CHRISTIAN FORMATION FOR ADULTS

The Sunday Morning Adult Forum (between services)

The Forum Team invites you to our 10:00 a.m. meetings on Sunday mornings, in person or streaming.

• September 25: No forum. (All are invited to a reception for our Afghan family presented by the Immigration Ministry Team.)
  
• October 2: TBA
• October 9 & 16: Behind Bars: A Thought Journey Through the U.S. Criminal Justice System

We have many other interesting Forums planned, including prison ministry, mass incarceration, police chaplaincy, election issues, and ending gun violence.
 
Forum Team

*Forum Zoom info

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Join Forum on Sunday

Church Study Book for Fall 2022:
Do I Stay CHristian? by Brian McLaren

• Weekly Sunday morning in-person groups at 10 a.m. starting on Sept. 11. Sign up here.
• Forum: On Sept. 18, Sue Rutherford and Mackenzie Wiggs led a discussion and activities focusing on Faith Development derived from Brian McClaren’s work. This can serve anyone planning to attend either of the book studies of McLaren’s book, Do I Stay Christian?
  
• Monthly Monday Evening Zoom group, from 7–8:30: Sept. 26, (Part 1, “No”) Oct. 17 (Part 2, “Yes”) and Nov. 7 (Part 3, “How”). Sign up here. Sign up by 9/23 to receive an invitation to our author conversation with Brian McLaren, 9/25, at 3:00 pm on Zoom! .
• Organize your own group! (There is already one group doing this.)*
• All group members are invited to attend a Zoom talk with author Brian McLaren on Sunday, Sept. 25 at 3 p.m. To receive an invitation to the talk, please sign up for one of these groups or *fill out this form to let Rev. Jane Anne know you are actively reading the book in another group.
• Read introduction to the book study from Rev. Jane Anne
• Links to buy the book here. Rev. Jane Anne also has 4 copies for purchase at $20/each. Two copies of the book are available to read in the library in the Fireside Room (not for check out).

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See what's new in Adult Christian Formation this year!

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Ongoing Weekday Opportunities

Celtic Spirituality

Wednesday Mornings: The Celtic Spirituality 1 group meets in the conference room at 9.  All welcome. Mary Freese for more info.

Tuesday Mornings: The Celtic Spirituality II group meets on Zoom at 10:00 during the academic year. All are welcome. Questions/link? Pat Slentz.

Wholeness Prayer

The Wholeness Prayer Group meets the 2nd and 4th Mondays, during the academic year at 10-11:30am in the Adult Ed room. You are welcome to join us as we share our concerns, pray for each other, the church, our country and the world. Contact: (put Wholeness Prayer in "to" field) Jean Preslan

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What is Christian Formation for Adults?

We offer weekly adult study groups and you can choose between two ongoing classes. These classes generally run 6-8 weeks, which provides an opportunity to deeply explore a topic with a group of fellow-inquirers. Generally, one of the classes is broadly "spiritual" in nature – dealing with theology, Bible, prayer, or the spiritual life. The other class is broadly "social" – looking at issues of society, economics, environment, or politics in the light of faith. 

The weekly Forum during the academic year (details above) provides an opportunity to hear a speaker address current issues. Often these speakers are from outside the church and let us know about community organizations people might want to work with, bring us a particular point of view on a current issue, or are part of a candidate forum ahead of an election. Speakers from within the congregation share their professional expertise, with an eye towards how their faith and church setting shapes the discussion. There is time for questions and answers, and we encourage people to follow up on topics that engage them. 

Additionally, we bring in an outside Visiting Scholar on an annual basis. During this weekend, usually in the fall, we bring in a major scholar for a weekend of lectures and workshops. Previous years' visiting scholars include Marcus Borg, Dom Crosson, Andrea White, and John Bell from Iona. Visit the link to learn more.