ADULT EDUCATION AT BETHEL
Adult education at Bethel features a one-hour Adult Forum, a welcoming, inclusive gathering of people who want to learn about and discuss a wide range of topics. Among our interests are Christian life and faith, including personal life and faith journeys and spiritual growth; contemporary social and ethical issues; Christian history and tradition; understanding the Bible; and non-Christian religions. Session leaders come from a variety of backgrounds and include members of Bethel and visiting scholars and experts. Those attending and leading the Adult Forum at Bethel engage with one another through open, respectful, questioning conversation.
The Bethel community has a commitment to excellence in Christian education. Over the years, the Adult Forum has also provided the venue for examining our congregational worship life, critiquing and supporting many of Bethel’s areas of mission—care for creation, non-violence, and inter-faith dialogue—and for growing together in spirit, community, and faith.
Adult Forum has returned to the traditional Sunday morning schedule at Bethel, 8:30AM coffee and pastries in the Fellowship Hall with the presentation beginning at 8:45AM.
April 14 “Why We Do What We Do in Worship”
Speaker: Pastor Scott
This session will focus on elements and practices of our Sunday morning liturgy. We will discuss some of the history, tradition, purpose and meaning of different liturgical elements. Come with your questions!
April 21: “Rethinking the Language of Faith and Worship”
Speaker: David Light Shields
We use words in our faith journeys and in our corporate worship. In this forum, we will explore how we can better use language to express the mystery, love, and justice of God and diminish the ways our faith traditions have marginalized members of the human family. We will explore inclusive and expansive “God language,” as well as other element of language in our liturgies, hymns, prayers, and educational materials that some experience as problematic.
April 28 “Bethel’s Board of Worship”
Speaker: Matt Bear
This session is part of a series that looks at the scope and purpose of Bethel’s Boards (committees). Matt Bear, chair of the Board of Worship, will discuss the purpose and function of the Worship Board, jobs that members of the worship committee do (want to volunteer?), how (and by whom) decisions related to worship are made, and what issues are currently under discussion.