Spirituality Book Club
(participants can join in person or via Zoom)
Wednesdays, 6:30-8:00 p.m. or Thursdays, 9:30-11:00 a.m.
Facilitator: Kelly Lemens
Donation: Varies (See selection below)
This group provides encouragement and fellowship for anyone looking to delve deeper into different areas of Spirituality. Join other seekers in studying a faith topic using a variety of genres followed by reflection, discussion and prayer. For more information, contact Kelly Lemens: lemensk@aplacetobesc.org.
(participants can join in person or via Zoom)
Wednesdays, 6:30-8:00 p.m. or Thursdays, 9:30-11:00 a.m.
Facilitator: Kelly Lemens
Donation: Varies (See selection below)
This group provides encouragement and fellowship for anyone looking to delve deeper into different areas of Spirituality. Join other seekers in studying a faith topic using a variety of genres followed by reflection, discussion and prayer. For more information, contact Kelly Lemens: lemensk@aplacetobesc.org.
Fall Book Study (both groups):
Ladder to the Light: An Indigenous Elder’s Meditations on Hope and Courage By Steven Charleston
Wednesdays, 6:30-8:00 p.m. beginning August 18 or
Thursdays, 9:30-11:00 a.m. beginning August 19
Facilitator: Kelly Lemens
Suggested Donation: $25 (includes book)
They were as troubled as we, our ancestors, those who came before us, and all for the very same reasons: fear of illness, a broken heart, fights in the family, the threat of another war. And yet they came through, carrying us within them, through the grief and struggle, through the personal pain and the public chaos, finding their way with love and faith, not giving in to despair but walking upright until their last step was taken. My culture does not honor the ancestors as a quaint spirituality of the past but as a living source of strength for the present. They did it and so will we.
Choctaw elder and Episcopal priest Steven Charleston offers words of hard-won hope, rooted in daily conversations with the Spirit and steeped in Indigenous wisdom. Every day Charleston spends time in prayer. Every day he writes down what he hears from the Spirit. In Ladder to the Light he shares what he has heard with the rest of us and adds thoughtful reflection to help guide us to the light. Native America knows something about cultivating resilience and resisting darkness. For all who yearn for hope, Ladder to the Light is a book of comfort, truth, and challenge in a time of anguish and fear.
Please register here for the Wednesday group.
Please register here for the Thursday group.
Ladder to the Light: An Indigenous Elder’s Meditations on Hope and Courage By Steven Charleston
Wednesdays, 6:30-8:00 p.m. beginning August 18 or
Thursdays, 9:30-11:00 a.m. beginning August 19
Facilitator: Kelly Lemens
Suggested Donation: $25 (includes book)
They were as troubled as we, our ancestors, those who came before us, and all for the very same reasons: fear of illness, a broken heart, fights in the family, the threat of another war. And yet they came through, carrying us within them, through the grief and struggle, through the personal pain and the public chaos, finding their way with love and faith, not giving in to despair but walking upright until their last step was taken. My culture does not honor the ancestors as a quaint spirituality of the past but as a living source of strength for the present. They did it and so will we.
Choctaw elder and Episcopal priest Steven Charleston offers words of hard-won hope, rooted in daily conversations with the Spirit and steeped in Indigenous wisdom. Every day Charleston spends time in prayer. Every day he writes down what he hears from the Spirit. In Ladder to the Light he shares what he has heard with the rest of us and adds thoughtful reflection to help guide us to the light. Native America knows something about cultivating resilience and resisting darkness. For all who yearn for hope, Ladder to the Light is a book of comfort, truth, and challenge in a time of anguish and fear.
Please register here for the Wednesday group.
Please register here for the Thursday group.
