history and theology to look at where we have been so we can better understand where we are going.
ENGAGING OUR CULTURE courses address issues, challenges, and opportunities we face in society today.
MINISTRY IN ACTION courses focus on specific ways we live out our faith, put it into practice, and point others to Jesus Christ.
Fall 2010 Electives
September 12 through November 28
BIBLICAL STUDIES
THE BOOK OF JOHN
Facilitator: Eric Stark
Room TBA
Who was John? What was the purpose of his Gospel? What are the major themes of the Book of John? What can we learn from Jesus' miracles and parables that we can apply to our daily lives today? These are just some of the questions that we will investigate as we take an exciting journey through one of the most often-studied Books of the Bible. Come prepared to share your thoughts, insights, and questions for the benefit of the class.
REFLECTIONS ON THE PSALMS by C.S. Lewis
Facilitator: Eric Mann
Room TBA
Reflections on the Psalms is about the difficulties Lewis has met or the joys he has gained in reading the Psalms. He points out that the Psalms are poems, intended to be sung, and not doctrinal treatises or sermons. This class will discuss his thoughts and ideas, especially as he guides readers through both the form and the meaning of these beloved passages.
CHRISTIAN THOUGHT
INTRO TO THEOLOGY
Facilitator: Pastor Steve
Room TBA
In this elective we will walk through the history of Christian theology from the first century all the way through to the present day. Along the way we will deal with major theological issues like understandings of God, Christ, the Holy Spirit, humanity, redemption etc. It will also seek to introduce the individuals who contributed to Christian thought. Why bother with all this? Hopefully electives like this one will help us know God better as well as prepare us to answer questions people may ask us as we seek to share the good news.
ENGAGING OUR CULTURE
CURRENT EVENTS DISCUSSION
Facilitator: Ron Grenko
Room TBA
This class will be an open discussion of current events affecting our world today and how our relationship with God impacts our approach to those events. Specific topics will be decided upon during the first meeting but could include some or all of the following: global warming, drug legalization, pornography, economic meltdown, gay marriage, unemployment, terrorism, gulf oil disaster, and politics. Attendees should expect diverse opinions and disagreements but within the context of mutual respect and brotherly love.
MINISTRY IN ACTION
COMING TOGETHER FOR PRAYER
Facilitator: Ronda Toews
Room TBA
God invites us with outstretched arms to meet with him, to come home-to pray. Join in lifting up our church body, our community, and God's church around the world through prayer. We pray for each other, for the world at large, and everything in between. It is simplicity and mystery entwined, but there is no better place to be than communing with God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. So whether you consider your prayer life to be rich and mature or in its infancy, you will find a home here.
May you now, by the power of the Holy Spirit,
receive the spirit of prayer.
May it become, in the name of Jesus Christ,
the most precious occupation of your life.
And may the God of all peace strengthen you, bless you,
and give you joy. Amen.
A prayer from Richard Foster's book, Prayer: Finding the Heart's True Home.
HEAD, HEART, HANDS: BRINGING TOGETHER CHRISTIAN THOUGHT, PASSION, AND ACTION
by Dennis Hollinger
Facilitator: Kevin Milligan
Room TBA
We are called to love the Lord our God with all our heart and with all our souls and with all our strength. Most of us have tried to do this in ways we know best, but likely leave us short of what God hopes for his children. Some define ourselves as thinkers regarding our Christian faith, others among us feel faith deeply and respond according to those leadings, still another group of us see ourselves through the way we act out our faith in service and help of those in need. Each facet of our Christian faith-the use of our minds, the feeling within our hearts, and our active works of Christian service-is critical to God's recreation of us as new Men and Women of His Kingdom.
Join in the reading and discussion of Dennis P. Hollinger's Head, Heart, Hands to obtain (or regain) "a holistic, integrative vision for reuniting Christian thought, passion, and action."
Dr. Hollinger, the author of this book and President of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, will be visiting E-town BIC on Sunday, September 26, to challenge us from the pulpit. (Yes, this instructor is more than a little bit intimidated!)
