Fall 2020 Virtual Bible Studies, Small Groups, and Support Groups
Thank you for your interest in our virtual studies and groups! Please read our current offerings below, and fill out the form at the bottom of this page to register.
Foundational Study
A Disciple’s Path: Deepening your Relationship with Christ and the Church
5-week study, beginning September 14
Led by Michelle Stearns
Mondays, 6:30-7:30pm
A Disciple’s Path is an engaging approach to discipleship from a distinctly Wesleyan perspective guiding individuals to take the next step in discipleship: become dynamic, engaged followers of Jesus Christ. Participants will develop spiritual practices, discover their unique gifts, and become engaged in ministry that brings transformation in their own lives, the lives of others, and the world. Please click here to purchase the companion reader and here to purchase the workbook.
Bible Studies
Sermon on the Mount: A Beginner’s Guide to the Kingdom of Heaven by Amy-Jill Levine
Led by Sarah Goolsby and Emily Pollard
7-week DVD study, beginning September 16
Wednesdays, 10am
In this study we’ll take a detailed and colorful overview of Matthew 5-7, collectively known as Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount. Through Levine’s engaging method of biblical interpretation, participants will come away with a solid understanding of the Sermon on the Mount in its historical and theological context. Levine invites us to hear the Jewishness of Jesus’s words, understand them in the light of the world to which he spoke them, that we may better understand how these words speak to us today, challenging us to follow Jesus more closely. Click here to purchase the book!
The Book of Jonah by Sandra Richter
Led by Murray Adams
8-week DVD study, beginning September 8
Tuesday mornings, 9:30am
When most people think about the book of Jonah, they think about a children’s story. Not so in this study. In the book of Jonah we find a professional holy man, a lifer in the faith who is about to have the God he thinks he understands challenge him with an assignment that he can hardly get his brain around. This study takes us on a journey through Jonah’s life that leads us all to the place where we realize that our God is way bigger than we thought. Not only will we learn everything we ever wanted to know about the brutal Assyrians of Nineveh, ancient seafaring ships, and large aquatic creatures, but we will also be challenged with the same message that confronted Jonah. Are we willing to let God be God, to move us out of our comfort zones, and embrace a calling that might just take us to the edges of the world we know? Click here to purchase the book!
Spiritual Growth
What We Need is Here, Practicing the Heart of Christian Spirituality by Roger Owens
Led by Cory Smith
8-week study, beginning September 9
Wednesdays, 5:30pm
In this strange season of living in a pandemic, we all long for truth, hope, and even satisfaction. What We Need is Here by Roger Owens is a guide for followers of Jesus to rediscover spiritual practices needed during this season. Bishop Will Willimon said, “Roger gives us guidance on the ways we can meet God and be met by a living, loving God.” Click here to purchase the book!
A Long Obedience In the Same Direction: Discipleship in an Instant Society by Eugene Peterson
Led by Julie Hare
Tuesdays, 7pm
Beginning September 8
Exploring discipleship as we reflect on the Psalms of Ascent. As a society, we are obsessed with the immediate. Email and the Internet in some ways have intensified our quest for the quick fix. But Peterson’s prescription for discipleship remains the same–a long obedience in the same direction. Tucked away in the Hebrew Psalter, Peterson discovered “an old dog-eared songbook,” the Songs of Ascents that were sung by pilgrims on their way up to worship in Jerusalem. In these songs (Psalms 120-134) Peterson finds encouragement for modern pilgrims as we learn to grow in worship, service, joy, work, happiness, humility, community and blessing. Click here to purchase the book!
The Class Meeting: Reclaiming a Forgotten (and Essential) Small Group Experience by Kevin Watson
Led by Marc Baugh and Charles Cummings
8-week study, beginning September 9
Wednesdays, 8pm
The early Methodists were a people of one book (the Bible) and they met together to engage one another in conversations about their souls. Come join this group as they explore the nature of God’s grace and seek to share where they have seen God at work and what the Holy Spirit is doing in their lives. Click here to purchase the book!
