Summer Institute
From the glory of our creation to the glory of our recreation, our life-in-process rests in the hands of God: the hands of God creating all form, forming our person, and shaping our community. We are, together as a church and individually, being changed.
God's ways of forming us involve both learning truth and being in relationship with one another. Adult learning at First Pres is about learning in community. We journey onward together, confident in God who shapes from one glory to another.
Follow the links below for course descriptions; please register by May 30.
Justice, Poverty, Oppression, Women (JPOW)
As a church, we've started a conversation about the way poverty and oppression
disproportionately impact women in our world today. The JPOW course
explores six topics that define and hold the keys to addressing this global
problem — education, microfinance/development, health and medical, refugees and the displaced, trafficking, and community care (caring for those affected by these issues in our own congregation
and community). Each week features a guest speaker with expertise in the
topic, opening our hearts and minds to the issues and guiding us in an in-depth
look at tangible ways to respond.
Dates: Sundays, June 2–July 7
Times: 9:45–11 am OR 11:15 am–12:30 pm
Location: Room G202, Geneva Hall
Instructors: Various guest speakers
More Information: Click here to read more about JPOW
Registration: Click here
Creativity in the Creator's Image: A Painting, Drawing, Collage Group
God has made us creative people, but often creative time is crowded out in the hectic schedules of our modern culture. This class is simply a time to focus on creating, away from distractions, and to use drawing and painting as a way of praying. This can be a fresh and unexpected way to find renewed energy to seek and serve God. No experience necessary. Enrollment is limited to a maximum of 16 people.
Dates: Sundays, June 2–July 7
Time: 11:15 am–12:30 pm
Location: Art Studio, Westminster Hall
Instructor: Carol Aust, Artist
Cost for Materials: $30
Maximum: 16 people
Registration: Click here
Imagination and Theology: The Character of God through the Lens of C.S. Lewis
This class
is a study of the character of God as seen in the imaginative,
autobiographical, and apologetic writings and personal letters of C.S. Lewis. The
best known Christian apologist of the 20th century, C.S. Lewis testifies
to God's gracious gift of human imagination and to the compelling reality of
human transformation. Class discussions center around films, various texts (including
a poem Lewis authored), and key biblical passages. Each week also includes a
look at his inspirational life story.
Dates: Sundays, June 2–July 7
Time: 11:15 am–12:30 pm
Location: Room G206, Geneva Hall
Instructor: Pat Phillips
Registration: Click here
Interpreting Scripture in Community
This
class offers a fresh exploration into the ways we interpret the Bible through
the lens of Jesus' encounter with the disciples on the road to Emmaus. The
course highlights the role of the Holy Spirit in our reading of Scripture, the
ways listening to Scripture not only shapes our hearts but also transforms our
overall vision of life, and the principles and practices that enable us to grow
in our love and knowledge of Jesus Christ. Interpreting Scripture, introduced
in the 2012 Winter Institute, is a foundational class in our life together both for
those attending for the first time and those who wish to revisit the "Emmaus
Dynamic" of reading and listening to Scripture in community.
Dates: Sundays, June 2–July 7
Time: 11:15 am–12:30 pm
Location: Room G208, Geneva Hall
Instructors: Rev. Mary Ellen Azada, Associate Pastor for Mission Outreach &
Evangelism; Rev. Mark Stryker, Pastor for Adult Ministries; Rev. Debbie Whaley,
Associate Pastor for Caring Ministries
Registration: Click here
