Faith Formation for All Ages
Adult Faith Formation: This group for older learners (college age and up) meets in the Chapel area at 9:15 am from September through May. Each class is stand-alone, so participants can drop in any time. No experience is required.
Current Adult Class: Beginning on September 13, the class will begin a new study on the Gospel of Mark. Mark is the first author we know of to compose a document called a “gospel,” a word borrowed from the apostle Paul. While Paul used the term to mean proclamation about Jesus, Mark’s usage is more in line with how we commonly use the word today—a story about Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. Yet this gospel is not meant to simply convey information.
A key theme in the Gospel of Mark is what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. Mark also fills his gospel with mystery and irony. One component of the mystery of Jesus is his teaching style: Mark, citing Isaiah 6, goes so far as to claim that Jesus tells parables to confuse people on purpose! But the central mystery is Jesus himself, as he tries to keep his identity as the Messiah under wraps. This constitutes the principal irony in Mark; though Jesus refuses to reveal his identity to his opponents, we the readers have known who he is from the very first verse! This irony continues through the end of Mark. The centurion at the cross mocks Jesus for his shameful death, but we know that he unwittingly speaks the truth when he says, “Truly this man was God’s Son!” In sum, Mark invites us into an intimate close-up way to follow Jesus, whom we know is the Son of God. Join us on the journey!
Sunday School: Sunday School at Grace begins with a class for those 2-3 years old. We meet Sundays from September through May, from 9:15 to 10:15 am. Students at Grace work with age appropriate materials for each age level, and are always under the supervision of trained teachers. If you know of any young ones who would like to join, please encourage them to come. If you are willing to help out as an aide even occasionally, please let us know. If you have questions, contact Sandy Schantz at sschantz1@ptd.net. Thank you so much to all of our volunteers!
Would you like to help with Sunday School? If you have an hour of time on Sunday morning, we are always looking for co-teachers and Aides to help out in any of the classes. Or, maybe you would like to volunteer occasionally as a Substitute Teacher. The experience is a very gratifying one, and all materials are provided. You must provide current Commonwealth of Pennsylvania security clearances (child abuse and state police). If interested, speak to Sandy Schantz or notify the church office at 610-966-3325.
