Christian faith is a lifelong journey. God’s not done with you yet.
First United’s Adult Education program offers insight, growth, and fellowship with classes, workshops, intimate discussions, and presentations and lectures by leading scholars. Topics range from church history to current events to race relations to international issues, and always include a biblical perspective. Sometimes a series of classes is scheduled on specific topics that lend themselves to in-depth study. Adult ed is a ministry that drives learning, deepens faith, and wrestles with the relationship between God’s world and the human world.
Sunday Morning Speaker Series
Classes meet at 9:30 a.m. on Sundays from September through late May. Bring your whole self, including your questions, your doubts, and a sense of humor. For more information on any adult education programs, contact Lydia Mulkey, Associate Pastor of Education (lmulkey@firstunitedoakpark.com), 708-386-5215 (ext. 103).
Bible Study and Small Groups
Monday Night Bible Study: 6-7:30 p.m. in the Library.
Wednesday Small Group: 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Conference Room.
For information on other Bible studies and small groups, contact Lydia Mulkey. (Note: These will resume after the church reopens.)
Book Group
Adult Ed will hold a book group discussion over Zoom starting in September. The group will meet at 7 p.m. Wednesdays for 10 weeks, from Sept. 16 to Nov. 18, and will be reading two books, both focusing on grief.
Good Grief
by Granger E. Westburg
We usually associate grief with the loss of a loved one, but we can experience grief with any loss: a job, a relationship, a home, anything that is important to us. In the course of our lives, we can experience many losses. This book is particularly timely as we all have been confronted with loss of social contact, travel, entertainment, dining, shopping, and more because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Grief can be all-consuming, but it also can be a transformative experience. This book explores the good aspects of grief. The author, a Lutheran pastor and professor, provides a pathway through grieving based on wrestling openly and honestly with a loss to ultimately emerge stronger. The discussion group also will be using a companion book.
The Good Grief Devotional
by Brent D. Christianson
This book builds on Westberg’s Good Grief to offer hope through reading, reflecting, praying, and acting. The book by Lutheran pastor Brent D. Christianson provides 52 weeks of devotionals that follow the 10 stages of grief presented in Good Grief. Each stage is prefaced with an introductory reflection that considers what the stage means for self-understanding, your relationships, creation, and God. Each devotional contains things to think about, to talk about, to do, and a prayer.
Contact Lydia Mulkey, Associate Pastor of Education (lmulkey@firstunitedoakpark.com), to sign up and reserve a copy of both books.
