Building an Intentional Marriage

Grasping Grace in times of Grief

2o20 GOALS

Spiritual Formation

Finding Christ Throughout Scripture

Offense and Forgiveness

Spiritual Formation

Understanding & Loving Muslims Parenting Contemplative

Worship

Enneagram Fulfilling God’s Plans for You

2019-2020

ELECTIVES

The Bible: Then and Now

SUNDAY SESSION 1September 15, 22, 29

• Marriage

• History of English Bible

SUNDAY SESSION 2October 20, 27, November 3

• Grief (NOTE: Oct. 27-Nov. 10)

• Spiritual Formation

SUNDAY SESSION 3December 8, 15, 22

• Enneagram

SUNDAY SESSION 4January 26, February 2, 9

• Fulfilling God’s Plans for You

SUNDAY SESSION 5February 16, 23, March 1, 8, 15

• Understanding & Loving Muslims

SUNDAY SESSION 6March 22, 29, April 5

• Understanding & Loving Muslims (continued)

• Parenting

• Contemplative Worship

SUNDAY SESSION 7 April 19, 26, May 3

• Offense and Forgiveness

WEDNESDAY SESSION January 15 - May 20

• Finding Christ Throughout the Scriptures

2019-2020 Electives

OCTOBER 2019S M T W T F S

1 2 3 4 5

6 7 8 9 10 11 12

13 14 15 16 17 18 19

20 21 22 23 24 25 26

27 28 29 30 31

NOVEMBER 2019S M T W T F S

1 2

3 4 5 6 7 8 9

10 11 12 13 14 15 16

17 18 19 20 21 22 23

24 25 26 27 28 29 30

APRIL 2020S M T W T F S

1 2 3 4

5 6 7 8 9 10 11

12 13 14 15 16 17 18

19 20 21 22 23 24 25

26 27 28 29 30

MARCH 2020S M T W T F S

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8 9 10 11 12 13 14

15 16 17 18 19 20 21

22 23 24 25 26 27 28

29 30 31

DECEMBER 2019S M T W T F S

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

8 9 10 11 12 13 14

15 16 17 18 19 20 21

22 23 24 25 26 27 28

29 30 31

AUGUST 2019S M T W T F S

1 2 3

4 5 6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15 16 17

18 19 20 21 22 23 24

25 26 27 28 29 30 31

SEPTEMBER 2019S M T W T F S

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

8 9 10 11 12 13 14

15 16 17 18 19 20 21

22 23 24 25 26 27 28

29 30

MAY 2020S M T W T F S

1 2

3 4 5 6 7 8 9

10 11 12 13 14 15 16

17 18 19 20 21 22 23

24 25 26 27 28 29 30

31

FEBRUARY 2020S M T W T F S

1

2 3 4 5 6 7 8

9 10 11 12 13 14 15

16 17 18 19 20 21 22

23 24 25 26 27 28 29

JANUARY 2020S M T W T F S

1 2 3 4

5 6 7 8 9 10 11

12 13 14 15 16 17 18

19 20 21 22 23 24 25

26 27 28 29 30 31

BUILDING AN INTENTIONAL MARRIAGE

September 15, 22, 29

Summers McMurrayChoir Room

This class is designed to help couples

learn to take intentional steps to

deepen their marriage and to live out

the great command to love God, love

others, and love oneself.

Over the course of three sessions,

couples will learn how to intentionally

engage in greater spiritual and

relational intimacy together, as well

as how to cope with the typical

challenges marriage brings.

Summers McMurray is the Director of Young Families at Cedar Springs. She carries with her, many years of clinical experience as a psychologist—working with families and couples, as well her own experience of raising three children with her husband, Torrey.

THE BIBLE: THEN AND NOW

September 15, 22, 29

Barry F. SullivanChapel

This class will chronicle the incredible

journey the 66-volume ‘book’ called

‘the Bible’ has taken over thousands

of years. It will trace it’s development

from centuries of oral tradition to the

ancient manuscripts of the Hebrew

Scriptures — from the Greek writings

of the New Testament to the English

Bible centuries later.

