Adult
The adult Sunday School class
meets immediately after Friendship Hour.
This puts the starting time usually at 11:15 and
finished by 12:00. Youth are also welcome to
attend.
Adult
Sunday School is a study of scripture and ways to
grow closer in relationship with God, each other
and ourselves. All are welcome to attend as
well as to teach a class. There are no tests
or grades, only opportunities for learning,
prayer, sharing and spiritual growth.
In
addition to the post-worship adult education,
various Bible Studies, Religion/Spiritual
Enrichment, and Life Skills courses are offered in
the evening.
The
following is a listing of current and recent topics.
Adult Christian Education – Winter, 2011
Adult Christian Education Series
Join us on Sundays after the service
in the conference room for
NOOMA
(From a phonetic spelling of the Greek word pneuma [πνευμα]
meaning “wind,” “spirit,” or “breath.”)
Jesus lived with the awareness that God is doing
something, right here, right now, and anybody can be
a part of it. He encouraged his listeners to search,
to question, to wrestle with the implications of
what he was saying and doing. He inspired,
challenged, provoked, comforted, and invited people
to be open to God’s work in this world. Wherever he
went, whatever he did, Jesus started discussions
about what matters most, because for Jesus, God is
always inviting us to open our eyes and join in.
NOOMA is a series of short films
that explore our world from a perspective of Jesus.
Search, question, and join the discussion.
May 1: Rain
Where is God when it really hurts?
May 8: Trees
How is our faith relevant to this
life?
May 15: No Sunday school—help us dedicate the Garden
Space of Grace!
May 22: Kickball
Do we trust that God is good?
May 29: Bullhorn
What is the best way to show our
love for God?
May 29: Rhythm
What does it mean to have a
relationship with God?
June 5: Matthew
How did Jesus deal with loss?
June 12: You
Are we always debating the right
things?
“God’s
Word On Canvas”
Through Artists’ Eyes: An exploration of
Bible-Inspired Art
Description:
For
centuries, the Bible's dramatic accounts have
inspired artists to express the beauty, emphasize
the power, and elaborate on the meaning of God's
Word. Each elective study in the Through Artists'
Eyes series is designed to help people connect
classic art to the Bible and then apply the truths
discovered to their own lives.
In
“God's
Word on Canvas” you'll experience the
artistry of six classic artists while discovering
and discussing the scriptural inspiration behind
each one. You'll explore the themes of hope, belief,
purpose, God's will, strength, and the future.
Methods & Materials:
Each of the six sessions includes:
•
Preparing the Canvas—an
introductory, group-building activity that gives
individuals an opportunity to share opinions about
the main theme of study
•
Painting the Big
Picture—an
examination of the work, life, and thoughts of the
artist
•
Framing the Art—a
Bible study that places the work of the artist
within biblical context
•
Adding It to the
Gallery—discussion
questions that encourage group members to apply the
principles of the study to daily life
Date
Session
3/06
Session 1:
Is There Any Reason For Hope
(van Gogh)?
3/13
Session 2:
How Can I Believe This
(Caravaggio)?
3/20
Session 3:
Can God Really Use Someone
Like Me (Rembrandt)
3/27
Session 4:
What Does God Want From Me
(Vermeer)?
4/03
Session 5:
Will I have The Strength To
Do What
God Want (Van Dyck)?
4/10
Session 6:
Does History Have Meaning
(Tintoretto)?
Author:
Family practice physician Joe Garland
and art docent Cindy Garland have been
leading Bible studies at Southwest Church in
Springboro, Ohio, for the past seven years. As
volunteers in their church, they share a passion for
seeing lives transformed by the truth of Scripture.
The Through Artists' Eyes series has been developed
out of their desire to lead studies that connect art
and the Bible.
Jim Eichenberger is a
senior editor at Standard Publishing. Jim has a
passion for understanding and critiquing the arts in
light of Scripture. He is the author of several
articles concerning Christ and culture and has been
involved in writing and developing two series of
resources dealing with the Bible and the arts—Box
Office Bible Studies and Tuning into God.
