ADULT EDUCATION/SPIRITUAL GROWTH
Note: Due to COVID-19 restrictions, all classes and groups are currently meeting via ZOOM unless otherwise indicated. For more information on any of the opportunities listed, email Donna Olendorf, Adult Education Director.
Central Moms
Online via Zoom and FaceBook, dates TBD
FB page: www.facebook.com/groups/centralparent/
Leaders: Alline Beutler and Amber Hassler
Are you looking for a way to connect with other moms this fall? During this time of challenging isolation due to the pandemic, join us over zoom to find meaningful fellowship and friendship. In each of our weekly meetings expect time for devotion, prayer, and conversation. This small group is a circle of the Central Church United Methodist Women.
REGISTER NOW (once your registration is complete, you will receive the ZOOM MEETING link)
Advent Night - A Church Family Tradition
Wednesday, December 2
5:30 p.m. ONLINE via Facebook and YouTube
You won't want to miss this opportunity to enjoy all of your favorite activities like gingerbread house building, Advent wreath making, Christmas Carol singing, Family Craft making, and even more prayerful activities like reading special Advent Devotions, practicing Random Acts of Christmas Kindness, and lighting a candle on Christmas Eve - all from the safety of your home!
Reserve your "Advent Night in a Bag" kit before November 20 and we'll have it ready for you to pick up beginning Sunday, November 29. Suggested donation is $10/bag with the proceeds supporting Central's Youth Mission Team and United Methodist Women.
CLICK HERE to reserve your Advent Night in a Bag Kit
Advent for Families: Do Not Be Afraid BEGINS DECEMBER 2!!
6:30 - 7:30 p.m. Wednesday evenings online via Zoom (C)
Four sessions: December 2, 9, 16, 23
Leaders: Pastors Dale and Chris, with Erica Kozlowski and Donna Olendorf
Join us for an intergenerational experience that builds from the excitement of Advent Night through the seasonal themes of Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love, culminating on Christmas morning with the birth of Jesus. Inside, they will find a treasure trove of activities and events, including an Illustrated Advent for Families, called “Do Not Be Afraid.” Each Wednesday during December, the pastors will lead a Zoom class that opens with the lighting of the Advent wreath candle and progresses on to a scripture, reflection, craft and closing prayer. Materials for this class are available with the purchase of our Advent Night in a Bag kits. CLICK HERE to reserve your Advent Night in a Bag Kit
December 2 – To Have Hope
December 9 – To Bring Peace
December 16 – To Practice Joy
December 23 – To Choose Love
Coffee Hour with the Pastors
12:15 pm – 1 pm on Sundays online via Zoom
Weekly, beginning December 6
Leaders: Pastors Dale and Chris
Join the pastors for coffee and fellowship after the 11 am service on Sunday mornings. You’ll have an opportunity to discuss what moved you in worship, talk with Chris and Dale to take the lesson deeper, or just say hello to your neighbors. At least one of the pastors will be present each week for this informal Zoom discussion. Bring your own coffee and cookies!
CLICK HERE to join the Zoom Meeting. Conversation will begin promptly at 12:15 weekly.
Covenant Disciples
11 – 12 noon on Friday mornings via Zoom
September – December (resumes in January)
Contact: Kathy Mead
The principle of Covenant Disciples was started by John Wesley. At Central, the Covenant Disciples group listens without fixing, encourages without prescribing, and holds each other accountable without judging. The group meets Friday mornings in the Columbarium, sharing a short reading and quiet prayer. Visitors and new members are always welcome.
REGISTER NOW (once your registration is complete, you will receive the ZOOM MEETING link)
Thursday Bible Study: Parables from the Back Side by J. Ellsworth Kalas
5:30 p.m. – 7 p.m. on Thursdays via Zoom
Leader: Darcy Dewling
Twelve sessions: November 5, 12, 19; December 3, 10, 17; January 7, 14, 21, 28; February 4, 11
Popular and beloved author J. Ellsworth Kalas presents new insight into some of the best known passages from the Bible--the parables of Jesus. Kalas approaches the parables through the "back side": through a unique starting point, a creative retelling, a new "lens," or the eyes of a minor character. Kalas's creative approach both clarifies basic teachings and introduces new possibilities of meaning, even for those who are most familiar with the parables. Enriched with contemporary illustrations and personal experiences, this volume will provide new perspectives on these stories from Jesus. Books are available from Amazon or Cokesbury.
REGISTER NOW (once your registration is complete, you will receive the ZOOM MEETING link)
Dialogues on Justice: Jesus for President
8 - 930 pm on Sunday evenings online via Zoom
November 29, December 6, 13, 20
Leaders: Shane Claiborne and Chris Haw
Registration required to receive the Zoom link.
