Monday, February 21, 2011

March Educators Luncheon on the Peninsula!

As Spring nears and our thoughts turn to preparation for the coming year at our churches, one thing we’ll be thinking about is teacher training.  Another is a change of scenery, so we're heading to the Peninsual for our Educators Luncheon in March!
Cynthia Geisert and Kristen Koger invite you to the Educators Luncheon on March 3, 12:00pm, at Yorkminster Presbyterian Church as they present “The Holiness of Teaching”.

This presentation will not be about programming or “10 ways to improve communication” or ...or …or …but rather a little spiritual deposit into the soul bank to inspire us in our educational activity.
Join us for this special time together at one of our Peninsula churches. Bring a bag lunch… Yorkminster will offer drinks, dessert, and wonderful hospitality. RSVP soon to Donna Rae Barrow, Resource Center Director, 757-397-7063 or donnarae@pcusa-peva.org.

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Fritz and Christine & Their Very Nervous Parents


A wonderful new addition to the Resource Center, Fritz and Christine & Their Very Nervous Parents is a parable about vocation, serving others, and living life more prayerfully. Subtitled "A Story for children and the adults who love them", the story is based on the following questions: "Would Fritz and Christine be a blessing to the world, or not? Would they think of others, or only of themselves? And Would they be givers, or takers?"

These questions are repeated as reflection questions for the readers within the story. The following prayer is also sung (with music and words on the back of the book) several times: "O God's dear children as you grow, Be kind to everyone you know, Help neighbor and all those in need, and Turn away from selfish greed."

This is an excellent book for all those wishing that contemporary children's books had a little more substance and direction to them. 

And Fritz and Christine is not just for children.  A recent adult Sunday School class in our presbytery used verses of Scripture along with the shared reading of this delightful book as their lesson.  Choir members in the class were able to lead all in singing the musical prayer. 


Born and raised in Hampton and later accepting a call to Simonsdale Presbyterian Church in Portsmouth, Matt Matthews loves to write.  His first novel, Mercy Creek, winner of the South Carolina Arts Commission First Novel Prize, will be published in the May 2011 by the award-winning Hub City Press.  Look for Mercy Creek later this year in the Resource Center.

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

New Studies at the Resource Center

Looking for a small group or Sunday School study for adults?  We've got a few new ones at the Resource Center...

  
Infuse
Colossians: The New Old Perfectly Imperfect You
Esther: Courage in a Complicated World
Jonah: Fish, Flaws, Forgiveness
Matthew: One King to Rule Them All
 
This series shows God at work in real people, at real places, in real ways - both in the Bible and in our lives today. The study guides are packed with background, context, and historical insights to help all of us, not just Bible scholars, discover where God's Word and daily life intersect.


With these studies, you can engage in lively discussion and learning without having studied the Bible before doing each lesson, and you can use these effectively for small group or personal study.

The approach to Bible study in this series emphasizes discovery (the reader discovers what the Bible has to say by asking questions and seeking answers from the passage studied.) Additional insights from history and other sources help to fill in details that connect this story to the larger story of God's love and care for us all.
 
Being Reformed - - New Titles
Being Reformed: A Brief Statement of Faith
Examine the background and context of A Brief Statement of Faith, as well as its Trinitarian structure and how it relates to beliefs in the ecumenical church, the Protestant Reformation, and our Reformed theological tradition.

Being Reformed: Recognizing God's Grace
Through Scripture, history, theology, and practical life examples, this study examines grace in the Bible, throughout Christian history, and through Reformed understandings.
 
Being Reformed: Stewardship of Creation
Explore the biblical bases for our care of creation along with sessions on being environmentally friendly at home, at church, and in the world.
 
Being Reformed: Wisdom from the Early Church
This study discusses the formation of the Christian tradition on major theological issues as the church sought its Christian identity, including: forming the Christian Bible, developing a doctrine of God, confessing Christ, building the church, and shaping Christian life.

In The Works

How Do I Make It Right?
How Do I Begin?: Sharing Your Faith
What Do I Do With My Life?: Serving God Through Work
What Do I Owe?: Managing the Gifts God Gives You
Where Do I Come In?: Joining God's Mission

This series is all about missional living. Offering hands-on activities and follow-up action options, these studies explore how Christians can join in God's mission in the world using the gifts they've been given. Although it is in a small group format, it would also make an excellent adult Bible study.

Each book includes five inspiring daily readings for each week, five easy-to-use discussion guides with opening and closing activities, Bible study, and stimulating questions and activities, follow-up action options to apply the study to real-world life.