Adult Christian Education – Winter, 2011
“When Christians Get It Wrong”
By Adam Hamilton
Description:
More and more
young adults have opted out of Christianity and the
church. The reason? Christians.
When people talk
about their problems with Christianity and the
church, they often name certain attitudes and
behaviors they believe are practiced too often by
Christians: judging others, condemning those who
belong to other religions, rejecting science,
injecting politics into faith, and focusing
exclusively on "hot-button" moral issues like
homosexuality.
With his familiar
style, Adam Hamilton tackles these issues and
addresses the how’s and why’s of Christians getting
it right when it comes to being Christ in the world.
Those who attend
When Christians Get It Wrong will gain a different way of
understanding the issues that keep people away from
Christianity and keep Christians from living a more
compelling faith. Because, honestly, if we don’t
start getting it right, we may lose an entire
generation.
For those who too
often have seen Christians getting it wrong, Adam
Hamilton offers hope that following Jesus can be
more about open doors than locked fences, more about
serving people than judging them, more about joyful
living than angry fighting.
Methods & Materials:
This six-session small group features video from Adam Hamilton's
provocative sermons, with optional participant
reading material that contents additional stories,
reflection questions and Scripture insights to help
groups understand and study together.
The video and book study features the following
topics:
Dates
Sessions/Topics
January 16
Session 1:
When Christians Are Unchristian
January 23
Session 2:
Christians, Science, and Politics
January 30
Session 3:
When Speaking of Other Religions
February 6
Session 4:
When Bad Things
Happen
February 13
Session 5:
In Dealing with Homosexuality
February 20
Session 6:
When Christians
Get It Right
Author:
Adam Hamilton
is pastor of the United Methodist Church of the
Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas, one of the
country’s most dynamic and distinctive
congregations. He is a sought after speaker on
leadership, ethics, marriage and the spiritual life.
Named by PBS’s Religion
and Ethics Newsweekly as one of the top “Ten
People to Watch,” Hamilton is the author of numerous
books, including
Seeing Gray in
a World of Black and White, Making Love Last a
Lifetime: Biblical Perspectives on Love, Marriage
and Sex and
Twenty-Four
Hours That Changed the World.
Advent Study
The Purpose of Christmas
Mark your calendars for our
Advent Study,
The Purpose of
Christmas.
In this study, Pastor Rick
Warren encourages us to
identify and confront
what drains peace from our
lives. The Purpose of
Christmas calls us to honor the
true significance
of Christmas and to nurture God's
gifts of love
and peace in this world.
November
28
December 5
December 19
Christmas is the
most celebrated holiday of the year for billions of
people. But what is the purpose of Christmas? What
makes Christmas so special? What is God's purpose
for Christmas? This is a video-based study on the
true purpose of Christmas, based on the book by
bestselling author and pastor Rick Warren. Teaching
from the Gospel of Luke, the three-part series will
look at Advent and it's meaning from three
perspectives; A Time for Celebration, A Time for
Salvation, and A Time for Reconciliation. Together
we will discover why Christmas is God's idea and why
Jesus is the greatest gift God gave to the world.
Please join us for this very special series on this
very special time in the life of all Christians.
Fall 2010
Adult Christian Education
Christianity’s Family Tree
Adult Christian
Education classes begin on
Sunday, September 25,
after the worship service. We’re starting an
exciting series, Christianity’s
Family Tree. In this series, Adam Hamilton
presents a welcoming, inspiring vision of eight
Christian denominations and faith traditions.
Comparing the Christian family to our own extended
families, he contends that each denomination has a
unique, valuable perspective to offer on the
Christian faith. We’ll examine Orthodoxy,
Catholicism, Lutheranism, Presbyterianism,
Anglicanism, Baptists, Pentecostalism, and
Methodism. For each group, Hamilton gives a brief
history, outlines major beliefs, and describes some
principles we can learn from that tradition to
strengthen our own Christian faith.