Participants will be able to examine

500-year-old Hebrew scrolls and first

edition King James Version leaves.

Class lectures will be integrated with

award-winning videos and lively class

interaction with topics ranging from

Bible translation to why we have so

many English versions.

As a curator of the biblical exhibit Ink & Blood: Dead Sea Scrolls to Gutenberg and an avid collector of ancient artifacts, scrolls and biblical manuscripts, Barry has a passion for helping others understand not only what the Bible says but how the Bible developed over the centuries. In his ‘spare’ time, you can find Barry reading books on New Testament studies or hosting biblical and archaeological seminars.

GRASPING GRACE IN TIMES OF GRIEF

October 27, November 3, 10

Clay HarringtonChoir Room

Grief affects us all in different ways.

But regardless of whether the grief

comes through a tragedy, a divorce

or the death of a loved one—we

are deeply altered. God, the Great

Comforter, has something to say to

each of us.

During this three-week class,

participants will explore what God’s

Word says about the process of grief

and address such questions as:

• How long do I grieve?

• How do I understand my grief? 

• Does God care? 

• Why doesn’t my family understand? 

• It’s been so long—why do I still hurt? 

Come and consider His comfort

and healing.

Clay Harrington serves as Pastor for Senior Adults at Cedar Springs. He has both a Masters of Divinity and Masters of Arts in Counseling and has served as a Minister of Counseling and was in private practice for 11 years before coming here in 2011. Clay dealt with grief personally when his third child died suddenly when only 3 months old. He is married to Bisha (33 years) and has three adult children.

SPIRITUAL FORMATION 101

October 20, 27, November 3

Jim BranchChapel

This class is designed to take

participants through a reflective

journey exploring the substance and

the practice of spiritual formation.

More than a series of lectures, it is

a conversation about what spiritual

formation is, where it fits into the

bigger picture of faith, and how to

begin to nurture it in our lives.

During the three sessions, we will

reflect together on the idea and the

practice of spiritual formation. We

will define it, contextualize it, examine

its components, and discuss how it

nurtures the life of God within and

among us.

NOTE: Please bring your journal.

Jim is a long-time member of Cedar Springs and was actually on the church staff for ten years. He has been working in the area of spiritual formation for the past eight years and loves helping people connect more deeply with Jesus. He and his wife, Carol, live in Powell and have three grown children.

USING THE ENNEAGRAM TO RELATE WELL

December 8, 15, 22

Summers McMurrayChoir Room

This class designed to both introduce

and dig into the Enneagram,

a spiritual tool that increases

compassion as it helps people learn

how they and others view the world,

God, and themselves.

Over three sessions, participants

will learn about the history of the

Enneagram, how to use (and not

use) this helpful framework, and a

how to begin to utilize this tool to

relate more deeply with themselves

and others.

Summers McMurray is the Director of Young Families at Cedar Springs. She carries with her many years of clinical experience as a psychologist—working with families and couples, as well her own experience of raising three children with her husband, Torrey.

IMPACT 2020: FULFILLING GOD’S PLANS FOR YOU

January 26, February 2, 9

John TolsmaChapel

As 2020 kicks into gear, we’ll use the

book of Romans as the foundation

to set personal goals tied to God’s

purpose for our lives. Paul’s letter

contains direct, practical teaching for

establishing the perspectives and the

plans for living out the Christian life to

impact others.

During the three-week session, we’ll

dive deeply into the text of Romans

12 and apply it to set specific targets

for the new year. By the end of the

elective series, you’ll develop a road

map for making the most of your gifts

and talents to live out God’s amazing

purpose for you.

John Tolsma is an entrepreneur and dad trying to figure out how to balance life, work, and family in a way that leaves an impact. He leads the teams at Knowledge Launch, a global customized executive education firm, but his real passion is using God’s Word as a catalyst for growth in his life and in those around him.

2o20 GOALS

UNDERSTANDING AND LOVING MUSLIMS (8 WEEKS)

February 16 - April 5

Issa IsaacChapel

This class is designed to help participants

better understand their Muslim

neighbors—what they believe and how

they think—to better engage them in

friendship and love them to Christ.

