The 3rd Thursday St. Simeon Group will begin a new book review on Thursday, September 15, 2011.  We’ll use Bernard Brandon Scott’s book, Re-Imagine the World: An Introduction to the Parables of Jesus.  If you’d like the church to order you a copy of the book, it costs $15, and we need money in hand before we can order the book.

This study sets the interpretation of key parables of Jesus in the context of other things Jesus said and did (and in the context of the 1st century). The result is a startling and provocative picture of Jesus as an historical figure and the challenge he presents to contemporary life.

Register below or contact Rev. Sims (tsims@fumcwf.org or 766-4231).

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The 1st Wednesday St. Simeon Group will begin a new book review on Thursday, September 8, 2011.  We’ll use Verna J. Dozier’s book, The Dream of God: A Call to Return.

Again and again the Christian church has fallen away from the dream God has for it, a dream in which we are called to follow Jesus and not merely to worship him.  Through adept storytelling and Bible study, Dozier reawakens our sense of calling and our desire for truth. Verna Dozier sought in her lifetime to revive the study of the Bible and renewed the church’s understanding of the ministry of all believers – clergy and laity.  Speaking of this book, Marcus Borg says, “The Dream of God is a small masterpiece, and I often recommend it.  Her vision of the Bible is insightful and persuasive, her writing accessible and powerful.”

The book costs $14. Feel free to order the book for yourself, or if you prefer, the church can order it for you.  If you choose the latter, we will need payment before we can order the book.

If you are not familiar with St. Simeon, it is a monthly study group that usually meets in homes with various members of the group taking turns to lead the discussion of a portion of the book being studied.  Keep in mind that you do not have to lead the discussion to be a part of the group!

Join us for our annual gathering on Sunday, August 14, 2011 at 6:30pm in the Fellowship Hall.  Bring food items to share!  Hope you can make it!

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The 2nd Thursday St. Simeon Group will begin a new book review on Thursday, September 8, 2011.  We’ll use Brian D. McLaren’s book, A New Kind of Christianity: Ten Questions That Are Transforming the Faith.

In this much anticipated book, McLaren examines ten questions facing today’s church–questions about:

1. How to articulate the faith itself.
2. The nature of the faith’s authority.
3. Who God is.
4. Whether we have to understand Jesus through only an ancient Greco-Roman lens.
5. What exactly the good news is that the gospel proclaims.
6. How we understand the church and all its varieties.
7. Why we are so preoccupied with sex
8. How we should think of the future.
9. How we should think of people from other faiths.
10. The most intimidating question of all: what do we do next?

Here you will find a provocative and enticing introduction to the Christian faith of tomorrow.

The book costs $11. Feel free to order the book for yourself, or if you prefer, the church can order it for you.  If you choose the latter, we will need payment before we can order the book.

If you are not familiar with St. Simeon, it is a monthly study group that usually meets in homes with various members of the group taking turns to lead the discussion of a portion of the book being studied.  Keep in mind that you do not have to lead the discussion to be a part of the group!

Join us for our annual gathering on Sunday, August 14, 2011 at 6:30pm in the Fellowship Hall.  Bring food items to share!  Hope you can make it!

Select One:

I want to take part in this study, and I need a book. I want to take part in this study, but I already have a book.

Name:

e-Mail:

Phone:

Comments:

Enter these characters:

Join in this monthly study of The Dream of God: A Call to Return by Verna J. Dozier – a book often recommended by Marcus Borg, because the author’s “vision of the Bible is insightful and persuasive, her writing accessible and powerful.”

Again and again the Christian church has fallen away from the dream God has for it, a dream in which we are called to follow Jesus and not merely to worship him. Through adept storytelling and Bible study, Dozier reawakens our sense of calling and our desire for truth.

CLICK HERE to learn more about the Society of St. Simeon.

The book costs $16, and payment must be received before the book can be ordered.

For more information, contact Rev. Troy Sims (tsims@fumcwf.org or 940-766-4231, x229).

Register now below!

Select One:

I want to take part in this study, and I need a book. I want to take part in this study, but I already have a book.