Terry Smith,
Chris Ropeta, and Angela Doolin will be
facilitating. Don’t miss it!
September 26:
Orthodoxy
October 3: Catholicism
October 10:
Lutheranism
October 17: Presbyterianism
October 24: Anglicanism
October 31: Baptists
November 7: Pentecostalism
November 14: Methodism
Green Church
 “God
saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was
very good.”
-Genesis 1:31
Consider this:
- By 2050, it is estimated that more than 9
billion people will fill the earth.
- About half the world’s population live in
poverty, and at least one fifth are severely
undernourished.
- Biologists predict that fully half of all
species on earth may be gone in the next 50 to
100 years.
- 90 percent of the earth’s glaciers are
melting.
Signs of earth’s environmental degradation are in
the news. You need only to turn on the TV, open a
newspaper, or read online about the devastation
wrought by the recent Gulf of Mexico oil spill, or
of the countless natural disasters that are plaguing
developing and developed countries around the globe.
We know that as a species humans are guilty of
exerting relentless pressure on our planet’s
resources.
So what does it all mean for Christians, and how
can we help?
From May 23 to June 20, join us, for
our new Sunday school series,
GreenChurch, which answers these
questions in ways that are both hopeful and
engaging. Citing Scripture and science, author and
United Methodist pastor Rebekah Simon-Peter
challenges us to consider our role in the care of
Creation and to help save the earth for future
generations.
Adult Christian Education –
Spring 2010
click here to download
supporting documents
“Enough”
By Adam Hamilton
Description:
“T’is the gift to be simple, t’is
the gift to be free…” 19th
century
Shaker song
Money has great power in our lives
and, when used wisely, it helps us meet our goals,
provide for our needs, and
fulfill 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 sessions
are found the keys to experiencing contentment,
overcoming fear, and discovering joy through
simplicity and generosity. Each session is
designed to help participates understand how
changing your
relationship with money can improve you life.
Methods & Materials :
This four session video and book
study features the following topics:
Dates Sessions/Topics
April 18 Session 1: When Dreams
Become Nightmares
April 25 Session 2: Wisdom and
Finance
May 2 Session 3: Cultivating
Contentment
May 9 Session 4: Defined By
Generosity
Author :
Adam Hamilton is
pastor of the United Methodist Church of the
Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas, one of the
country’s most dynamic and distinctive
congregations. He
is a sought after speaker on leadership, ethics,
marriage and the spiritual life. He is the author
of ten books
from Abingdon Press including Seeing
Gray in a World of Black and White, Making Love
Last a Lifetime: Biblical
Perspectives on Love, Marriage and Sex and
Twenty-Four
Hours That Changed the World.
Adult
Sunday School
Special Lenten Study
Beginning February 21, 2010
24
Hours That Changed The World
by
Adam Hamilton
Description
No
single event in human history has received more
attention than the suffering and crucifixion of
Jesus of Nazareth. In this Adult Bible Study, Adam
Hamilton guides us through the last twenty-four
hours of Jesus' life. Each session is designed to
help the participate experience and understand the
significance of Jesus' suffering and death in a
way you have never done before. Whether a
long-time Christians or simply curious about the
story of Christ's crucifixion, you are invited to
join us in retracing the last 24 hours of Jesus'
life.
SESSION TITLES
The Last Supper
The Garden of Gethsemane
Condemned by the Righteous
Jesus, Barabbas, and Pilate
The Torture and Humiliation of the King
The Crucifixion
Christ the Victor
The
program that supports this product includes a DVD
that contains session video filmed in the Holy
Land. A hardcover book and a paperback devotional
book are available (but optional) to support this
Lenten study.
Adam Hamilton is pastor of the United Methodist Church of the
Resurrection, one of the fastest growing, most
highly visible churches in the country. Named by
PBS’s Religion and Ethics Newsweekly as one of
the top “Ten People to Watch,” Hamilton is the
author of Enough, Seeing Gray in a World of Black
and White, Selling Swimsuits in the Arctic,
Confronting the Controversies, Making Love Last a
Lifetime, Unleashing the Word, Leading Beyond the
Walls, Christianity and World Religions, and
Christianity’s Family Tree.
