Adult Education

We kick off the year with a two-week series on “The Prophetic Imagination” led by Dan Machiela.  These two weeks will be dedicated to looking at the biblical prophets and their writings. We will begin with some introductory material - Who is a prophet? Which books belong to that category? - and then move on to the messages of the prophets. Along the way, we'll think about the nature of prophecy in the Bible, how the prophets spoke to their times, and what their messages might mean for us today.

Join Chris Hedlin, Jake Schepers, and Jordan Mihut in exploring the mysteries of faith through literature in our annual three-week Faith and Literature adult Sunday School series. Remiinder: you do not have to read the source material to be a part of the discussion.

Chris Hedlin will lead us in a discussion of Annie Dillard's fascinating, thought-provoking short story/essay "Expedition to the Pole" (1982). We'll use the story to take up the question, "Why go to church? Why not be 'spiritual but not religious'?"

Jake Schepers will lead us in a discussion of the poetry of Gerard Manley Hopkins. We'll use the poems to reveal connections among Hopkins' Jesuit order, his dynamic and devotional language, his admiration of medieval theologian John Duns Scotus, and more. You're welcome to come regardless of whether you have time or desire to read.

Jordan Mihut will lead us in an exploration of what is commonly accepted as “protest literature” and how we can expect to participate in protest as readers, writers, and residents in an unjust world. We will be drawing from James Baldwin’s ideas on protest literature from his essay “Everybody’s Protest Novel” and seeing how this framework holds up in George Saunders’ fiction, but especially his short story “Fox 8.” [The link will download a pdf.] People are encouraged to read the short story but if they don’t that is totally fine!

We will kick off a 3-session series on the life and thought of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Bonhoeffer was a twentieth-century German theologian and activist who saw the rise of Nazism and was martyred for his opposition to it. In this first session we will consider various aspects of Bonhoeffer's theology, what made it unique, and why it posed a challenge to Hitler and his regime. In the second session we'll look at Bonhoeffer's life, and some of the influences on his thought. In the third session, we will discuss the relevance of Bonhoeffer's theology for our current political moment.

NO SUNDAY SCHOOL

John Haas will lead as we continue our three-session series on the life and thought of German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer, executed by Hitler 80 years ago this year. We will look at how Bonhoeffer's thoughts developed during his formative years (especially his critique of theological liberalism and what he called "religion"), his assessment of the church in America (he wasn't very impressed), and what he considered his most crucial contribution to the future life of the church in a "world come of age," a Christian ethic of solidarity and responsibility grounded in the work of Jesus Christ.

We will conclude our series on the life and thought of German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer, executed by Hitler 80 years ago this year. John Haas and Chris Rea will lead a discussion of Bonhoeffer's essay "After Ten Years," [pdf] written shortly before his imprisonment, with an eye toward its relevance for Christians today. (Reading the essay is not required, and the presenter won't assume that you've done so.)

The Book of Revelation is one of the most bewildering parts of the Bible. Is this a roadmap for the end times? An apocalyptic timetable with contemporary political implications? Or something else entirely? In this two week series in Adult Sunday School, led by Dave Lincicum, we will attempt to consider Revelation in its first-century context and think about what the text meant to its first readers, and by extension how it might resonate with us today.

In the second meeting of this two week series in Adult Sunday School, led by Dave Lincicum, we will consider Revelation in its first-century context and think about what the text meant to its first readers, and by extension how it might resonate with us today. This Sunday we will particularly consider its political theology.

Queerness is about much more than sexuality. What does queerness have in common with Christianity? What might queerness have to teach Christianity? How might it invite growth in your own spiritual life and the life of our CotS church community? Christina Rhebergen will lead the discussion, starting with "What is queerness, anyway?"

NO SUNDAY SCHOOL

Come learn more about St. Margaret's House, one of our ministry partners, this week at Adult Sunday School. Katie Elliot, executive director of St. Margaret's House, together with Joy McCoy and Julia Lincicum, will share more about the women they serve and how the organization is trying to make a difference in downtown South Bend and the broader community.

The annual congregational meeting will take place during the Sunday School hour. NO SUNDAY SCHOOL

NO SUNDAY SCHOOL

NO SUNDAY SCHOOL

NO SUNDAY SCHOOL

Please join us as Jeff Chu leads our adult Sunday school.  The title of his session is “Here I Raise My Ebenezer: On Beauty, Recognition, and Piles of Rocks.” In times so marked by ugliness, some say beauty can save the world. An oft-(mis)quoted line from Dostoevsky's "The Idiot" makes that claim, which no small number of armchair philosophers now echo on social media. We'll explore together the risks and possibilities that beauty offers—and we'll wonder about how to cultivate faithful attentiveness to beauty that points us toward God's good news.

Led by Michael Drummond, we will explore what AI, particularly Large-Language Models (LLMs) like ChatGPT are, and why data centers are suddenly everywhere. In this opening seminar, we’ll explore how these tools work, what they need to run, and the implications for the environment. This will build a foundation for upcoming conversations on the theological and public-policy questions raised by AI's growing role in our lives, which we will cover in the following weeks.

If you want a quick preview, please see this ~8 minute YouTube video.

We continue our series on Faith and the Environment, with Ryan Juskus leading. The goal of this session is to present a theological framework for deliberating about the sorts of issues discussed by Michael Drummond in the January 18 session — that is AI data centers and the environmental impacts of our everyday lives, like streaming YouTube videos or brushing our teeth. While Christians tend to turn first to Genesis and the concept of stewardship for guidance on environmental topics, we will look instead at the how Christ, salvation, and the cross can open up our thought and practice for a time when environmental concerns are inseparable from social injustices. In particular, we will look at the significance for Christian witness of Hebrews 13's portrayal of Christ's salvific movement "outside the gate," or what we will explore as society's "sacrifice zones." This is the basis of a theology of environmental justice.

This week is the third and final installment of our 3-week series on Faith and the Environment. Bruce Huber will round out the series with a conversation about how Christians can engage with law and policy on environmental matters.

Janelle will speak about our new denomination, the Reformed Church in America (RCA).

Cris Mihut or Mike Rea

Cris Mihut or Mike Rea

In consideration of the time change to daylight savings, there will be no Sunday school this week.

Marilee Coetsee

Cris Mihut or Mike Rea

Special Guest: Mahala Rethlake

NO SUNDAY SCHOOL

NO SUNDAY SCHOOL

Michael Drummond, Dave Lincicum, Mike Rea, and Chris Rea

Michael Drummond, Dave Lincicum, Mike Rea, and Chris Rea

Andre Stoner, with Ryan Justus

Andre Stoner, with Ryan Justus