Summer Read & Conversation Opportunity
Thursday Morning Bible Study will take a short break in June.
Thursday Mornings at 10 am Starting in July
Over the past several months, many people have asked an important question: What is a faithful Christian response to the times in which we live? Others have wondered how we can speak with family members, friends, neighbors, and fellow Christians who may see the world very differently than we do.
This summer, I invite those who are interested to read the book The Separation of Church and Hate together. The book explores the intersection of faith, politics, culture, and Christian witness in today’s world. It raises challenging questions about how followers of Jesus are called to live with both conviction and compassion.
This conversation will not be for everyone, and that is perfectly okay. The goal is not political agreement, nor is it to debate winners and losers. Rather, the hope is to create space for thoughtful reflection, respectful conversation, and faithful listening.
As Christians, we are called to “speak the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15). That means we can hold differing opinions while still treating one another with dignity, grace, and respect. Our congregation will continue to be a place where questions may be asked honestly and where people are valued as brothers and sisters in Christ, even when perspectives differ.
Thursdays at 10:00 am in Parish Hall, Beginning February 5
Why Did Jesus Have to Die?:
The Meaning of the Crucifixion
By Adam Hamilton
When words fall short, the cross still speaks.
Despite the crucifixion’s central place in Christian faith, the New Testament offers few clear answers about how Jesus’ death saves, or why, exactly, he had to die. The New Testament writers use a host of metaphors―ransom, sacrifice, reconciliation, victory―but never explain exactly how it works or why it had to happen this way.
What if that’s because we’ve been asking the wrong question? What if the cross isn’t a transaction to be explained, but a living Word from God meant to transform who we are and how we live?
Thursdays at 10:00 am in Parish Hall
In Voices of Advent, Matthew L. Skinner leads readers through biblical texts and explores how they shape our lives and Christmas celebrations. We listen as Jesus promises to return to us in the future, to John the Baptist as he prepares the way for the Messiah, to the faithful people and poets who anticipate the magnificence of Jesus’s birth, and to the angels and visionaries who praise God when Christmas dawns. Listen carefully to the Bible’s various perspectives that shape our preparations for Christmas; you’ll hear hope in all of them.
Voices of Advent helps readers experience Advent not only as the start of the Christian Church Year, but also as the powerful overture that sets the tone for the incredible story of Jesus.
Beginning November 6th 10:00 am
Enough Revised Edition: Discovering Joy through Simplicity and GenerosityMoney has great power in our lives. Used wisely, it is one key to accomplishing our goals, providing for our needs, and fulfilling our life purpose. In recent years, many of us ignored the wisdom of the past when it came to managing and spending our money. Credit card debt soared, savings rates plummeted, and our home equity became something to be tapped into and spent rather than a source of security in retirement. We felt an insatiable desire for more. And we found ourselves spending tomorrow’s money today in order to have what we hoped would satisfy. The result of all of this was not greater happiness and satisfaction, but greater stress and anxiety.
Enough is an invitation to rediscover the Bible’s wisdom when it comes to prudent financial practices. In these pages are found the keys to experiencing contentment, overcoming fear, and discovering joy through simplicity and generosity. This book could change your life, by changing your relationship with money.
Beginning September 11, 10:00 am
Everywhere Is Jerusalem: Experiencing the Holy Then and Now
By James Howell
Location matters. Christianity isn’t a batch of spiritual thoughts or metaphysical truths. It’s a journey of real people with their feet on the ground in real places.
In Everywhere Is Jerusalem, James Howell takes you on a spiritual pilgrimage to significant places in the ongoing story of the Christian faith. You’ll go from Bethlehem to Jerusalem, from the Jordan River to Assisi, and from the Sea of Galilee to Montgomery, Alabama. Along the way, you’ll discover the profound connections between biblical stories and the places they happened.
Part travelogue, part Bible study, this book will take you on a spiritual journey to the places that are most important in our faith, and you’ll discover that the most important place of all is the place where you are, right now.