Adult Christian Education Opportunities

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The foundation of Family Life Ministries is Adult Christian Education (ACE). Sunday School classes targeted to adults are held Sunday mornings from 9:45 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. from September through May. Topics range from examining books of the Bible to spirited discussions on topics such as Contemporary Spirituality. From time to time other opportunities for adult Christian education are offered such as Bible studies on Sunday afternoons or during the week. Our doors are open to all, so we extend a warm invitation for you to join us in a study that is of interest to you. Read on to learn more about the exciting and thought provoking studies that help us grow together in faith!

 

 Adult Christian Education Committee

Our Adult Christian Education (ACE) committee was formed to address the needs of our every-expanding congregation. This committee is devoted to the enrichment of our ACE program at WUMC. The ACE committee not only helps formulate topics for programs we currently have in place, but it also brainstorms new ways to meet the diverse needs of the adult members and friends of our congregation.

Since we are always looking for people who are interested in serving on the ACE committee, we invite you to join us at any of our meetings. Watch for dates and times in upcoming weekly and monthly Messengers and check the online church calendar  on the News and Events page of this Web site.

 The Adult Christian Education (ACE) Team is currently looking for other adults who have an interest in helping formulate new programs and ways to meet the diverse needs of our adult population. Interested parties should e-mail Judy Toone at jtoone@williamsvilleumc.org.

 

Sunday Morning ACE Opportunities

 

The ACE classes listed below meet every Sunday morning from 9:45 - 10:30 a.m. between WUMC’s two worship services. Please feel free to join us on Sunday morning when you can. Have we got a class for you! 

Beginning on September 19 and continuing for 12 Sundays, a study of “The Parables of Jesus: From a Modern Perspective” will be offered for adults. We will meet during the Sunday school hour from 9:45 - 10:45 a.m. downstairs in the first classroom on the right. This class will be facilitated by Barbara Manhardt and Cheryl Thomas. Please sign up on the sheet on the Narthex bulletin board. This is a study you will not want to miss. See you on September 19!

Contemporary Issues

The Contemporary Issues group will begin a new season on September 19 discussing topics related to faith and life in today’s world. This class meets every Sunday from 9:45 to 10:30 a.m. Here’s what we will be discussing over the next few weeks:

September 19 - “The Mosque at Ground Zero.” We’ve heard a lot recently about the mosque that is planned to be built two blocks from the former site of the World Trade Center in New York City. In this one-week study, historian Martin Marty will help us explore the specifically religious concerns of this issue. The study will move away from many of the secular, political arguments and will focus on the Christian perspectives of this controversy, looking to the Bible instead of the media to examine these religious concerns.

Click here to download a copy of the "The Mosque at Ground Zero" article.

September 26 through October 17 - “Islam.” This great religion occupies the attention of the world as never before in modern times. This four-week study will seek to get behind the sensational headlines, the biased stereotypes, and the polemics that so often characterize the treatment of Islam in the media. A Christian perspective on the subject will take into account what the people of Islam say about their faith and will seek humbly to understand how believers in Christianity and believers in Islam can best relate to one another.

Background documents for participants in these studies will be posted on this web page a few days in advance of each class.

All interested, thoughtful adults of any age are welcome to participate in the discussions of the Contemporary Issues group. We meet in the parlor, immediately at the rear of the sanctuary.

Additional ACE Opportunities 

 

Eternal Perks

Eternal Perks will be open for business again beginning Sunday, September 19. For those of you not familiar with Eternal Perks, this is WUMC’s little coffee shop set up in the library, which is located off the narthex. Feel free to come in, relax, read the Sunday paper, and treat yourself to a cup of coffee every week between the first and second worship services. With so many coffee shops in the village, we know it is hard to pick one ‑ but we would love it if you make Eternal Perks your first pick on a Sunday morning!


Get Connected with Wesley Ministry Network Online

Do you wish you could deepen your faith, but you are too busy to attend a class or join a small group? Through a partnership with The Richard and Julia Wilke Institute for Discipleship, Wesley Ministry Network is offering its acclaimed lay education courses online. Each course features streaming video segments and online discussions with other students and experienced Wesley Ministry Network teachers. Courses are open to everyone, and CEUs are available for pastors. Connect with other Christians to deepen your faith and grow in discipleship. Visit http://www.beadisciple.com/wesleyministrynetwork.html to learn more and to register.

Online Disciple Bible Study Groups

Groups are beginning to take shape for the second year of online Disciple Bible Study, dubbed Disciple Online. Enrollment is now open at www.BeADisciple.com/discipleonlinecourses for individuals who wish to participate in Disciple I, Disciple II, and Youth Disciple in an online format with others from all over.

Participants follow the format of Disciple. They study the Bible on their own during the week then meet with their group members through the Internet with special software at a set day and time to review the week’s study.

This will be the second year for Disciple Online, but the first year for Disciple Online II and Disciple Online Youth. Several churches are sponsoring groups for their own members that are also open to participants from anywhere. For more information, visit www.BeADisciple.com or e-mail BeADisciple@sckans.edu.