Growing YOU Fall Quarter 2010
Small Group Studies
Church Family Night Classes
Wednesday Evenings, 6:15-7:15 pm
October 6 – November 17, 2010
There is a quick course form at the bottom of the page or a complete registration form here, that you can print, fill out and return to Marla Fuller's mailbox next to the Church Office or mail it to her at the church.
What’s the Right Question to Ask of the Recession? Exploring the Spiritual
Opportunities of the Economic Downturn is a 6-week study. In the midst of what is being called The Great Recession, what are the right questions we should be asking? Should we be asking “When Will Things Get Back to Normal?” Or might what has happened in our economy serve as the catalyst for deeper questions, spiritual questions, we should be asking about life and its deeper meanings? What is or should be normal? This will be a time for thoughtful reflection together using Jim Wallis’ Rediscovering Values On Wall Street, Main Street, and Your
Street: A Moral Compass for the New Economy
Cost: $20 per person (includes the cost of the book and class materials)
Facilitator: Pastor Steve Morgan
Location: Room A201 (Outreach Classroom)
The First Christmas is a 6-week study. Bud Search and Jeff Childress will team teach the nativity stories as they appear in the gospels of Matthew and Luke. They will use a PowerPoint illustration with pictures from the Holy Land. The material is based on the book The First Christmas authored by Marcus Borg and John Dominic Crossan, two of today's top Jesus scholars. Each participant should have a book for study in preparation for class sessions
Cost: $20 (includes the cost of the book and study materials)
Facilitators: Bud Search and Jeff Childress
Location: TBA
Exploring the Middle East is a 5-week study (beginning on October 13) about the Middle East, the cradle of civilization, the birthplace of all monotheistic religions, a region of the world with great under-ground resources that has recently become a fertile ground for radical movements. The following subjects will be covered: 1) Geography, Short History, Culture, People and Traditions, 2) Religion and Politics: Their Use and Abuses, 3) Radical Movements and 4) Iran.
Cost: $5 per person
Facilitator: Jamie Gerber (born and raised in Iran, who knows firsthand the Middle Eastern culture and way of life)
Location: TBA
Google: More than a Search Engine is a 6-week class. Think you know Google? This course will cover some of the many applications that Google offers for FREE! Here are some things you will be learning in class:
· Create a customized iGoogle page to reflect your interests and personality
· Use Google Docs: Create and share your online documents, presentations and
spreadsheets
· Create a Blog to share with your family and friends
· Google Earth: More than finding your house on a map!
For more information, please contact Anna Baldwin at baldwi2@clemson.edu.
Cost: $5 per person
Facilitator: Anna Baldwin
Location: Room A102 (Fellowship Classroom)
Keep Your Brain Alive and Active! is a 5-week study for those who want to learn how your brain works and how you store memories. You will also be involved in many fun and creative activities, called Neurobics, that you can do to keep your mind sharp!
Cost: $5 per person
Facilitator: Suzette Cross
Location: Room A203 (Carol Barner Classroom)
OTHER GREAT STUDIES AND EVENTS
Invitation to Romans (Short-Term Disciple Bible Study) is an 8-week study in the letter of Paul to the church at Rome. It is difficult to overstate the importance of Romans in Christian tradition. Some of the great formers and re-formers of church teaching were themselves formed by their reading of Romans. As a result, Paul’s teachings in Romans come to us mediated through the history of the church’s interpretations of his letter. Several key themes include: (1) Paul’s emphasis on communal salvation; (2) the centrality of God’s righteousness; and (3) the
relationship between Jews and Gentiles and the relationship of both to God
Day and Time: Wednesdays, September 8 – November 3, 10 - 11:30 am.