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e-Mail:

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On our current schedule, the 3rd Thursday St. Simeon Group will begin a new book in February 2011.  At the last meeting, the list of choices was reduced to three, and it is time for current and future participants to vote!  Here are the three candidates:

1. THE DREAM OF GOD: A Call to Return by Verna J. Dozier (ISBN: 978-1596280151, 114 pages & 5 chapters) Again and again the Christian church has fallen away from the dream God has for it, a dream in which we are called to follow Jesus and not merely to worship him. Through adept storytelling and Bible study, Dozier reawakens our sense of calling and our desire for truth. Verna Dozier sought in her lifetime to revive the study of the Bible and renewed the church’s understanding of the ministry of all believers.  Speaking of this book, Marcus Borg says, “The Dream of God is a small masterpiece, and I often recommend it.  Her vision of the Bible is insightful and persuasive, her writing accessible and powerful.” (About $11-$17)
2. RE-IMAGINE THE WORLD: An Introduction to the Parables of Jesus by Bernard Brandon Scott (ISBN: 978-0944344866, 162 pages & 14 chapters interspersed with “Cameo Essays & Texts”) Scott is Professor of New Testament at Phillips Theological Seminary in Tulsa, OK and a Charter Member and Fellow of the Jesus Seminar.  In his parables Jesus re-imagines the world. The re-imagined world, called the kingdom of God, presents his followers with a new option for living, one that contrasts with the default world of the everyday. The new world is both terrifying and liberating. In this book the author sets his interpretation of the key parables of Jesus in the context of other things Jesus said and did.  The result is a startling and provocative picture of the historical figure and the challenge he presents to contemporary life. (About $12-$16)
3. WHAT DOES A PROGRESSIVE CHRISTIAN BELIEVE? A Guide for the Searching, the Open, and the Curious by Delwin Brown (ISBN: 9781596270848, 144 pages & 9 Chapters) Brown is dean emeritus of Pacific School of Religion and former Professor of Christian Theology at Illiff School of Theology.  In this insightful book, he makes clear what Progressive Christians do and do not believe or do in the life of faith while leaving room for the diversity that comes with the label of “Progressive Christian.”  In seven points, he retrieves the value of the bible, affirms the presence of God intertwined in all of creation, and breathes life into the creeds (imagine that!) by taking them to the logical conclusion that God is not only incarnate in Jesus but humanity and all of creation! He grounds a view of humanity in the Genesis story of co-creation and the twin commandments to love God and others as ourselves. (About $11-$13)

Please, choose your first and second choices below.  The second choice will be used only in need of a tie-breaker.  !hank you!

Name

e-Mail

First Choice

1 - LORD TEACH US by Will Willimon & Stanley Hauerwas 2 - RE-IMAGINE THE WORLD by Bernard Brandon Scott 3 - THE SECRET MESSAGE OF JESUS by Brian D. McLaren

Second Choice

1 - LORD TEACH US by Will Willimon & Stanley Hauerwas 2 - RE-IMAGINE THE WORLD by Bernard Brandon Scott 3 - THE SECRET MESSAGE OF JESUS by Brian D. McLaren

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The 2nd Thursday St. Simeon group invites you to join them in the monthly discussion of the book, Overcoming Life’s Disappointments: Learning From Moses How to Cope With Frustrations by Harold S. Kushner (the 2003 Perkins Lecturer), beginning September 9, 2010.

Kushner’s idea is to explain the inexplicable in terms that turn negatives into ways of coping. He skillfully uses the tale of Moses to manage the oh-so-true statement, “Nobody gets everything he or she yearns for.” Forbidden to enter the Holy Land? Having wandered for 40 years and endured complaints and rebels, Moses was tired; another leader deserved to take the lead. Plus, reading into the Bible and other religious tomes, the author finds that Moses ignored his family–a critical element comprising the complete life. Moses is not the only example used. Abraham Lincoln was weighed down by depression–or, in his case, what doesn’t kill us makes us strong. In all, the universal lessons for overcoming disappointment remain simple yet profound: remember who you’re working for, substitute new dreams for old, keep promises, be humble, maintain life’s priorities, forgive and forgive, and always dare to dream.  CLICK HERE to preview this book for FREE on-line!

The cost of this book, if you need one, is $10, and we must receive payment before we can order the book for you.

To sign up for this study that meets once a month on the 2nd Thursday of the month, contact Rev. Sims (tsims@fumcwf.org or 940-766-4231, x229) or fill out the form below!

Select One:

I want to take part in this study, and I need a book. I want to take part in this study, but I already have a book.

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