Exploration, Questions, Discovery, Deepening of Faith
Adult Discussion Groups
We gather for discussion series throughout the year to explore books, seasonal themes, and scripture.
Groups meet in-person on Wednesdays at Noon. Online evening sessions are offered as well. No registration is necessary and if you miss one, no worries! Bring your thoughts, questions, and an open-heart!
OUR NEXT DISCUSSION SERIES BEGINS ON MAY 6th!
SESSION 1 – 5 Week Spring Study
May 6, May 13, May 20, May 27, June 3
Beginning on May 6th, we will dip our toes into another devotion-based book, “Unveiling Mercy: 365 Daily Devotions Based on Insights from Old Testament Hebrew” by Chad Bird. You do not need a copy of the book to participate, but various sites sell new and used copies if you would like one. Each offering introduces us to a Hebrew word, sets it in a context within the Hebrew scriptures, and seeks to draw connections to the story of Jesus. This structure will be what invites us into conversation every Wednesday
SESSION 2 – 6 Week Summer Study
June 10, June 17, July 1, July 15, July 22, July 29 (Evening Online class will also be available for this series)
“Voices of Resistance: The Bible’s Songs of Victory, Peace, and Protest.” This study invites us to discover the powerful ways music and poetry give voice to the hopes, struggles, and faith of God’s people across the ages. From ancient hymns of worship and lament to stirring proclamations of justice and love, this study uncovers how biblical songs continue to speak to us. You can order a paperback copy or eBook edition here: https://www.cokesbury.com/Voices-of-Resistance?refq=voices%20of%20resistance Pastor Dave can also place an order if you would like. Let him know by May 6th so the book can arrive in time.
Youth Sunday School and Events
Lutheran Youth Organization (LYO) Events
We participate in Synod-wide and regional events throughout the school year. You can find more information and upcoming events here
CURRENT SYNOD EVENTS FOR 2026-2027 (More dates to come)
October 21-November 11, 2026 – Priority Registration for 2027 ELCA Youth Gathering in Minneapolis June 27-July 2. More information here: https://www.elca.org/gathering-2027/program-schedule
November 20-22, 2026 – Middle School/High School Retreat Skycroft Conference Center – Middletown, MD
March 2027 – Seekers 3rd-5th Grade Retreat Mar-Lu-Ridge – Jefferson, MD
Great and Small: Finding God’s Connection Points
Our 2023 Sunday School year was a quest to discover God’s connections in the stories of our Bible and through our life together! We learned about the everlasting promise God has made with all of God’s people, the liberating freedom that comes from God, the presence of God through difficult times, and the ongoing work of God’s love among us as a people gathered and sent in Christ’s name.
AT HOME SUNDAY SCHOOL RESOURCE
What is Wilderness Faith?
Wilderness Faith was our at-home Sunday School experience of 2020-2021. It remain posted an offering of faith exploration for you and your family!
Throughout the Bible, the wilderness has shaped God’s people. The wilderness has been a place of uncertainty and trial, where the people may have felt abandoned or alone but God remained with them. The wilderness has been a place of retreat, renewal, and ministry as well. The wilderness is also a place to get closer to God!
It is important to remember that in our own moments of uncertainty and stress, God is with us. The wilderness allows us to discover new ways of experiencing our relationship with God, with others and living our faith in the world.
Series 7 – The Good Shepherd
There are over 600 references to sheep and shepherds in the Bible.
In our final series for this Wilderness Faith school year, we will focus on Jesus as the Good Shepherd. What does it mean to protect the flock and how are we transformed by the one who lays their own life down for us?
Holy Week Special Series
We have a special 2 part series. The Holy Week lesson offers small activities to do over the course of the week from Palm Sunday to Easter. An Easter Lesson involves a recipe for a tasty treat to celebrate the Resurrection!
Series 6 – God’s Covenants
Our lives can fill up very quickly. With responsibilities at school and at home, interests and hobbies, unexpected events, and countless distractions around us. It can be difficult to find time for the things that we say are important! The season of Lent invites us to reconnect and refocus our attention and our lives on God. In this series, we explore some of the Bible stories where God seeks to build relationship through covenants and promises.
Series 5 – We Are Called
When we are baptized, we make these promises to God – to live among God’s faithful people; hear the Word of God and share in the Lord’s Supper; proclaim the good news of God in Christ through word and deed; serve all people following the example of Jesus; and strive for justice and peace in all the earth.
In this six-week series, we will explore what it means to be called into the life that God has given us.
Series 4 – Creator of Light and Life
During the Christmas Season, we ponder the magnificence of our Lord and the paradoxical fact that Jesus was born on this Earth to be with us and to die for us.
Series 3 – Advent Waiting
Our new Church year begins with the season of Advent. This is a season of intentional waiting and preparing for Jesus. In this series we will compare our faithful waiting with this restful waiting time of year in nature as the earth and its creatures prepare for the winter months ahead. We will discover that waiting involves more than just sitting patiently but engages us to be prepared and keep watch!
Series 2 – Saints and Celebrations
Our new Wilderness Faith series, “Saints and Celebrations,” takes a look at some of the holidays and “Holy Days” we celebrate in this season together, as well as some of the people we turn to for inspiration along our faith journey. Saints are not perfect. Saints are real people, sometimes revered by the Church for their acts or belief, sometimes impacting lives on the margins and out of view from the spotlight. Saints remind us that we are not alone on our spiritual journey. We have them to look to, inspire us, and help us to see and honor the holy around and within.
Series 1 – “Life is Hard”
As 2020 has made obvious, sometimes life throws us curveballs. During this series of lessons, families will focus on dealing with difficulties in life
(such as people hurting us, unfairness, feeling sorry for others, etc.) and we will be using the some of the Bible stories assigned for our Sunday worship to guide us. You will be able to hear them during the Kitchen Table Gathering (Sundays at 10:30am on our Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/elcserves) and revisit them during the week with your family.
Adult Faith Discussion on Zoom: Thursdays at 8:00pm
We will begin a new discussion in January. Stay tuned for the next topic!
“In The Water” Sunday School
Following Holy Communion, the children gather by the baptismal font and head down to the classrooms to engage in storytelling, experience yoga, make a craft, or play games related to a rotating selection of Bible stories.