Adult Education on Sunday Mornings
Held in the Parish Hall -Sundays at 9:30 a.m.
Adult Education – Where we are and where we are going
by Ralph Zaorski
When we talk about education in church, the assumption is that the topic is biblical or otherwise “Christian.” At St. Richard’s our adult education program tends to be more eclectic. Certainly, we discuss biblical and Christian topics, but we also discuss topics that concern other religions or even purely secular issues. Our justification is that this is God’s world and “it is good.” For us to understand the wonders of God’s creation, we need to familiarize ourselves with the world around us. Our adult education program exposes us to subjects that are both interesting and challenging – at least that is the intent.
The program starts each Sunday morning at 9:30 am. Expand your mind and see how our Christian faith interacts with the “real world.” As an added incentive, come early for the coffee and donuts.
September 29 – Sovereignty and the Modern State
During September Stuart Lilie has been discussing the modern state. The final presentation is Sunday, September 29. The nation state, for better or worse, is the framework for many of the things we think of as modern, from great scientific advances to horrendous wars. The nation state has proved to be the most powerful level of organization in the history of the world. What distinguishes the state from other levels of organization is sovereignty—defined as a more or less successful claim to a monopoly of the use of force within a given territory.
While this may seem a highly abstract subject, sovereign authority affects our daily lives and raises many moral questions, especially for Christians. In this context we mention such topics as slavery, police authority, self defense and stand your ground laws, capital punishment, vigilantism, and the privatization of prisons. We also examine the related question of why many actions that are done in the name of the state would be morally repugnant if done by a private person. An example of this question is warfare: when several people are killed by a solider in combat he or she may be a hero; when people are killed by a private individual that person is labeled a mass murderer. This is a question that Christians have struggled with from the beginning since the taking of a life is a serious moral question.
October 6 is “Blessing of the Animals” – NO ADULT EDUCATION
October 13 – we will have a special presentation by I-Dignity to tell us about their program.
October 20 through November 24 – Short Stories by Jesus with Amy-Jill Levine
Jesus was a skilled storyteller and perceptive teacher who used parables from everyday life to effectively convey his message and meaning. Life in first-century Palestine was very different from our world today, and many traditional interpretations of Jesus' stories ignore this disparity and have often allowed anti-Semitism and misogyny to color their perspectives.
In Short Stories by Jesus, Amy-Jill Levine analyzes these "problems with parables" taking readers back in time to understand how their original Jewish audience understood them. With this revitalized understanding, she interprets these moving stories for the contemporary reader, showing how the parables are not just about Jesus, but are also about us—and when read rightly, still challenge and provoke us two thousand years later.
In the six-session DVD series starting on October 20, Amy-Jill Levine offers a fresh, timely reinterpretation of Jesus’ narratives. The video segments are approximately 10-12 minutes each and we will follow each of the video presentations with time for exploration and discussion. NO PREPARATION IS REQUIRED! Jesus was talking to a mostly “working class” audience that had no formal education and probably couldn’t read and write. It might help if we try to imagine ourselves in that position.
December 1 – Thanksgiving weekend, NO ADULT EDUCATION
Children’s Education (Age 5-Grade 5)
Sundays 10 a.m.- 10:30 a.m.
All children Grade 5 and under are welcome to Kid's Club! (Parents we ask that if your child is pre-school age at least one parent accompanies them to Kid's Club). We will continue to welcome chidlren to the Godly Play Room, Classroom 3 in the Classroom/Office wing.
We are aiming to build community between the kids, teachers and the church at large. Sharing the love of Jesus and building faith through relationships will be our main goal. We are remaking Sunday School! Each week starting September 8 your children will be greeted by one of four teachers:
1.Story Telling / Carol Alvis
2. Creative Music and Movement / Cindy Borr
3. Meet you in the Garden / Linda Jakubisin
4. Catch the Light / Maria Sciaino & Zenaida Rollins
The first Sunday of each month starting in October, the children will be invited forward at announcement time to tell the congregation something about their life that is exciting, challenging, wonderful or maybe even sad. This is the effort to ensure that the congregation knows the children they are promising to support in their Christian faith and life.
Youth Ministry (Grades 6-12)
Fall is on the way and it’s time to think about our youth group plans for this coming year. Because almost everyone is busy in other areas of church life such as choir or acolyting or actually working in the real world, we will not have a weekly Sunday morning class. Rather we will meet the second Sunday of each month for a fun-enriching experience where we can enjoy each other’s company and share what’s going on in our lives. The 8th of September is our first outing. We’re going to New Smyrna beach for sun and sand and food and surfing and swimming. We will all come to the 10:30 a.m. service and sit together. Then we’ll leave after service.
Parents are of course welcome to join us and we will need a couple to drive. PUT THIS DATE ON YOUR CALENDAR NOW! Other events will include bowling, miniature golf, movies, hiking in a forest, canoing the Wekiva River and other excitements.
Bible Studies
Wednesday Morning Bible Class—The Gospel According to Mark
On Wednesday mornings from 10-11 Robert McClure leads a class in the Gospel of Mark. Dr. McClure is a Ph.D. in Latin and Greek and taught for many years at the University of California and Trinity Preparatory School in Winter Park. He has been reading the Greek New Testament for over 60 years. At his side is Jim Christoph, another veteran Bible teacher, whose Ph.D. is in Hebrew and the Old Testament.
This is a traditional course looking at Mark as a literary and religious document. There is no homework or tests, but outside readings are suggested. There is weekly continuity, but you are welcome to come whenever you are able.
Tuesday Night Bible Study Discussion: The Revelation of John
Gathering at 6:30 p.m. each week in the Conference Room, we read slowly and carefully verse by verse the book of the Revelation to John and consider this book in the wider scope of the Apocalyptic tradition of literature. Dr. Jim Christoph has taught Apocalyptic literature in his 30 year tenure as a professor of Hebrew and Old Testament studies at Warner University in Lake Wales, FL and brings his expertise to the table for discussion.
Holy Eucharist, Sundays 8am/10:30am
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