11/29 — Chapter 1: The Abrahamic Calling and the Old Testament
12/6 — Chapter 2: Jesus Christ and the New Testament
12/13 — Chapter 3: The Church and Political Power
12/20 — Chapter 4: Contemporary Reflection
Central’s Dialogues on Justice group will complete its discussion of “Jesus for President” just in time for us to participate in the authors’ own discussion of their provocative book. As we prepare to celebrate the birth of Love Incarnate, authors Shane Claiborne and Chris Haw will be hosting a live, weekly, online Advent study of "Jesus for President." In hopes of reinvigorating our political imaginations, they will revisit the book's themes and discuss how they might update its message, now 12 years later. Each week's Zoom-based book study will begin with Shane and Chris elaborating upon that week's chapter, followed by Q & A. Reading the book is advised, but the authors will discuss the book in a way that is also accessible to those who haven't read it.
REGISTER NOW (once your registration is complete, you will receive the ZOOM MEETING link)
FaithLink
10 -10:45 a.m. Sunday mornings in Zoom Room 301 and online via Zoom
September 13 – December 20 (resumes in January)
Faithlink is led by several different people on a rotating basis
This group looks at current events in our world and applies Christianity, and more specifically United Methodist views, to connect life and faith. If you would like the weekly Faithlink article emailed to you, please ask Donna Olendorf to add you to the list ()
REGISTER NOW (once your registration is complete, you will receive the ZOOM MEETING link)
Friday Book Study: Sermon on the Mount
12 noon – 1:15 pm on Fridays online via Zoom
November 13, 20; December 4, 11 18
Leader: Pastor Chris Lane and Kathy Gray
"A beginner’s guide to the Kingdom of Heaven." That’s how this five-week study of Amy-Jill Levine’s Sermon on the Mount has been described. Rev. Adam Hamilton calls it “an essential guide to Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount. Professor Levine invites us to hear the Jewishness of Jesus’s words, understand them in the light of the world to which he spoke them that we might better understand how these words speak to us today. This is a terrific book!” Pastor Chris will lead the group in this discussion. Books can be purchased from Cokesbury or Amazon.
REGISTER NOW (once your registration is complete, you will receive the ZOOM MEETING link)
Knit One, Crochet Two
10:30 a.m. – Noon on Tuesdays via Zoom
Ongoing
Leaders: Jane Damschroder and Linda Wolgast
Our group meets every Tuesday 10:30 a.m. -12:00 noon. We have casual discussions, sharing of a knitting appropriate reading, and a “show & tell” of our knitting projects. Crocheting or knitting expertise is not a prerequisite. Fellowship is the foundation and joy of our members.
REGISTER NOW (once your registration is complete, you will receive the ZOOM MEETING link)
Men’s Breakfast
9 – 10:30 a.m. on the first Wednesday of the month via Zoom
September 2 – June 2
Leaders: BJ Harmon, and Zoom host Staton Lorenz
Come join a circle of men who are seeking God in their lives. The Men’s Breakfast is meeting virtually to share discussion and breakfast on the first Wednesday of each month. They are committed to asking big questions, sharing laughter & encouragement, and praying for the world. This fall they continue their study of Upper Room materials. New members are welcome.
REGISTER NOW (once your registration is complete, you will receive the ZOOM MEETING link)
Prayers for Peace and Justice
7:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. on Tuesdays
At F&M Park and streaming live to Grace Episcopal Church’s Facebook and YouTube pages.
Facebook: http://bit.ly/GECFBStream
YouTube: https://bit.ly/GECtube
Leaders: Rev. Jim Perra and Pastor Chris Lane
Join members of Grace Episcopal Church, Central United Methodist Church, and the Traverse City community for a short service of prayer and reflection. These gatherings will take place in-person at F&M Park in downtown Traverse City. We ask that all attendees wear masks and observe appropriate social distancing guidelines. We at Central Church share with Grace Episcopal Church a deep sense of mission and care for our community. You are invited to Join Reverend Jim Perra and Pastor Chris Lane with others for weekly prayers for social justice, plus praying for whatever other concerns you may bring. Bring a chair if you wish. As fall weather changes, we will adapt to indoor or Zoom format. NO REGISTRATION NEEDED
Sunday Morning Pilgrimage
10 -10:45 a.m. on Sunday mornings via Zoom
September 13 – December 27 (resumes in January)
Leader: Kathy Mead and Ali Thornton
Join this Sunday morning group to connect with a group of people that will welcome you in and encourage you as each of you follow a path to grow closer to God and to community. This fall, the group will be reading Leap Over a Wall, by Eugene Peterson that is accompanied by an optional study guide. The book costs $17 and the study guide is $6.50 and they are available through Cokesbury, Amazon, or directly from Kathy Mead.
REGISTER NOW (once your registration is complete, you will receive the ZOOM MEETING link)
Tuesday PM Bible Study
5:30 – 7:00 p.m. on Tuesdays via Zoom
September 22 – October 27
Leader: Eldon Horner
For the past several years, this weekly Bible study group has worked through the books of the Bible one by one. Even if you haven’t joined them in the past, there is room for you! Join this fall as they continue their study of Acts. Their book, Acts from the N.T. Wright for Everyone Bible Studies, is available online or from Cokesbury.
REGISTER NOW (once your registration is complete, you will receive the ZOOM MEETING link)
