SPECIAL ADULT
FAITH DEVELOPMENT CLASSES
February 21, March 7, 14, 21,28
9:45am
The
Practice
of Forgiveness (Room
214) “Forgiveness is the key to the entire Christian agenda.” (Lewis
Smedes) Lent is a season of forgiveness, a special time of accepting
God’s forgiveness of us and forgiving one another. Forgiveness is a
difficult Christian discipline which has to be learned and practiced daily
in the same way we learn and master a craft or a sport. The church is
quick to preach and teach the necessity of forgiveness of our wrongdoers
but slow to instruct us what forgiveness really is and especially how to
practice it. The purposes of this course are to guide us in understanding
the true meanings of forgiveness and to teach us how to practice it in
concrete ways. We always have a choice to forgive or not to forgive those
who have hurt us, but at least we will know the significance of the
decision we make and why.
Taught by Dr. Earl Thompson;
Earl has taught forgiveness in education and church settings for over 15
years, ordained UCC pastor and was a marriage and family therapist for 20
years.
"Gifts of
Healing”, Dare We Believe the Promise? (Room
213) Dr. Bill Ogden and Gene Keil will lead this class in the study of
spiritual healing. We invite you to join us in the affirmations and the
questions about this gift that is promised to the church in
the Scriptures. Together the class will search the Scriptures, the history
of healing, and our own experiences of faith. We expect the class to be
challenging and lively.
Dr. Ogden is a practicing
orthopedic surgeon with 30 years experience. He is currently on the staff
of the Asheville VA hospital. Gene Keil is a retired UCC pastor.
Weekday
Evening Study
Lay
Institute: Special Lenten Class
February 22 – March 29
Monday evenings 6:30-8pm
(Room 202)
“The
Biblical Texts of Handel’s Messiah”While
Handel's Messiah is most often performed during the Advent and Christmas
seasons, two-thirds of the oratorio are Lent and Easter orientated.
"Messiah" was performed at Easter during Handel's lifetime. Join us as we
study the Biblical texts used and how Handel interprets them musically. No
experience or talent needed, just a willingness to study and participate!
Teacher: Dr. Jerry Beavers
Study books
$20.00 are available for purchase. Call the church to order a book and
register for the class.
The Lay
Institute offers intentional study with an expectation of consistent
attendance and outside class reading in preparation for each class. |
Wednesday Night Programs
Register Online Now! or
Call the church office or complete a registration form in the foyer.
First
Witnesses to Jesus’ Death and Resurrection
During Lent we are offered a
special five week study of the four gospel accounts of Jesus’ last days
led by guest Dr. David Kaylor, retired Professor of New Testament,
Davidson College. Paul, Mark, Matthew, Luke & John provide us with
earliest testimony to events surrounding Jesus’ final week in Jerusalem.
They reveal the early church’s ways of understanding how the otherwise
tragic execution of Jesus came to be seen as God’s way of bringing
salvation and wholeness of life to a world in need of both.
Following a brief
presentation each week by Dr. Kaylor, we will dismiss to small groups to
further discuss and explore the gospel accounts. Optional study materials
for supplemental reading each week are available; $13.00 to purchase a
copy of “Hosanna a Spiritual Journey Through Holy Week”
Lent Program
Time 6:15-7:30 following dinner.
February 17
Ash Wednesday Service 6:30pm
Ash Wednesday is the threshold
that marks the beginning of our journey into Lent. In this contemplative
evening service we share scripture, receive ashes as a mark of our
mortality and repentance, and gather around the table as the forgiven
people of God.
February 24
SESSION I
Paul’s Perspective
Since Paul’s writings are the
earliest written accounts of Jesus’ death
and resurrection, we will examine his testimony in I
Corinthians 11:17-34 (about the observance of the Lord’s Supper) and I
Corinthians 15 (concerning the Resurrection).
March 3
SESSION II
The
Beginning of Jesus’ Final Week
We will explore
the Gospel accounts of the growing tension between Jesus and the Jerusalem
authorities. His “Triumphal Entry” into the capital city and his
“Cleansing of the Temple” are central to that conflict.
March 10
SESSION III
The Final
Meal on Maundy Thursday
We will focus on the various
ways the Gospel writers emphasize the symbolic meaning of the Last
Supper, and their presentations of Jesus’ final teaching to his disciples.
March 17
SESSION IV
Arrest, Trial and Crucifixion
As we reflect on the Gospel
accounts of these events, we will pay special attention to the questions,
“Who was responsible for Jesus’ death,” and “Why did they want to kill
him?” We will also look at the ways the writers reveal a theological
understanding of his death.
March 24
SESSION V
From Death
to New Life
We will notice how little the
Gospel narratives about the resurrection have in common with
one another and then concentrate on what the writers saw
as the meaning of Jesus’ resurrection for the life of the church. |
Midday Music for Lent
We continue our tradition of musical offerings at 12:15pm
on Wednesdays in Lent. You’re invited to take half an hour each week for
these programs as we move through this Lent season. Programs will be in
the Sanctuary and Chapel.
