Midweek Morning Prayer -
Wednesdays at 8:30 a.m.
Starting in October Midweek Prayer is back at a new time - Wednesdays at 8:30 a.m. All are welcome to share in this brief, quiet prayer service which lasts about a half hour. It will include scripture, written prayers, silent prayer, and an opportunity for individuals to lift their own prayer concerns. It is held in the prayer circle on the side of the sanctuary. Start your Wednesday right with quiet contemplation and community.
Sunday School Begins October 25
Starting October 25 we will be having Sunday School for ages 4 and up on Sundays during regular worship. Children participating in Sunday School will be released after the blessing at the font during worship and we are using the “Follow Me” curriculum developed by the Presbyterian Church (USA). Our first unit for the fall is entitled “Care for Creation.” Here is a description of the curriculum from the designers:
The Bible was written in a pre-industrial time prior to the use of fossil fuels, so it does not talk about greenhouse gases, global warming, or renewable energy sources. Though we know today that the earth is in very real danger of becoming uninhabitable, our faith ancestors knew this truth in a different way. As agricultural people who had an intimate relationship with the earth, they understood deeply the meaning conveyed in the creation stories in Genesis 1 and 2, which lift up how good the created order is, and saw the human role as that of taking care of God’s gift.
How, then, do we share a gospel of hope when we watch growing numbers of species become extinct and the continued use of fossil fuels threaten everyone’s ability to live abundant lives? In this unit, participants will see that creation care is not just a political issue, it is a faith issue. Caring for creation offers us a way of following Jesus—the one who taught us that God’s love is more powerful even than death—and we will receive a word of hope as we live out our calling as disciples. The four dimensions of this practice that are discussed include: appreciate God’s creation, till, share the planet, and restore creation.
Here’s our schedule:
October 25: Appreciate God’s Creation (Genesis 1:1–5, 14–19; Ecclesiastes 3:1–8) - Teacher: Stephanie Bakker
November 1: Care for Water (Genesis 1:6–8, 20–23; John 4:5–15) - Teacher: Kelly Dunn
November 8: Grow and Till (Genesis 1:9–13; Matthew 13:1–8) - Teacher: Stacy LaPointe
November 15: Care for Animals (Genesis 1:24–31; Isaiah 11:6–9) - Teacher: Stephanie Bakker