Topical Studies
The Color of Compromise Video Study
Discussion facilitated by Joe Davis and Linda Lee
Tuesdays, 7:30pm
Beginning September 1
“You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” -John 8:32. In The Color of Compromise Jemar Tisby surveys the history of the American church and racism in order to explain how race has influenced the way in which Christianity has developed in this country. Tisby contends that the same arguments that perpetuated racial inequality in the past continue to be used in the present day church. Confronting these uncomfortable truths is an important step in understanding the freedom, justice, and reconciliation of God’s kingdom.
Each week we’ll watch and discuss a 20-minute video by the author. You can also follow along in the Color of Compromise book if you’d like. There are 12 videos, one for each chapter of the book. Join us as we look at our history honestly so that we might be set free to be a people of healing, a people “full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). Book order optional (click here!)
A Language of Healing for a Polarized Nation: Creating safe environments for conversations about race, politics, sexuality, and religion, by Wayne Jacobson, Arnita Taylor and Bob Prater
Led by Lindsey Middleton and Christy Benitez
Thursdays, 10am
Beginning September 10
Are you tired of the animosity at the mention of politics or religion that is dividing us into camps? In this study we are invited to change the dialogue from the rhetoric of polarizing animosity to a language of healing, where honest differences don’t have to destroy friendships. Then we can seek a broader common ground through mutual respect and compassion. The Language of Healing will help us see disagreement as an opportunity for growth and discovery, share mutual respect even beyond our deepest differences and become a peacemaker in our network of friends and family. Click here to purchase the book!
The Sun Does Shine by Anthony Ray Hinton
Led by Kelli Hitchman-Craig
7-week study, beginning October 7
Wednesdays, 5:30pm
With a foreword by Bryan Stevenson, The Sun Does Shine is an extraordinary testament to the power of hope sustained through the darkest times. Destined to be a classic memoir of wrongful imprisonment and freedom won, Hinton’s memoir tells his dramatic thirty-year journey and shows how you can take away a man’s freedom, but you can’t take away his imagination, humor, or joy. Click here to purchase the book!
The Road Back to You: An Enneagram Journey of Self-Discovery
Led by Dottie Bagwell
Podcast-based study
Thursday nights, 6pm
Beginning October 1
Ignorance is bliss―except in self-awareness. What you don’t know about yourself can hurt you and your relationships―and even keep you in the shallows with God. Do you want help figuring out who you are and why you’re stuck in the same ruts? Come join us!
Financial Peace University
Led by Eddie Shadeed
9-week study, beginning September 14
Mondays, 6pm
To register, click here!
This class has helped millions take control of their money. You’ll learn how to:
- Pay off debt
- Budget
- Save money
- Give generously
Small Groups
–Single adults:
An Altar in the World: A geography of faith, by Barbara Brown Taylor
Led by Dottie Bagwell
Wednesday nights at 7pm
Beginning September 16
Reveal meaningful ways to discover the sacred in the small things we do and see, from simple practices such as walking, working, and prayer. We want to live with purpose, pay attention, slow down, and revere the world we live in. Book available, but not required: https://www.amazon.com/Altar-World-Geography-Faith/dp/0061370479
–Women:
Fight Back with Joy by Margaret Feinberg
Led by Betty Corbin
7-week DVD study, beginning September 9
Wednesdays, 6:30-7:45pm
In this study Margaret Feinberg helps us learn to practice joy, defiant joy. Sooner or later, we find ourselves on the battlefield of life and struggle to know how to respond. This pandemic is one of those difficult times for most of us. We will study how people in scripture and in our time have found joy in spite of the challenges they faced and how God helped them face those challenges. This study will help you embrace a life that’s richer and fuller than you’ve ever known before—a life radiant with joy. Click here to purchase the book!
–Men:
The Gospel of Mark
Led by Harry Toothaker
Thursdays, 12-12:45pm
Beginning September 10
Mark’s Gospel tells the story of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. In Mark, Jesus shows the world what the kingdom of God looks like through deeds of power as well as suffering, encouraging His disciples to trust even amidst their misunderstanding and miss-steps. Join us as we walk through the pages of this gospel paying attention to the urgent message about God’s kingdom and Jesus’ command to follow.
Rise and Shine Bible study
Led by Fred Lacy
Tuesdays, 7am
Ongoing
Come join this group of men as they explore the Bible with Fred Lacy’s guidance. Currently, they are studying the Gospels. All men are welcome!