The class will prepare participants

for interactions with their Muslim

neighbors, and will include video and

discussion material to help demystify

Islam —allowing a glimpse into the

modern Muslim mind and way of life.

The class will explain how they perceive

Westerners, and their understanding of

Christians and Christianity. It will also

explore how Muslims view the Bible, the

person of Christ, and present biblical

answers to their most pressing questions

and objections regarding Christianity.

Issa Issac is a Palestinian believer who has worked with and befriended Muslims his entire life. For the last 10 years, he has hosted an Arabic-speaking Bible study for believers and seekers, including Muslims, in his home.

RAISING KIDS IN TODAY’S CULTURE

March 22, 29, April 5

Summers McMurrayChoir Room

This class is designed to help

parents learn how to relationally

engage with their children and with

God’s help, shape their children’s

character to reflect Jesus and not

the world around them.

Over three weeks, parents

will engage with Scripture that

provides a framework for how

they are to relate with the children

entrusted to them, as well as learn

how to handle specific challenges

from the culture (technology, social

media, relationships, body image

to name a few).

Summers McMurray is the Director of Young Families at Cedar Springs. She carries with her many years of clinical experience as a psychologist—working with families and couples, as well her own experience of raising three children with her husband, Torrey.

CONTEMPLATIVE WORSHIP

March 22, 29, April 5

Leoma GilleyRoom B224

Contemplation is not common in

our world today. Most of us don’t

know what to do with silence, yet

we desperately need silence. The

emphasis of this elective will be on

listening, particularly to God through

his word and prayer.

Each practice will be briefly

explained and then participants will

have a chance to practice it. Learning

to listen and control the “squirrels”

that distract us will be challenging,

but we will gently return to our task

without judgment of ourselves. These

practices help us to stop, listen and

reflect. Each class will be independent

of the others, though we will use the

same practices in each session.

Leoma Gilley began attending the Order of St. Brigit (begun through Cedar Springs) in 2005. She learned about Lectio Divina and it has become a mainstay of her daily devotions. She learned about Centering Prayer through a workshop in the past year, and has found this practice very challenging, but beneficial.

OFFENSE AND FORGIVENESS

April 19, 26, May 3

Suzanne StellingChoir Room

This class is designed to prepare you

for the potential offenses in your

path, teach you Biblical responses to

offense, and help you wisely practice

forgiveness in offensive situations

and relationships.

We will explore these questions:

How does the Bible define offense,

and what does it teach about it?

What does Jesus teach about offense

and forgiveness? How does Jesus

model active forgiveness? Why is it

so easy to be offended and so hard

to forgive? How do I discern the

difference between when to forgive

vs when to reconcile? When do I trust

someone who has offended me?

Suzanne Stelling, our Women’s Ministries director for a decade, learned about offense and forgiveness when her first marriage crumbled in 1999. She is living in East Knox trying to build bridges of forgiveness over rivers of offense and injustice, often using freshly-baked cookies to open hearts and doors.

FINDING CHRIST THROUGHOUT THE SCRIPTURES

Wednesday Evenings

January 15 - May 20

(Except March 4, 11 and April 8)

7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.

Issa Isaac & Dale BerryFireside Room (across from the Gym)

Participants of this class will

take an adventurous journey

through both Testaments of the

Scriptures—from Genesis to the

Gospel of John—to discover Christ.

This study will utilize materials

known as Al-Massira, meaning

“The Journey.” Al-Massira was

developed to help Muslims and

other seekers discover who Jesus

is, and to learn about his presence

throughout Biblical history.

All ages (high school and up) are

welcome. It will deeply enrich your

faith and understanding.

NOTE FROM DALE BERRY

I became interested in

the material of this study

because of my work

with refugee ministries.

However, I was amazed at

how much I learned about

the scriptures and Christ

through the middle-

eastern perspective. I was

blown away by some of

the insights into familiar

passages and stories that

I had missed. Issa and I

are excited to share this

information with you, the

Cedar Springs family.