Back to school time – that’s September. And it is true for us here at the
church, as we resume Sunday School and all our many Christian Education
offerings. I always look forward to teaching my Bible Study classes, as well as
Confirmation Class. And this year I’ve changed my schedule so I can teach Adult
Education classes on Sunday mornings.
I’ll begin with a four-week program looking at the Future of Faith. We’ll
look at changes in faith practices and religion that are having a pervasive
effect on how Christians of all denominations worship and follow Jesus Christ.
We’ll use the two books our Elders read this year as part of Session’s
planning and study work with the Rev. Ed White from the Alban Institute: Diana
Butler Bass’s book, Christianity After Religion:
The End of Church and the Birth of a New Spiritual Awakening, and David
Kinnaman’s study of how young people are looking at faith, You Lost Me: Why Young Christians Are Leaving Church and Rethinking
Faith.
I’ll continue to teach Wednesday morning Bible Study, while Melissa
Kirkpatrick will take on leadership of the Thursday night Bible Study group so
that I have time for the Sunday morning classes. If you’ve never come to a
Bible Study class before, come join us – you might be surprised by what you
learn!
I’ll teach our Confirmation Class again this year, partnered with Mary
Langley. We’ve changed the meeting time to Sunday afternoons after worship. The
small size of our 9th grade class, with just 2 students, led us to
add the two 8th graders to the class, and, as a result, we decided
to change the format and schedule.
The word disciple comes from a root that means “to learn”. All disciples
are learners – life-long learners. I am a learner, and so is every disciple of
our Lord Jesus Christ. “A little learning is a dangerous thing,” wrote the poet
Alexander Pope. His solution? “Drink deep” in learning that you might grow in
knowledge and wisdom. Come find your
place as a disciple in our learning community this fall!
Grace & peace,
Pastor Skip
