Adult Christian Formation Offerings Winter/Spring 2017
We will have one to two classes every Sunday morning and need your input so that we can best provide for your spiritual growth. Your comments are welcomed.

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* 1. Which of the following topical classes or book studies MOST interests you? Please check one box.

Saving Civility: 52 Ways to Tame Rude, Crude, and Attitude for a Polite Planet: The title says it all. This is a teaching series based on the book by Sara Hacala

Anne Lamont: Traveling Mercies. This is a wonderful, earthy memoir of what it feels like to have a “come to Jesus moment” when you are addicted to drugs, sex and haven’t found your footing in life. While the language may be blue at times, God’s light shines in this memoir.

C.S. Lewis: The Screwtape Letters: This is a timeless satire in which a Senior Devil instructs his nephew Wormwood on how to secure the damnation of a young man.

Richard Rohr: Falling Upwards Fr. Richard Rohr helps us to understand the tasks of the two halves of life and teaches us that those who have failed, or gone down, are the only ones who can really understand "up." Those who have somehow fallen, and fallen well, are the only ones who can grow spiritually and not misuse "up." What looks like falling down can largely be experienced as "falling upward!"

C.S. Lewis: The Great Divorce: A bus journey from hell to heaven where souls are given an opportunity to enter heaven, if they choose. A profound meditation upon good and evil.

C.S. Lewis: Mere Christianity: This was the book that introduced most of the world to Lewis. It covers what the basics of Christianity are, minus the denominational baggage. He aims for what he calls Mere Christianity.

Boundaries: Henry Cloud: In this modern classic, Cloud addresses living a life out of control; having people take advantage of us; having trouble saying no; being disappointed with God because of unanswered prayers…and many more vital issues. A boundary is a personal property line that marks those things for which we are responsible. In other words, boundaries define who we are and who we are not.

Henri Nouwen: The Wounded Healer: “A hope-filled and profoundly simple book that speaks directly to those men and women who want to be of service in their church or community, but have found the traditional ways often threatening and ineffective. It reflects on how God can use our own wounds to bring healing to others.

Teaching/discussion of heaven and hell: Is heaven really a place where we all float around on clouds? Is hell really a place of fire and brimstone? We will look at this from viewpoint of Scripture, traditional readings plus new books like Rob Bell’s Love Wins.

Current events and the Christian response – Nothing would be off the table except incivility in the class.

Not interested

Other suggestions

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* 2. Which of the following topics on spirituality and prayer MOST interests you? Please check one box.

Spiritual gifts inventory – St Paul speaks of everyone having spiritual gifts. Do you know your gifts? This is one way to find out and build upon how God has created you.

What does it mean to grow spiritually/ how can I grow spiritually? Spirituality is a broad topic these days. What does it mean for a Christian to deepen his/her spiritual life? What tools do you need to deepen your journey with Jesus?

How can I pray? The most basic and one of the most important questions we can ask? Like Jesus’ disciples, we don’t think we know how to pray or even what prayer is? A class to demystify this most profound experience we have with God.

Not interested

Other suggestions

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* 3. Which of the following topics on scripture MOST interests you? Please check one box.

The Gospel of Light – A Study of St. John’s Gospel. John’s gospel stands apart from the other three gospels for its sheer poetry in its portrayal of Jesus.

Bad girls of the Bible and what we can learn from them: Popular storyteller Liz Higgs takes a look at the vamps and tramps of the Bible, searching for the lessons these wicked women have to teach. Higgs retells these biblical stories with rollicking humor and deep insight as she teaches about the nature of sin and goodness.

The Bible for Dummies: Ninety percent of Americans own a copy of the Bible, and while it’s the most widely read book, it’s also the least understood. Regardless of your religion, understanding the Bible brings much of Western art, literature, and public discourse into greater focus—from Leonardo da Vinci’s “Last Supper” painting to the Wachowski brothers’ The Matrix movies. People have historically turned to religion to deal with tragedy and change, and with the right insight, the Bible can be an accessible, helpful guide to life’s big questions. Provides interfaith coverage of the entire Bible and the often fascinating background information that makes the Bible come alive.

Not interested

Other suggestions

Question Title

* 4. Which of the following topics on Church History MOST interests you? Please check one box.

Dark History: Not everything done in the name of Jesus has anything to do with Christianity. This is an overview of some of the darker events in church history from the Crusades to the Inquisition and the “evangelism” of the New World to the Holocaust.

Don’t know much about history: For the first 1000 – 1500 years of the church, history was church history. This class gives you the view from “30,000 feet” as we highlight significant areas of our history as a church.

Not interested

Other suggestions

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* 5. Which of the following topics on families with young children interests you? Please check one box.

Raising children without going insane: A group book study - Imagine raising two teenagers and a newborn baby, working full–time as a motivational speaker, teacher, and pastor––all at the same time! This hilarious and heart–warming book opens an amazing window into the arena of parenting. You will laugh and you will cry, but most of all, the hope that you feel as you read the pages of this book will encourage, inspire, and motivate you. It's not a manual of quick fixes, clichéd answers, and packaged solutions. It's an insightful, humorous, and honest account from a mother who's been there and back and lived to tell the tale.

Not interested

Other suggestions

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* 6. Which of the following times and venues for optional classes MOST interests you? Please check one box.

Wednesday nights at the Parish Hall

Non-traditional: Theology on Tap - Meet Tuesdays at The Pizza Joint for cheap beer and pizza and discuss topics of the day

Meet in people’s homes for small group reflection/discussion

Other suggestions

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* 7. Would you be interested in a Sunday morning breakfast? (biscuits and juice, maybe donuts)

Yes, I want it. (if answered yes go to the next question)

No, I'm not interested.

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* 8. In preparing a Sunday morning breakfast, which would you prefer? Please check one box.

I would be willing to help pick up breakfast on a rotational basis (name needed)

I would be willing to contribute $2 a person for breakfast

Other suggestions

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* 9. Which of the following field trips MOST interests you? Please check one box.

Go to any of the numerous Choral Society offerings. For example, study Handle’s Messiah before attending a performance

Kayak the Savannah River

Trip to Boone, NC to see Ben Long frescoes at St. Mary’s Church (to see this Google churches of the frescoes)

Not interested in field trips

Other suggestions

Question Title

* 1. Which of the following topical classes or book studies MOST interests you? Please check one box.

Question Title

* 2. Which of the following topics on spirituality and prayer MOST interests you? Please check one box.

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* 3. Which of the following topics on scripture MOST interests you? Please check one box.

Question Title

* 4. Which of the following topics on Church History MOST interests you? Please check one box.

Question Title

* 5. Which of the following topics on families with young children interests you? Please check one box.

Question Title

* 6. Which of the following times and venues for optional classes MOST interests you? Please check one box.

Question Title

* 7. Would you be interested in a Sunday morning breakfast? (biscuits and juice, maybe donuts)

Question Title

* 8. In preparing a Sunday morning breakfast, which would you prefer? Please check one box.

Question Title

* 9. Which of the following field trips MOST interests you? Please check one box.

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* 10. Please add any comments here.