Adult Education Ministry

Plan now to attend a new, nine-week program series -- “Opening Hearts, Minds and Doors” -- premiering on January 29th. All sessions will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p. m. in Fellowship Hall, following the second worship service. Everyone is welcome to come and participate, even if you cannot attend each session. The purpose of this series is to increase understanding and tolerance of differences among people -- based on Jesus’ ministry of inclusiveness. The project dovetails with the concept of “Radical Hospitality”. The goal is to help our congregation become a more welcoming church to whoever enters our doors. January 29: Rev. Don Fado, a retired United Methodist Church minister from Sacramento, will preach a sermon entitled, “The Ugly Duckling” and then lead a discussion on the need for inclusiveness after the worship service.

February 5: Servant or Sucker: Wise and Compassionate Ways to Help the Poor, a DVD, will be shown. The discussion will aid us in achieving the right balance between generosity and feeling we’ve been conned.

February 12: Persons with disabilities have special needs. Helping us become more informed and sensitive to these needs, both physical and mental, will be Scott Youngs, project coordinator for ADA Nevada, at UNR; and Bob Bennett of the Nevada Disability Advocacy Law Center.

February 19: Cultural diversity in our community will be described by Fatima Rivas, coordinator for diversity and equity with the Washoe County School District.

February 26: Our Tongan brothers and sisters have a history, tradition, and culture that enriches our congregation. How can we deepen our connection with them?

March 4: “The Many Why’s of Body Art” will explore an increasingly popular practice that can be an expression of identity, a rite of passage, a memorial or religious statement.

March 11: Coming Out -- Coming In: Faith, Identity and Belonging is a 30-minute documentary film that gives voice to gay and lesbian Christians who have struggled to reconcile faith with orientation.

March 18: Homosexuality and the Bible, a pamphlet, looks honestly at passages condemning homosexuality and discusses their context.