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Social Justice Book Series (via Zoom)
Mondays, 6:30-8:00 p.m. Facilitator: Kelly Lemens Donation: Varies (see selections below) Join others in reading, learning and discussion spanning a variety of social justice topics. |
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A Tough Grace: Mental Illness as a Spiritual Path by Alice A Holstein, Ed.D
Mondays beginning August 16 6:30-8:00 p.m. Suggested Donation: $25 (includes book) Bipolar disorder, also known as manic depression, affects approximately 5.7 million Americans, or 2.6% of the population. Domestic and other violence, drug usage, homelessness and alcoholism comes from undiagnosed or untreated manic depression, not to mention suicides and premature deaths from the side effects of preventative medications. Thousands can be rescued from poverty and the disrupted family and economic lives that accompany this illness. A new approach to treating manic depression is desperately needed. Author Alice Holstein has lived with manic depression for over 40 years. Excerpt: No one told me that it would take so much effort to do the inner work essential to living life fully. No one told me that this kind of work would begin in earnest at mid-life, absorbing me afterwards for another 12 years with both intense suffering and breakthroughs as the manic depression unfolded. This book proclaims the revolutionary idea that mental illness can be a profound spiritual journey. A path filled with tests, trials and suffering, mental illness can be a kind of “tough grace” where people can reframe their experiences to understand them as a hero’s journey that creates wisdom and steely strengths. Join us as we read Alice’s story and explore how the illness ultimately forced her to acquire the knowledge and skills that produce creativity and inner happiness. Please register here. |
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Summer Book Study (via Zoom)
Finding God Beyond Religion: A Guide for Skeptics, Agnostics & Unorthodox Believers Inside & Outside the Church
By Tom Stella
Facilitator: Kelly Lemens
Tuesdays: July 13, July 20, July 27, August 10 & August 17; 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm
Suggested Donation: $25 (includes book)
"No longer sustained by easy answers, we may find ourselves standing before a three-pronged fork in the road: we can wander in the direction of conventional beliefs and practices, we can reject God and turn away from religion altogether, or we can embrace our uncertainty as an invitation to a more vital understanding of both God and religion." ―from the Introduction
Do you describe yourself as "spiritual but not religious"? Whether young or old, church connected or not, are you spiritually restless for an authentic faith life but do not find conventional religious teachings spiritually nourishing?
This accessible guide to a meaningful spiritual life is a salve for your soul. It reexamines traditional religious teachings central to the Christian faith―God, Jesus, faith, prayer, morality and more―in ways that connect with people who have outgrown the beliefs and devotional practices that once made sense to them. It helps you find new ways to understand and relate to traditionally defined Christian "truths" that honor their full spiritual power and scope, and opens your mind and heart to the full impact of Christian teachings.
Please register here.
Finding God Beyond Religion: A Guide for Skeptics, Agnostics & Unorthodox Believers Inside & Outside the Church
By Tom Stella
Facilitator: Kelly Lemens
Tuesdays: July 13, July 20, July 27, August 10 & August 17; 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm
Suggested Donation: $25 (includes book)
"No longer sustained by easy answers, we may find ourselves standing before a three-pronged fork in the road: we can wander in the direction of conventional beliefs and practices, we can reject God and turn away from religion altogether, or we can embrace our uncertainty as an invitation to a more vital understanding of both God and religion." ―from the Introduction
Do you describe yourself as "spiritual but not religious"? Whether young or old, church connected or not, are you spiritually restless for an authentic faith life but do not find conventional religious teachings spiritually nourishing?
This accessible guide to a meaningful spiritual life is a salve for your soul. It reexamines traditional religious teachings central to the Christian faith―God, Jesus, faith, prayer, morality and more―in ways that connect with people who have outgrown the beliefs and devotional practices that once made sense to them. It helps you find new ways to understand and relate to traditionally defined Christian "truths" that honor their full spiritual power and scope, and opens your mind and heart to the full impact of Christian teachings.
Please register here.
Meeting God in Motherhood: Opening Our Hearts to Moments of Grace
By Mary Ronan Williams
Mondays: 9/27, 10/4, 10/22, 10/18, 10/25, 11/1
6:30 – 7:30 pm
Facilitator: Jo Ann Decker
Suggested Donation: $15
Motherhood often is an all-consuming endeavor, one where we can lose a sense of who are. It’s easy to feel like wiping sticky cheeks, kissing bruised knees, and checking homework is the totality of our earthly existence. Yet in God’s eyes, there is and always will be more to us than our role as mothers. Is it possible to meet God in the day-to-day task of raising a family? Could motherhood possibly be the fertile field of God’s grace? Encountering God in mothering can be a transformative gift. Join us as we reflect on God’s presence in the thick of motherhood and explore the gift God offers in these moments of grace. Sessions include prayer, reflections and small group discussions.
Please register here.
By Mary Ronan Williams
Mondays: 9/27, 10/4, 10/22, 10/18, 10/25, 11/1
6:30 – 7:30 pm
Facilitator: Jo Ann Decker
Suggested Donation: $15
Motherhood often is an all-consuming endeavor, one where we can lose a sense of who are. It’s easy to feel like wiping sticky cheeks, kissing bruised knees, and checking homework is the totality of our earthly existence. Yet in God’s eyes, there is and always will be more to us than our role as mothers. Is it possible to meet God in the day-to-day task of raising a family? Could motherhood possibly be the fertile field of God’s grace? Encountering God in mothering can be a transformative gift. Join us as we reflect on God’s presence in the thick of motherhood and explore the gift God offers in these moments of grace. Sessions include prayer, reflections and small group discussions.
Please register here.
