Grace First Presbyterian Church
Adult Education Classes
Winter/Spring 2010
Sundays at 10:30am in Room #405
Jan 31, Feb 7 & 14 Jan 31 “Embracing God’s Vision” Feb 7 “Embracing Society” Feb 14 “God’s Embrace” Feb 21 & 28, Mar 7, 14 & 21 What does it mean to take up your cross and When Ted & Sharon Shohfi joined Grace First in 2005, Ted mentioned to one of the pastors that one of his passions was teaching the Scriptures. It wasn’t long before the pastors took Ted at his word and started calling on him at least once a year to teach Adult Education classes. Ted’s passion, training, and experience in teaching the scriptures began more than 45 years ago when he became a lay minister and taught in another Christian fellowship. His love for the Scriptures has never waned. April 11, 18, & 25, May 2 The Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles were both How does the ministry of Jesus depicted in Luke's Gospel Come and join the conversation with Luke Dr. Jeffrey S. Siker is Professor and Chair Studies at Covenant Presbyterian Church in May 16 & 23 The book of Revelation is a filled with symbols and signs. Erin, who grew up at Grace First, will lead two sessions which Revelation was written, read, and disseminated, We will also look and compare apocalyptic writings; Erin Conley has degrees in religious studies.
The Embrace of The Church
How do we discern and discover God’s vision for the
body of Christ? We will focus on biblical and doctrinal
mandates for understanding what it means to be a church
together and in the rest of the world.
We will look at the demographic, cultural, ethnic, economic
strata and other sociological variables of the communities
outside the Church - locally and worldwide - to understand
and equip the Church to be faithful to what we have been
called to be and do.
We will examine God’s calling and some foundational and
specific areas of individual and collective cultivation that are
necessary in becoming vehicles - or extensions - of God’s
blessing and purpose for this generation in and around the Church.
Presenter: Rev. Dr. Peter Kim
Dr. Kim is the Associate Vice President
for Development and Director
of Alumni & Church Relations at
San Francisco Theological Seminary
in
served as pastor at
Community Presbyterian Church
in
Lenten Series:
Following Jesus on the Road to Golgotha
follow Jesus?
Traditionally, there are 14 “stations of the cross”, starting with
“Jesus being condemned to death” and ending with
“Jesus being laid in the tomb”.
However, our study of the scriptures will show
that Jesus’ road to
condemnation by Pontius Pilate. Just as a space shuttle
countdown begins years, not just seconds before launch,
so do each of our individual paths begin much earlier
than we might think.
Through it all, Jesus asks us to take up our cross daily and follow him.
(Luke 9:23-25)
Presenter: Ted Shofi
Reading Luke and Acts for a 21st Century Church
written by the same author, making Luke and Acts the
only two-volume work in the New Testament.
set the stage for the developments in Acts?
What does Luke's emphasis on God's inclusion of
outsiders mean for us as a church in the 21st century?
about what it means to live out our faith
in the world -- whether in the 1st century or in the 21st century.
Presenter: Dr. Jeffery S. Siker
of the Dept of Theological
and has been Parish Associate at
and chaired the Committee on Preparation for
Ministry in the Presbytery of the Pacific.
For the Time is at Hand:
A Study of Revelation
How did this elusive book of Revelation come to be
included in our Christian canon and what significance
does it hold for Christians and church today?
of study through the book of Revelation. This class will
attempt to understand the book of Revelation
within its historical context. Following a discussion
about the social, political, and cultural circumstances in
we will examine both the condemnatory and
hopeful messages contained in the pages of this elusive
biblical text. What did the stories and images mean to
Christians at the time, and why were they effective?
The Shepherd of Hermas and the Apocalypse of Peter
with the style and message of Revelation.
Presenter: Erin Conley
Comparative Literature and Religious Studies
from
Her future goal is to teach college classes in