First Congregational United Church of Christ offers a variety of educational opportunities, including Disciple Bible Study, Sunday morning classes, Tuesday Lunch Bunch, weekday evening classes, small groups and other special topics throughout the year.

Education Hour - Sunday Mornings at 9 a.m.

A variety of Adult Education classes are held on Sunday mornings at 9 a.m. from Sept. to May.

• On March 7 Janet Walker-Ready will speak on the Housing First model and its successes in as a follow-up to Servant or Sucker? Wise and Compassionate Ways to Help the Poor, the recently completed 5-week DVD based class designed to help viewers discern appropriate, Christ-centered actions for addressing poverty on a personal or organizational level.

• March 14, 21, 28 -Spring Celebrations of Many Faiths

Have you ever wondered why we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus with chocolate bunnies and colorful eggs? Have you ever wondered why Easter is on a different day every year? Or why Orthodox Easter is on a different day than our Easter? Join leader Karina Doyle for an examination of spring celebrations, including pagan rituals, Passover, Hindu and Buddhist customs, and things you never knew about Easter.

Other Class and Discussion Opportunities

The Now of Storytelling With Janelle Combelic

Imagine a world of talking tigers and wise old women, of princesses locked in towers, of winged serpents and crafty coyotes. This is the world of the traditional story, lodged deep in our human psyche. For millennia people have gathered around campfires and hearths to listen to stories.

Now imagine a middle-aged American woman magically dropped into this world - in the idyllic setting of an English village set in the rolling green hills of Sussex among lush farms and the forest of Winnie-the-Pooh!

Janelle pictured (left) with teacher Sue Hollingsworth.

That's what happened to me last fall. I had the miraculous fortune to attend a three-month storytelling course at Emerson College in Forest Row, about 40 miles southeast of London. Entitled "The Now of Storytelling," the course focused on craft, oral tradition, and personal stories. It had a firm spiritual foundation and emphasized personal authenticity. There were 24 students from all over the world, aged 20 to 67. We sang songs, played games, told stories, laughed, cried, danced, shared secrets, told more stories. Needless to say, I had a ball.

Please join me for my first-ever public performance! Come listen to stories about my time in England interspersed with traditional tales, songs, and poems. The performance will take place in three parts, one hour in the late afternoon on the second Sunday of each month, in the Fireside Room:

• Part 1: Sunday, February 14, 2010, 4:30 p.m.

• Part 2: Sunday, March 14, 2010, 4:30 p.m.

• Part 3: Sunday, April 11, 2010, 4:30 p.m.
  

Tuesday Lunch Bunch

The Lunch Bunch meets on Tuesdays at noon, from September to May in Room 10. Bring you lunch and join in the discussion of The Misunderstood Jew by Amy-Jill Levine beginning Jan. 6, 2010. Books are available from Julie Nosek.  Call Julie at 303-485-2470 for more information.

Bible Workbench - Lectionary Study on Tuesdays at 7 p.m.

This small group, lead by Sara Weatherman, engages the lectionary texts for the week, looking to understand what God is saying to us today, and what we can understand about the texts through the lenses of our own personal experience. The group meets in Room 10 at 7 p.m. weekly on Tuesdays.

Disciple Bible Study

Becoming Disciples Through Bible Study is a 34 week study of the Bible, from Genesis through Revelation. The Disciple study assumes that the bible is the key to renewal in the church. It recognizes the human-divine nature of the Bible: The actual texts of Scripture were written by human beings like ourselves in their cultural settings, under the divine inspiration of God.

Becoming Disciples Through Bible Study gives equal time to both the Old and New Testament, emphasizing the wholeness of the Bible as the revelation of God. DISCIPLE aims at transformation, not just information, and calls on persons to submit themselves to examination by Scripture, to put themselves under the power of God’s Word, and to be changed by God’s Word. DISCIPLE invites persons to bring their experiences and struggles to the Scripture.

Classes begin each fall and are held on Monday evenings. Call the church office at 303-776-4940 to register.

Longmont Meditation Group

Lotus Blossom Sangha, a mindfulness practice group in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh, meets in the chapel every Tuesday at 7 p.m. Everyone is welcome; meditation instruction for beginners is at 6:45. Please join us for sitting and walking meditation, followed by a reading or teaching and discussion. For information contact Janelle Combelic, 303-772-0301.