Spring 2009
Adult
Christian Education Offerings
Adult
Sunday School meets on Sunday from 11:15am –
Noon
March 22 Personal Finance
Management
March
29 Personal Finance
Management
April 5 Palm
Sunday - No Sunday School
April
12 Easter
– No Sunday School
April
19
Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations:
Radical hospitality
April
26
Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations:
Passionate worship
May 3
Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations:
Intentional faith development
May
10
Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations:
Risk-taking mission & service
May
17 Five
Practices of Fruitful Congregations: Extravagant
generosity
Life Skills – Personal Finance
Management
Living
in today’s economic environment has affected
everyone. Mike
Johnson will help us understand how we can cope
with these changes.
Both short and long term personal financial
management will be addressed.
Religion/Spiritual Enrichment –
Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations
Radical
Hospitality, Passionate Worship, Intentional
faith, Development, Risk-taking Mission and
Service, and Extravagant Generosity. People
are searching for a church shaped and sustained by
these qualities. The presence and strength of
these five practices demonstrate congregational
health, vitality, and fruitfulness. By repeating
and improving these practices, churches fulfill
their mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ
for the transformation of the world.
After Easter, Pastor June Smith will conduct a
sermon series on the Five Practices of
Fruitful Congregations. The Adult Sunday
School program will reinforce her efforts with a
review and discussion of each weekly message.
CHRISTIAN MEDITATION GROUP
Repeated
by request
Four
Week Group
Mondays,
May 12, 19 and June 2, 9
7p.m.
until
8p.m.
This
form of silent, imageless prayer using a mantra or
prayer word is rooted in the Gospel, the letters
of St. Paul and originated with the early Desert
Fathers of the 4th century. A Benedictine
monk, Father John Main has rediscovered this
ancient prayer tradition for contemporary men and
women. Today there are over 800 Christian
Meditation groups around the world.
You
don't have to already know how to
meditate.
Newcomers
are welcomed to the group.
The one hour meeting includes quiet music,
a short talk on meditation, 25 minutes of silent
meditation, followed by a question and answer
period.
For
further information, contact Heather Kahn at 248-225-7769.
Six
Week Group
Mondays,
February 11 through March 17, 2008
CHRISTIAN MEDITATION GROUP
A
Christian Meditation Group meets at
Novi
United
Methodist
Church
each Monday from February 11 through
March
17, 2008
from
7p.m.
until
8p.m.
This
form of silent, imageless prayer using a mantra or
prayer word is rooted in the Gospel, the letters
of St. Paul and originated with the early Desert
Fathers of the 4th century. A Benedictine
monk, Father John Main has rediscovered this
ancient prayer tradition for contemporary men and
women. Today there are over 800 Christian
Meditation groups around the world.
Newcomers
are welcomed to the group.
The one hour meeting includes quiet music,
a short talk on meditation, 25 minutes of silent
meditation, followed by a question and answer
period.
For
further information, contact Heather Kahn at 248-225-7769.
January
27, 2008. Fasting, one of the Lenten
traditions.
This class looks at the
Judeo-Christian history of fasting and how it can
help us walk more closely with God and each other.
Can it be more than giving up food?
Is there a place for fasting on our
contemporary faith journey?
December
2 thru 23 Advent Study
Four week Advent Study.
Discussion led by Heather Kahn. For Advent,
we will read and discuss the book, "Rejoicing
in Hope" by James A. Harnish. This book
explores the Christmas story through the
experiences of characters from the Book of Luke,
each of whom finds joy in hope: Elizabeth and
Zechariah ("The couple Who Expected the
Unexpected"); Mary (The Girl Who Obeyed the
Unseen"); Joseph ("The Husband Who Kept
the Faith"); Simeon and Anna ("The
Witnesses Who confirmed the Hope").
This four week study provides
one lesson for each week of Advent. Each
lesson includes a reference to a key passage of
Scripture, a brief reflection, questions for
discussion or reflection, a brief prayer, and a
focus for the coming week.