Cost: $15 per person (includes the cost of the book and materials)
Facilitators: Barbara Stephenson and Anita Bearden
Location: Room A201
Fearless – Imagine Your Life Without Fear is a 6-week study using the book written by Max Lucado. Fear seems to be in the driver’s seat these days. People are troubled and anxious. Finances are tumbling, rockets are launching, and seemingly solid institutions are teetering. It's tough for folks to know where to turn. The study will examine Jesus' statements about fear and encourages us to take heart in difficult times.
Day and Time: Tuesday afternoons, September 14, 21, 28, October 12, 19 and 26 at 2:00 pm
Cost: $20 per person (includes the cost of the book and other materials)
Facilitator: Marla Fuller
Location: Room A102 (Fellowship Classroom)
Everything You Wanted To Know About Your Computer, But Didn’t Know Who To Ask is a series of 4-6 session for anyone who needs help unraveling the mystery of the computer. You will learn some of the basics, like - what is a computer? what is an operating system? Windows and Apple, important computer activities, E-Mail, word processing/spreadsheets/presentations, web browsing and online chats (if interested)
Day and Time: Thursday Afternoons, September 30, October 7, 14 and 21 at 2:00 pm
Cost: $5
Facilitator: Jim Redmond
Location: TBA
A Pilgrimage – Exploring Different Expressions of Faith is a year-long (September – May) adventure of discovering firsthand the varieties of expressions of faith. Each month, participants will learn about and then go to the house of worship to experience a different faith tradition. Among those we hope to learn about and visit may include the following; Quaker, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormon), Contemporary Mega-Church, Seventh Day Adventist, Jehovah’s Witness, Buddhism, African American, Assemblies of God, Unitarian,
Christian Science and others.
Day and Time: An Orientation Meeting will be on Wednesday, September 1 at 6:30 pm.
Cost: $10 for the entire year, and the cost of gas each time we travel on the church van.
Facilitator: Marla Fuller
Location: Various locations
A Mountain Top Pilgrimage Hike on the Appalachian Trail is an all-day hike - about 5 miles round trip. The hike will take you to the top of Standing Indian Mountain. It is a moderate hike with a nice view at the top. Standing Indian is outside of Franklin, NC, about two hours from Seneca. Reconnect with yourself, with others and with God - joining with other pilgrims on this meditative hike. Participants should be in reasonably good health. You will need to have good hiking shoes. Bring lunch, water and snacks and a small notebook if you want. Cameras are a good idea. There will be stops along the way for personal and community reflection.
Dates and Times: Saturday, November 6 – leaving Saint Mark at 9 am
Cost: $10 (includes the cost of gas for the van)
Facilitator: Alicia Spivey
Clip Your Way to Big Savings is an afternoon seminar on practical and achievable ways to save money by using coupons and watching for in-store specials. This is one way to be good stewards of our financial resources. Karen Holcombe, our Saint Mark Administrative Assistant, will show you what she has learned and how she has been able to save significantly by using these shopping strategies.
Day and Time: Tuesday, October 19, 5 – 6:30 pm
Cost: $5
Facilitator: Karen Holcombe
Location: Room A102 (Fellowship Classroom)
Advent Conspiracy: Can Christmas Still Change the World? is a 4-week study for those who are fed up with how consumerism has stolen the soul of Christmas. You will be invited to substitute compassion for consumerism by practicing four simple but powerful, countercultural concepts. Are you up for the challenge?
Dates and Times: Tuesday afternoons, November 23, 30, December 7, and 14 at
2:00 pm.
Cost: $15 (includes the cost of book and materials)
Facilitators: Marla Fuller
Location: Room A102 (Fellowship Classroom)
Reflections on the Upper Room is an ongoing weekly discussion group that will meet to talk about the content of the devotions from the Upper Room. Did something about any of this week’s devotions touch you? Change you? Did it cause you to see life in a different way? Do you understand God better? Will you become a more devoted disciple of Christ?
Dates and Times: Wednesday evenings from 6:15 – 7:15 pm beginning September 8
Cost: No Cost
Facilitators: Lois Hansen
Location: Room A202 (Serendipity Classroom)