February 24
“Litanies”
music exploring and expressing how we pray .........works by Alain,
Durufle, Rorem, Bach, and others
Eric Wall, organ
March 3
“Miracles”
music for flute and organ by Vaughan-Williams, Mozart, Weaver, and tone
poems by Daniel Pinkham on miracle stories of Jesus
Kate Steinbeck, flute; Eric Wall, organ
March 10
“Music
for Harp”
classical, Celtic, and jazz works
Michelle Cobley, harp
March 17
"St.
Patrick’s Breastplate” – Celtic Songs and Prayers
St. Patrick’s day offering of text and song, arising from ancient and
contemporary Celtic Christian traditions
singers and instrumentalists of First Presbyterian Church
March 24
"Earth Blessed with Springtime”
poetry and music for the journey of Lent, reflecting that word’s origin in
the Middle English word for spring, “lente”
Mary Louise Bringle, poet and speaker; musicians of First Presbyterian
Church
March 31
“Mary
the Mother of Jesus at Golgotha”
a Holy Week portrayal of Jesus’ mother, in drama and song, by renowned
storyteller Donna Marie Todd
Donna Marie Todd, Biblical storyteller
April 7
“Easter
Carols Old and New”
songs of new life and springtime – ancient carols, folksongs, and lively
music of rebirth
singers and instrumentalists of First Presbyterian Church
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Holy Week
March 28-April 4
Sunday,
March 28
Palm Sunday
8:45 am:
Worship Service
in Campbell Chapel
9:45 am:
Donkey
Procession with Palms
10:55 am:
Worship Service
in the Sanctuary
12:15 p.m.
Journey Through Holy Week: Holy Week Observance & Easter Celebration
Gather in Gardner Fellowship Hall (12:15pm) for a light lunch and
activities for observing Holy Week for children and families. This event
provides an opportunity for deepening our understanding of the gift of
Jesus’ life, death and resurrection.
Wednesday,
March 31
No Dinner or Program
Thursday,
April 1
Maundy Thursday
Footwashing 6:30pm Campbell Chapel
If you would like to prepare for our Maundy Thursday service by
participating in the ritual of footwashing (based on John 13), you are
invited to come to the chapel at 6:30 to serve each other in this simple
way. We will plan to conclude at 6:45.
Worship Service 7:00pm Sanctuary
Join us in the sanctuary for a service that commemorates the final hours
of Jesus' life, according to Matthew’s account: Jesus’ last supper with
the disciples, arrest, trial, and crucifixion. This solemn service
includes communion and concludes with the office of Tenebrae, in which we
progressively extinguish candles while contemplating the death of the
Christ.
Friday, April 2
Good Friday
Saturday, April 3
Music for the Easter Vigil 7:00pm
This annual program of music for this “in between” time is offered amid
darkness and candlelight in the sanctuary, exploring themes of lament,
waiting, promise, and coming life.
Sunday,
April 4
Easter
One Great Hour of Sharing
(8:45am & 10:55am worship services)
8:45 am:
Worship Service
in the Sanctuary
9:45 am:
Brunch (Gardner
Fellowship Hall)
Easter Brunch
Plan to
bring a potluck dish and join us for fellowship and special children’s
Easter crafts.
10:55am:
Worship Service
in the Sanctuary
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SPECIAL OFFERINGS
Peacemaking Offering
Sunday, March 21 (8:45 & 10:45 am services)
This morning we will receive the annual Peacemaking Offering. The
Peacemaking Offering was created in 1980 to support the efforts of the
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) to live out a deeper commitment to
peacemaking as part of our faithfulness to God. Funds support
international, national and local initiatives addressing issues such as
racism, poverty, HIV/AIDS and global conflicts in Iraq, Israel &
Palestine.
Our Outreach
Committee has designated a portion (25%) of this year’s offering to
support the peacemaking efforts of the
Pilgrims of Ibillin.
The
Pilgrims of Ibillin
is dedicated to supporting organizations and individuals committed to
achieving peaceful coexistence and mutual respect among Muslim, Jewish,
and Christian communities in the Holy Land. Their primary focus is the
work of the Mar Elias Educational Institutions (MEEI) in the village of
Ibillin, in the Galilee region of northern Israel. MEEI’s founder, Father
Elias Chacour, articulated a goal that perfectly embodies the mission of
Pilgrims: “We intend to build peace on the desktops of Children.” See
www.pilgrimsofibillin.org
for more
information about this truly transformative organization.
Special Easter Offering:
One Great Hour of Sharing
Sunday, April 4 (8:45 & 10:55am services)
Since 1949, Presbyterians
have joined with millions of other Christians through the
One Great
Hour of Sharing Offering.
Through this major
offering: the refugee and the stranger have found food and safe shelter;
those stunned by the aftermath of disasters have found relief and help
rebuilding; and communities seeking to take control of their future have
found partners in development.
Presbyterians' gifts
support the work of The Presbyterian Committee for the Self-Development of
People, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, and the Presbyterian Hunger
Program. The hundreds of millions of dollars Presbyterians have given over
the last half century have enabled a powerful witness to the love of the
One who came that all might have life more abundantly.
Children:
Remember to
bring the
fish coin banks
on Easter &
place in special offering basket in the narthex.
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