New Lenten study groups begin March 3rd. These two are the first of what we are calling Seedbed groups, tackling current and important topics in a small group setting allowing for in-depth discernment and discussion. More groups will form in the future as additional topics unfold.

Queering Wesley, Queering the Church
Thursdays at 6:00 pm beginning March 3, 2022 and continuing through Lent (excluding Maundy Thursday and April 7th)

Anti-Racism for Today
Thursdays at 7:00 pm beginning March 3, 2022 and continuing through Lent (excluding Maundy Thursday)

Brief description of these two groups:

Queering Wesley, Queering the Church
The Christian Church doesn’t have the best track record when it comes to welcoming and honoring the LGBTQIA+ community. In fact, we have often been on the front lines of harming these persons made in God’s image. In Queering Wesley, Queering the Church, Keegan Osinski offers readings of John Wesley’s sermons and theology through the lens of Queer Theory, a way of reading through the unique experience of members of the LGBTQIA+ community. Our group will discuss her work along with general discussion about how the Church can practice better hospitality toward the LGBTQIA+ community. Presented by Pastor Megan Madsen

We’ll be meeting in the Sanctuary. If you’d like to attend on Zoom, please contact the office.

Anti-Racism for Today
In 2022 a case can be made that race relations in the United States are at their lowest point in at least a generation and they continue to deteriorate. It could even be argued that our society is a failed social experiment in race relations involving a multitude of minority groups in this country. However, for us in this Lenten study group, the better discussion question is, “what to do about it”? While we will address the history of these issues to some degree to more fully understand them, this class will focus on increasing our understanding of the issues involved in race relations in order to address the question posed above. While the class will generally follow a curriculum outlined by the General Commission on Religion and Race of the United Methodist Church we will also modify it somewhat to ensure we talk about such issues as “colonization” and its impacts on communities of color, “systemic racism” within our institutions, and the rise in “White Nationalism” and white supremacy in this country. Let this study experience with racism be a first step in answering the call of that Civil Rights icon, Representative John Lewis, who invited us before he passed away, to get into some “Good Trouble” regarding race relations in America. As this is a Lenten experience, we will emphasize repentance and the creation of right relationships with each other across racial lines and we will explore how we can work together to make things better. Presented by Tom Robinson

For more information on these, contact the church office.