Each chapter is complete and
self-contained, so you will benefit from each
week's study even if you can not make it to all
four.
Sept 16 thru Oct
28, 2007. Book
Study led by Pastor June.
A Book Review of Reclaiming God's Original Intent for the Church by Wes Roberts and Glenn Marshall, from Amazon.com :
"If you are a Christian pastor, lay leader, or "pew potato" who is tired of hearing that "bigger is better," this book is for you! In a straightforward and engaging style, the authors write about defining the "success" of Christian ministries not in secular terms, but instead measured against Biblical standards-what a novel idea! In order to reflect of the Biblical meaning of "success," we are challenged to examine the Bible carefully to see what the early (i.e. before it became institutionalized) Christian church looked like."
Our study will be led by Pastor June M. Smith, Sundays from 11:15 to 12:00, with social time afterward - if the class
chooses. It is NOT necessary to attend all six (6) weeks.
This class is designed for all people, young and seasoned, long-time member or new, pew potato or lightly fried.
Here is the tentative schedule:
9/23/07 - Chapters 1 & 2: It's Not About The Old Ways - It's About The Much Older Ways,
It's About Authenticity - Not Size
9/30/07 - It's About Making Disciples - Not Simply Recruiting Volunteers
It's About a Calling - Not a Career
10/7/07 - It's About Character - Not Credentials!
It's About Community - Not Just Management
10/14/07 - It's About Trusting God - Not Technique
It's About Following the Spirit - Not Mere Strategizing
10/21/07 - Its About Serventhood - Not Power
It's About Fruit - Not Achievement
10/28/07 - It's About Listening - Not Just Preaching
It's About Love - Not Being Right
It's About Our Triune God - Not Us.
The
Book of Esther
Beginning
May 6 and concluding on May 20th, Heather Kahn
will be teaching about and leading discussion on
the Book of Esther.
April
29
Anna
Graf will teach on a topic to be announced.
Learn
about other Religions
April
22. Dr. Betz King will teach us all about
Wicca.
Caring
for the Earth
April
15. Adult Sunday School will be taught by
Howard Kahn, who will lead a discussion of Earth
Day and how our United Methodist Principles apply.
Walking
The Labyrinth
April
1. Today’s Adult Sunday School will be
taught by Paula Grisell-Goldstein.
She will be providing in-depth information
about the labyrinth and its significance at this
season. Plan
to experience the labyrinth on Friday, April 6
from
6
– 9 p.m.
in Memorial Hall.
Personality
Types and Prayer
Beginning
Sunday,
January 14, and for four consecutive Sundays, Rev.
Phil Seymour will teach a class on Personality
Types and Prayer for Adult Sunday School.
Ongoing
classes in "Basic Training, The Basics of
Methodism"
Special
guest presenter on Oct 22. The religion of
Islam.
Dr. Soraya Orady, representing the Islamic Education and Resources Network, will present at our adult
Sunday school on Oct 22 at 11:15. She will be using a
PowerPoint presentation and so we will be meeting in the sanctuary.
This is an important part of our diversity theme,
so we hope for a very high attendance.
Jesus taught us to love our neighbor. To
love our neighbor, we must get to know our
neighbor. Please be there.
New
Adult Sunday School Class Begins Sept 24
Rev. John Kershaw will begin a new series
today that we’ll just call “Basic Training”.
The focus will be defining Methodism and
what it is we believe.
There will be lots of discussion, use class
members’ favorite scriptures to make the various
points. It
will be a very interesting series and all adults
are welcome to be part of the class.
Adult
Sunday School Starts Sept 17 With a New Study
Lectio Divina is a way to approach the Bible devotionally by
believing that, because it is God's inspired Word,
it is a living text that has something to say to
each individual believer. By entering deeply
into the text of God's Holy Word, God will be made
known to us, speak to us and shape our lives.
This class will provide an opportunity to
experience this ancient method of developing
friendship and communion with God.
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