ADULT CHRISTIAN EDUCATION

 ADULT CHRISTIAN EDUCATION We offered a wide variety of adult education opportunities in 2023. We gathered in-person and online for a wide variety of educational opportunities. Here are some of the highlights from a very active year of learning at St. Mark. 

• The adult Sunday school class met most weeks and covered a wide variety of topics. 

o The “On Your Mark” class met for the first four months of the year and explored a chapter of the Gospel of Mark each week. This study concluded on Easter Sunday. 

o The church hosted two Membership Exploration classes. Both were wellattended and provided information on the essentials of the Christian Church, the Reformed Tradition, and St. Mark’s mission and ministry. 

o We kicked off the fall education season with an exploration of “Galatians, Grace, and Gratitude.” We spent two months in Paul’s letter to the church 2,000 years ago and discussed ways his words still echo in our lives and world. 

• The midweek potluck returned in 2023. There were several classes offered for adults including “Finding the Gospel in Unexpected Places”, a review of the youth mission trip to Puerto Rico, and a conversation with our mission partner, Jed Koball, about mining in Peru. 

• The church continued to offer the St. Mark Spark online devotional for much of the year. The offerings have been sporadic since the summer, and Pastor Dave is working to assess if there is still a need for this midweek moment. 

• The Writer’s Life: We are a small group of writers, meaning we write for our own pleasure and to glorify God. We share our writing every two weeks and respond to it on Zoom. We write everything: memoir, poetry, family stories, travel stories, reflections, prayers, whatever inspires us. Usually we are 6-8 writers, sometimes as many as 9-10. All are welcome to come listen and write when you feel inspired. Contact Judy Richardson for a Zoom link or Bill Tucker for questions about the group.

 • The Tuesday morning Men’s Bible Study continued to meet in-person. They studied Adam Hamilton’s, The Lord’s Prayer, Walter Brueggemann’s, From Judgment to Hope, and Philip Yancy’s, What’s So Amazing About Grace. (The men’s bible study meets in room 102 every Tuesday at 7:30 am. We are reading, What’s So Amazing About Grace by Philip Yancy. All men are welcome! You may contact Bruce Cranston or Glen Corlett for more information.)

• Friday Morning Bible Study: The Friday group has grown to an average attendance of roughly 20 including those joining on Zoom. We studied together “Witness at the Cross” – Amy-Jill Levine, “The Lord’s Prayer”- Adam Hamilton, Signs and Wonders” – Amy-Jill Levine, and Experiencing Christmas: Christ in the Sights and Sounds of Advent” – Matt Rawle. In December we went off site and after eating lunch together at Mimi’s Café we attended a showing of the movie “Journey to Bethlehem”.

 • Faith Stories: During the summer about eighteen adults met together to read and write “Faith Stories.” We met in three small groups, one reading “This I Believe” (ed. Allison and Gediman) another reading “Faith After Doubt” (McLaren) and a third “Dusk, 9 • Night, Dawn” (Lamott). We talked about how Faith Stories are written, then drafted our own, sometimes revising from feedback. Finally, fifteen of us published our stories on the St. Mark Blog. 

Respectfully Submitted, 

Pastor Dave Burgess, Pastor MP Panco, Bruce Cranston, and Bill Tucker

Everyone is welcome to join our Adult Sunday School Class in 2024 as we work through the book, “Lies My Preacher Told Me” together. We gather at 8:50 AM in Room 102, and it’s a wonderful opportunity to ask questions, discuss God’s Word, and deepen our faith. The class explores common misconceptions about the Old Testament and ways we can (re)engage the text faithfully. There are a limited number of books available for purchase, but there are several options online. Please let Pastor Dave know if you have any questions.