Classes for Adults

Adult Sunday School meets at 9:55-10:45 am. Most of our classes are in person but we'll always offer at least one option for online. Our typical year is as follows:

Fall Kick-off: The Sunday following Labor Day, we start a new semester of classes with a variety of choices. Some classes will extend into the spring semester.
January Term: After the new year, we offer a selection of short-term classes.
Spring Semester: In February, we resume our regular Adult Sunday School classes with continuations from the fall semester, along with new choices.
Summer Speaker Series: After Memorial Day and throughout the summer, we'll gather in a large group to hear from a different speaker each week.
Parent Gathering: Parent Gathering meets during the fall and winter.

Spring Semester Classes

Please click on the title to read the full description. Spring Semester classes will meet from February 9 through May 18.

The Council of Nicaea and It’s Creed after 1700 Years - Teacher: Quinn Fox | Chapel and Online

We will explore the historical and theological significance of the Nicene Creed, examining its key statements about the Triune God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) as articulated in the Creed that resulted from the First Council of Nicaea in 325 AD (1700 years ago). We will learn about how the creed developed, what the specific technical language means, controversies surrounding its interpretations, and how it serves as a foundational document for Christian belief within the breadth of Christian traditions today. For those interested, an optional accessible resource on the Nicene Creed is Philip Carey, The Nicene Creed: An Introduction.

Join the Zoom Meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87391794908

Meeting ID: 873 9179 4908

The Dangerous Act of Loving God and Neighbor - Facilitators: Ginny Beeson, Nancy Fox, Lewrene Glaser | Room 209

Using Dr. Mark Labberton’s book The Dangerous Act of Worship: Living God’s Call to Justice and other resources, we explore the inseparable connection of Sunday morning with the rest of our lives in a broken world. Labberton shows how genuine Christian worship leads us to join in Christ’s work and life of doing justice, loving kindness, and walking humbly with our God (Micah 6:8).

To purchase a copy of the book online, click here (Amazon.com), or here (Barnes & Noble).

The Gospel According to Mark (continued from the fall) - Facilitators: Donna Duss and Margaret Gardner | Garden Room C

Mark’s gospel describes the life of Jesus with a pathos and urgency that underlines its momentous implications for all humanity. His fast-paced narrative engages the humanity of Jesus and his disciples, the centrality of the cross, the importance of the covenant, and the mystery of the kingdom of God. Mark challenges us to fully follow Jesus now and into eternity.
This conversational class continues from the fall, drawing on N. T. Wright’s Bible Study series guide, Mark for Everyone, to explore together the gospel’s presentation of Jesus’ life and teachings and what they mean for us today.

Paul’s Letters to the Philippians and Ephesians - Teacher: R.V. Seep | Garden Room A

“Philippians: Living Above the Grind” To many people, life seems etched in a minor key. Its sounds are at best haunting reminders of our futility and finitude. Hardly the stuff of joy. Yet, in Philippians the apostle Paul finds joy while in prison, taunted by his critics, wanting necessities, and separated from those he loved. The sport of circumstances as the poet Lord Byron would later contend? The sorry target of the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune? Amid dire circumstances, Paul pens a letter radiating joy. How could he be that way? Let's study and find out.

“Ephesians: Church, the Real Deal.” Ephesians has been called the “queen of the epistles”. The letter describes the richness of the believer’s position in Christ in the first three chapters of the book before exhorting us to live up to our privileges in the last three chapters. The book gives us a birds-eye view of key themes in Christian reflection and living—God, the world, Jesus, the church, salvation, Christian behavior, marriage and family, and spiritual warfare. Theology and worship intersect here as the doctrine and practice of the Church is examined against the backdrop of God’s purposes. Some of the most sublime and precious truths are eloquently expounded in this book.

Parent Gathering | Jones Hall (NPS Gym)

On March 2 there is a Plenary Adult Class meeting in Stone Fellowship Hall is 9:45 am.

Global Security and Christian Theology - Speaker: Dr. John Heathershaw | Stone Hall and Online

We live in the wealthiest and most heavily defended time in history, so why do we feel so insecure? In a secular world, what does Christian theology have to say about this problem? Christendom was a period of history in both the East and West where the church and government were in close and mutually supportive relations. The unraveling of Christendom continues to have implications for global politics today, as dramatically illustrated by Russia’s war in Ukraine. While notions of a new Christendom are idolatrous and delusional, secular orders of the national security state or the liberal international order are equally destructive and unstable. True security – radical inclusion, nonviolent protection, and abundant provision – is an eschatological promise, inaugurated by Christ. It is found not in government but in the accountability of fallen powers to the prophetic practices of church and civil society. The church itself becomes a security actor as it expresses its love for the world by seeking its security, providentially limiting the disorders of the secular age, and offering glimmers of a new world.

Streaming link:

Watch - National Presbyterian Church

Dr. Heathershaw is a Professor of International Relations at the University of Exeter, England. He served previously as a government official in the UK Ministry of DefenSe, as a Christian humanitarian worker in Central Asia and West Africa, and as a consultant to the US, UK, and German governments.

Other Classes

Women’s Bible Study

This diverse group of sisters in Christ studies the Bible in an interactive way, prays for each other and supports each other in times of personal needs.