Adult Education ~ Sundays ~

9:30 am ~ Room 102

February - March

January 27,

February 3, 10, & 24:

Introduction to the New Testament Gospels, led by Cindy Chapman, Professor of Religion, Oberlin College, and member of Plymouth Church. This course will provide a historical, literary and theological introduction to the New Testament Gospels in the order that most scholars understand them to have been written. Moving from Mark to Matthew to Luke and then John, we will learn how each gospel presents the life, teaching, death and resurrection of Jesus in slightly different ways. The unique emphases of each Gospel reflect different theologies and different stages in the development of the early church. A syllabus with assigned readings will be available outside the parlor in early January. The schedule is as follows: Mark (Jan.27); Matthew (Feb.3); Luke (Feb.10); John (Feb.24).

February17:

Questions of Faith video, What Matters Anyway? With discussion led by member, Steve Kaufman.

March 2:

Questions of Faith video, Who Needs Organized Religion? With discussion led by member, Steve Kaufman.

March 9:

An Introduction to Reinhold Niebuhr, America's Greatest Twentieth Century Theologian. Reinhold Niebuhr was America's greatest twentieth century theologian. We will examine the life of this preacher, social organizer, religious thinker, social critic, and teacher. Facilitated by member, Jeff Pollock, a law school and divinity school graduate. Jeff currently serves as President of Church Council.

Watch for dates and detailed information about future sessions in your Sunday bulletin and in the weekly "This Week at Plymouth" e-mail.

Please share your suggestions for other topics of interest with any member of our Witnessing Department: Charlene Nevans, Camelia Sutorius, Jane Corteville and Lynn Ruffner.

Verdi Requiem Preview
As our congregation prepares for an extraordinary musical experience -- the Verdi "Requiem" -- Sally Menges will guide us through a preview of this presentation, including background on Giuseppe Verdi and what inspired him to compose this music, based on the Roman Catholic "Mass for the Dead." We'll listen to excerpts, read the text (in English), and discuss our response to this piece, which has been called "opera for church."

"A LONG LOOK AT THE LAST WEEK:
What Holy Week Has to Say About Jesus, God, Politics, Values, and Your Life." This series will explore the dynamics of the Holy Week story, and will be based in part on a recent book by Marcus Borg and John Dominic Crosson, entitled The Last Week: A Day-by-Day Account of Jesus's Final Week in Jerusalem. Copies of the book will be available for purchase. David M. Powers and Stephen C. Adams will conduct this series.

"Connecting Sunday to Monday.... spirituality and ethics in the workplace"
Do YOU seek to live out your faith Monday through Saturday outside of Church? Come to talk about "Daily Life Ministry" with The Rev. Nancy DeNero of Pasadena, CA. Nancy is director of a four-way covenant UCC ministry, "Inside Out, advancing ethics and spirituality in work life". Quarterly, she convenes a roundtable of organizational leaders and their teams, to provide fellowship, new ideas, and accountability to people of faith who seek to "live into God" in the secular world.

"Troubled Waters"
We will view and discuss this film produced by the UCC for the Interfaith Broadcasting Commission. "Troubled Waters" explores the critical issues of water shortage through the lens of faith and from the perspective of people around the world who struggle daily to find access to clean, safe water. Presented by Plymouth member, Derek Duncan, Program Associate for Education and Advocacy for the UCC Global Ministries. He is one of the producers of this film.

Science and Faith

"Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research: the Ethical Issues" This discussion will center around the science of stem cell research, its potential, and the ethical considerations of using human embryos for research. ~ Insoo Hyun, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Dept. of Bioethics, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University

"Religion in the Age of Science"
The origins of the confrontation of science and religion will be presented along with similarities and differences between both systems. Can we avoid an either/or relationship? ~ Jane Corteville, M.D., Plymouth member and Director or Prenatal Genetic Services, MetroHealth Medical Center, Assistant Professor, CWRU.

"Stem Cells and Souls"
At the intersection of body, mind and spirit.
~ Dr. Jane Corteville and Rev. Stephen C. Adams

Introduction to the New Testament Gospels, led by Cindy Chapman, Professor of Religion, Oberlin College, and member of Plymouth Church. This course provides a historical, literary and theological introduction to the New Testament Gospels in the order that most scholars understand them to have been written. Moving from Mark to Matthew to Luke and then John, we will learn how each gospel presents the life, teaching, death and resurrection of Jesus in slightly different ways. The unique emphases of each Gospel reflect different theologies and different stages in the development of the early church.