Adult Faith Formation
It is out of gratitude that we worship God and want to be more like Christ. We hope you will plan to participate in adult faith formation. It can happen 24/7, on campus and off campus, in person and online. The opportunities are rich. Where would you like to get connected on your faith journey in adult faith formation?
Terms to Know
- GH – Grace Hall building
- SB – Sea Brook building
- Sunday School – We bring back a term most familiar to everyone, Sunday School. Sunday School is our education time that meets on Sunday mornings.
Adult Sunday School
Sunday Mornings Beginning Sept. 17, 2023 | 9:45-10:45 a.m.
The Academy of St. John (SB 206) – Searching for the Historical Jesus
Located on the Wondrium website, the Academy of St. John Sunday School class begins this fall watching and studying a fascinating documentary. Searching for the Historical Jesus takes you back two millennia to explore the history, context, and character of a humble carpenter who changed the world. Filmed in the Holy Land, each thought-provoking episode (15 total episodes) will bring Jesus and his world to life with vivid detail, offering an excellent companion piece for anyone wrestling with history or with walking in faith.
Future studies include an Advent Study The Journey (Adam Hamilton), Listen: Praying in a Noisy World (Reuben P. Job), and Painting the Stars: Science, Religion, and an Evolving Faith.
Connect 3 (Parlor)
The fall Connect 3 begins looking at what we believe as they study the Apostles’ Creed using Adam Hamilton’s study Creed. We’re all searching. Sometimes the search is easy: simply type a question and the answer pops up. But sometimes our questions are complicated, and the answers are difficult to see and harder to articulate. How do we discover and examine the truths that give meaning and purpose to life? Adam Hamilton believes that some powerful answers are contained in the Apostles’ Creed, an early statement of foundational Christian beliefs.
Other studies coming this year in Connect 3 include guest speakers, select Bible Project studies, Heaven & Earth (Advent Study by Will Willimon), When Christians Get It Wrong (Adam Hamilton), Finding Jesus in the Psalms (Barbara Roose), and Living Fully Dying Well (Rueben Job).
The Middle (GH 226)
Joy Even on Your Worst Days-Wisdom from Philippians by Tom Are, Jr. begins the fall study for The Middle. The world the apostle Paul inhabited was dramatically different from our time. He knew nothing of capitalism, or physics, or Zoom, and more significantly, Paul was a regular in Caesar’s prison. For us, “Caesar” is a salad. But a constant in the human story is that every life faces suffering. Paul’s life was no different. And yet, on Paul’s worst days, he still exhibited a spirit of joy. In this spirit of joy, Paul offers us some inspiration.
Joy is not a common reality in modern life. We are more acquainted with anxiety and fear, and on good days we can settle for happiness; but joy is less common. The worst days come to all of us. At some point the dreams die, the body fails, the spirit is crushed. Those days leave their mark on us. But an imprisoned apostle passed down 104 verses to an ancient congregation in Philippi, and they have passed it down to us. It is their testimony that when the worst days come—and they will—they do not have to be the end of joy. Indeed, they might be the beginning.
Youngish Adults (SB 209, aka the Library)
The youngish Adult class looks at Bible Stories for Grown-Ups this fall as they consider stories many read as children including Noah’s Ark, the binding of Isaac, Jonah and the big fish, Jesus and Zacchaeus, Jesus healing a blind man, and the parable of the talents. Author Josh Scott reimagines these stories and opens new visions for readers to understand well known pieces of Scripture in our current cultural environment.
Altar Ego, by Craig Groeschel, will take the group from late October into November, and an Advent study will round out the 2023 calendar year.
Beyond Sunday Mornings
Other Days of the Week...
FRIDAY MORNING STUDY
The Friday Morning Bible Study is open to all who want to study Scripture and have great fellowship. The group meets in-person in the Parlor at 7 a.m. on Fridays except first Fridays when the group meets for breakfast at Page’s Okra Grill. Bring your Bible!
THE IN-BETWEEN
If you are a young person and looking for a small group for (mostly) post-college young people, consider joining The In-Between. The group is an informal Bible study that gathers around Mount Pleasant for study and fellowship. Contact Dan Wiard for more information.
MEN & WOMEN’S BIBLE STUDY
Class selects material on a study-by-study basis. This group also typically participates in church-wide small group studies. Meets on the MPPC campus. Sunday at 4 p.m.
Presbyterian Women (PW)
PRESBYTERIAN WOMEN CIRCLES
The 2023–2024 PW/Horizons Bible study, Sacred Encounters: The Power and Presence of Jesus Christ in Luke-Acts by Olive Mahabir, invites readers to consider Jesus, “the good shepherd” (Luke 10:15), who shared the Good News through sacred encounters with everyday people.
The Gospel According to Luke and the book of the Acts of the Apostles, or Luke-Acts “one story in two parts,” demonstrate the unfolding of God’s redemptive purposes in human history and present a distinctive perspective on the person and work of Jesus Christ. Written by Luke, a physician and traveling companion of Paul, the message to the early Christian community (and to us) is radical, inclusive, and hope-filled.
MPPC has PW Circles that meet monthly from September to May (or June), find one of them works with your schedule below!
PW CIRCLE 4 – “Circle of Sisters” – 2nd Wednesday at 9:30 a.m, Parlor
PW CIRCLE 5 – “Sisters in Christ” – 2nd Thursday at noon, Parlor
“Keeping the Faith” – 1st Wednesday at 5:30 p.m., Basement
Other Events
Other Events
Check below for a list of any upcoming events geared toward adults in addition to the weekly events listed above. You can also view our calendar at mppc.net/events or check the weekly eNews or our social media!