God of Love: A Guide to the Heart of Judaism, Christianity and Islam
by Mirabai Starr
Thursdays, 6:30 – 8:00 pm
6 weeks, beginning October 7
Facilitator: Craig Bergland
Suggested Donation: $25 (includes book)
God of Love is Starr’s passionate and personal exploration of the interconnected wisdom of the three Abrahamic faiths. She shares an overview of essential teachings, stories of saints and spiritual masters, prophetic calls for peace and justice, and deeply engaging narratives from her own spiritual experiences. Starr guides us to recognize the teachings and practices that unify rather than divide the three religions, and sheds light on the interspiritual perspective, which celebrates the Divine in all paths.
Please register here.
by Mirabai Starr
Thursdays, 6:30 – 8:00 pm
6 weeks, beginning October 7
Facilitator: Craig Bergland
Suggested Donation: $25 (includes book)
God of Love is Starr’s passionate and personal exploration of the interconnected wisdom of the three Abrahamic faiths. She shares an overview of essential teachings, stories of saints and spiritual masters, prophetic calls for peace and justice, and deeply engaging narratives from her own spiritual experiences. Starr guides us to recognize the teachings and practices that unify rather than divide the three religions, and sheds light on the interspiritual perspective, which celebrates the Divine in all paths.
Please register here.
We Make The Road By Walking Bible Study (via Zoom)
by Brian McLaren
1st Three Saturdays of each month, 9:00—10:00 am
Ongoing, Join anytime
Suggested Donation: $20, includes book
Our faith was never intended to be a destination; rather it is a path, a way out of old, destructive patterns into new and creative ones. We Make The Road By Walking book and Bible study offers a positive, practical, open, faithful, and fresh articulation of the Christian faith suitable for people in our dynamic times. Organized around the Liturgical calendar, the readings give an overview of the whole Bible and guide us through rich study, interactive learning, and personal growth. If you are seeking a fresh way to experience and practice your faith, in you’re a long-term Christian seeking new vitality or if you feel out of place in traditional church circles, this book will inspire and activate you in your spiritual journey. Join us!
Please register here.
by Brian McLaren
1st Three Saturdays of each month, 9:00—10:00 am
Ongoing, Join anytime
Suggested Donation: $20, includes book
Our faith was never intended to be a destination; rather it is a path, a way out of old, destructive patterns into new and creative ones. We Make The Road By Walking book and Bible study offers a positive, practical, open, faithful, and fresh articulation of the Christian faith suitable for people in our dynamic times. Organized around the Liturgical calendar, the readings give an overview of the whole Bible and guide us through rich study, interactive learning, and personal growth. If you are seeking a fresh way to experience and practice your faith, in you’re a long-term Christian seeking new vitality or if you feel out of place in traditional church circles, this book will inspire and activate you in your spiritual journey. Join us!
Please register here.
Bible Study: Paul’s Letters (via Zoom)
Paul’s 2nd Letter to the Corinthians
2nd & 4th Tuesdays, 6:30 – 8:00 pm
Beginning August 24th
Facilitator: Kelly Lemens
Suggested Donation: $25
Paul’s 2nd Letter to the Corinthians is the most personal of all his writings, and it reveals much about his character. Rich and varied in content, the letter reveals Paul’s deep reflections about his relationship with this community, his vision and sense of values about a faith community as well as how Jesus’ passion and resurrection are the pattern for his and all Christian life. Join us as we explore these and several other issues that have arisen in the Corinth Church and are still present in our Church today. The only supplies needed are a Bible.
Please register here.
Paul’s 2nd Letter to the Corinthians
2nd & 4th Tuesdays, 6:30 – 8:00 pm
Beginning August 24th
Facilitator: Kelly Lemens
Suggested Donation: $25
Paul’s 2nd Letter to the Corinthians is the most personal of all his writings, and it reveals much about his character. Rich and varied in content, the letter reveals Paul’s deep reflections about his relationship with this community, his vision and sense of values about a faith community as well as how Jesus’ passion and resurrection are the pattern for his and all Christian life. Join us as we explore these and several other issues that have arisen in the Corinth Church and are still present in our Church today. The only supplies needed are a Bible.
Please register here.
Parables: Stories with Intent (via Zoom)
Saturdays, 9:00 – 10:00 am
Beginning January 8, 2022
Facilitator: Kelly Lemens
Suggested Donation: $25, includes materials
Jesus understood the power of stories. He often used them to teach transformative lessons, convey deep spiritual truths, and confront and challenge his audience to open their hearts to the kingdom. These same stories are equally relevant today. Join us as we explore Jesus’ parables in their original context and discuss their meaning for us today.
Please register here.
Saturdays, 9:00 – 10:00 am
Beginning January 8, 2022
Facilitator: Kelly Lemens
Suggested Donation: $25, includes materials
Jesus understood the power of stories. He often used them to teach transformative lessons, convey deep spiritual truths, and confront and challenge his audience to open their hearts to the kingdom. These same stories are equally relevant today. Join us as we explore Jesus’ parables in their original context and discuss their meaning for us today.
Please register here.