The Adult Forum will be delivered via a Zoom Meeting on Wednesday evenings at 7 pm. Information on how to connect to the Zoom meeting will be shared via a Bethel Connection email. If you are not receiving the Bethel Connection emails, please contact the church office office @ bethelstl.org to be added to the email list.
WEDNESDAY May 5 2021, 7:00 – 8:00pm
“LuMin Challenges During the COVID-19 Pandemic”
Pr. Tina Reyes, Campus Pastor, LuMin St. Louis, Campus Ministry of the ELCA for Colleges and Universities in the St. Louis Area, is completing her first *challenging* year!
Learn more about LuMin St. Louis, our covenant ministry partner and next door neighbor. First year Campus Pastor Tina Reyes has this inspiring overview for her time with us: “I have been enjoying my first spring in St. Louis and find myself blessed amid the ongoing reality of pandemic life. Campus Ministry is an important part of a student’s well being, and COVID has ilLuMinated that well. We continued to meet – virtually & person as weather and COVID rates permit. We pack grab-and-go meals for our students on Sundays – so they still get a home-cooked meal. The Campus House is a refuge from dorm rooms, study cubbies, & everyday campus life. We welcomed new students and returning students alike. Ministry has not stopped. A huge ‘Thank You’ to you all for keeping us in your lives with prayer and financial support.”
WEDNESDAY May 12, 2021, 7:00 – 8:00pm
#TheWorkContinues: Advancing Racial Justice through Educational Equity
Dr. Michelle Purdy, Washington University in St. Louis; Associate Professor of Education; Director of the Undergraduate Program in Educational Studies; Affiliate Faculty, African and African-American Studies & Urban Studies.
Professor Purdy received her B.A. and M.A. from Washington University in St. Louis and a Ph.D. in educational studies from Emory University. She combines her research interests in educational studies, history, and African-American studies as an associate professor in the Department of Education, and teaches undergraduate courses, such as The American School and History of Education. She is the author of the award-winning book, Transforming the Elite: Black Students and the Desegregation of Private Schools. Professor Purdy also directs the undergraduate program in Educational Studies, an interdisciplinary major that examines educational institutions, educational processes, and the social and cultural factors that affect them. Professor Purdy, an alumna of the John B. Ervin Scholars Program, is a former vice president and president of theWashU Student Union undergraduate student government. As an undergraduate and master’s student, she attended Bethel and worked with Pastor Lottes on the Wash U Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemorative Celebration.
What does it mean to achieve educational equity in the 21st century despite continued ant-Blackness and systemic inequities? What does educational equity mean for all types of schools including public, private, and parochial? Drawing on her research and teaching, we will consider these questions by addressing the following topics: the historical and contemporary ways Black students navigate interpersonal and institutional racism; the relationship among policies, practices and beliefs to foster diversity, inclusion, and equity; and how we can imagine schooling to counter racial injustice and anti-Blackness.
WEDNESDAY May 19, 2021, 7:00 – 8:00pm
Moving Into Bethel’s Future
The Rev. Dr. William L. Yancey, Pastor at Bethel for thirty-three years and assistant to Pastor Al Buls for the four previous years
Let’s use this last opportunity with Pastor Bill and the Bethel Family to have an informal hour to remember and give thanks for the remarkable moments that we have shared as a creative faith community. We at Bethel have been privileged to have Pastor Bill bless the congregation and community with his preaching, teaching, and pastoring gifts for more than a generation. He has shepherded this place of grace through pivotal and formative events: our Reconciling in Christ process, our Green Congregation action plan, our commitment to inclusive language in worship, the Campus Ministry (LuMin) Covenant, and much more. As Bethel moves into its future, which will also be shaped by changes coming soon in the missional structure of the ELCA, Pastor Bill will not only reflect on the formative events of the past 30+ years but also on emerging insights about what it means to be a Lutheran presence today for the healing of the world.
WEDNESDAY May 26, 2021, 7:00 – 8:00pm
“What Is Coming Now That Pastor Bill Is Retiring?”
The Bethel Congregational Council
The retirement of Pastor Bill and Valerie is a joyous occasion, and we have all been very fortunate to be members of Bethel while they have been here. At the same time the retirement does leave a number of questions about the future of Bethel. In this last Forum of the academic year, the Council will provide an overview of some of the things that are already going on to plan for our future. Pastor Yancey is aware of this process and has participated with—and encouraged—the Council as we have engaged with the ELCA and the Central States Synod to understand what lies ahead. There will be plenty of time for questions and discussion.
To help the Council prepare for your questions, you can submit questions (with or without your name) until 24 hours before the meeting here: https://forms.gle/HWoScikn4mfqk2b3A