FORMATION:
Adult Education
Current Sunday Classes
Sunday Mornings, 9:40am – 10:40am
Session 3
April 7 - May 19
Before going to class, visit the Fellowship Café!
Sunday mornings 9:30 am – 10:00 am in the Ministry Center.
The Present Word
Taught by George Evans
Session House - Parlor
The Present Word is an in-depth Bible study for adults that dives deep into God’s Word, studying the Bible over a six-year period and focusing on a specific theme each quarter. The goals of The Present Word curriculum are to engage in a serious study of Scripture to discover its deeper meaning and how it is relevant to today. This winter, this class explores what a faith that pleases God might look like. The lessons span the whole of scripture to help participants gain a clearer understanding of a faith that can endure through the different seasons and circumstances of our life.
The Story ~ The Old Testament
Taught by Lana Brunk and Dick Betts
Conference Room (Ministry Center, first floor)
The Story condenses the Bible into 31 accessible chapters and sweeps you into the unfolding progression of Bible characters and events from Genesis to Revelation. Using the clear, accessible text of the NIV Bible, it allows the stories, poems, and teachings of the Bible to read like a novel, opening participants' eyes to God's master plan, unfolding in the lives of the Bible's characters as well as their own lives.
Books have already been purchased and will be available in the class.
Creation Care: Ways to Talk and Act with Love
Taught by Helen Robinson and Sara Schweitzer
Owl Room (Ministry Center, second floor)
Many of us are concerned about the environment, and most of us are weary of the fractious debates often associated with this topic. If you are interested in learning more about how to understand, communicate about, and meaningfully address the challenges of climate change, join us for this spring class.
Helen Robinson, LCSW, and Sara Schweitzer, PhD, will be leading this class in discussing Katharine Hayhoe’s 2021 book, Saving Us: A Climate Scientist’s Case for Hope and Healing in a Divided World. Hayhoe is highly regarded in the scientific and religious communities as someone who conveys both scientific rigor and interpersonal gentleness in discussing creation care and improving our stewardship of the Earth. Helen brings her lifelong interest in understanding human behavior, while Sara brings her solid grasp of environmental science to this timely class.
Copies of Saving Us are available in the church office.
Calvin and Hops (Men’s Beer and Theology)
Brewery 99, 1030 Pollock St.
Third Sunday of the month, 4:00 pm
Calvin and Hops is an informal monthly gathering of men (not limited to Presbyterians) to discuss theology and the life of faith. Led by Ken Wilkins, we have a beer (beer-drinking not mandatory), usually some salty snacks brought by one of the group, and discuss the topic of the month for about an hour. For more information, please contact church@firstpresnb.org.
Women at the Well Meetings at Local Shops Gathering Dates Vary
Women at the Well is a new ministry at First Presbyterian New Bern. It's a chance for women to gather for good beer (or wine, or coffee) and meaningful conversation––about anything. This is a time for fellowship, fun, sharing, and caring. We hope to meet once a month on a regular date.
Women’s Bible Study - Led by Wendy Moeller and Leslie Pinkston
Mondays, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm
Beginning on January 8, all First Presbyterian women are invited to join with the Monday Evening Women’s Bible Study as we read and together discuss Timothy Keller’s book The Prodigal Prophet. Keller lays out his case for this famous Old Testament parable about a defiant, rebellious, and disobedient Jonah to remind us of a later prodigal in Jesus’ parable about the two sons and further to consider the paradoxical ties between Jonah and Jesus himself. The book can be ordered from multiple online sources. For questions about the group which meets every Monday evening by Zoom from 7:00 till 8:30 or to be put on the Zoom list please contact Leslie Pinkston at 252-638-1053, Marice DeBruhl at 252-617-8557, or Wendy Moeller at 252-876-7259.
Life of Prayer – the Practice of Contemplative Living - Led by Rev. Patrick Ryan
Wednesdays, 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Owl Room (Ministry Center, 2nd Floor) and on Zoom
Led by the Rev. Patrick Ryan, this group journeys together along a way that Jesus taught in hopes of nurturing a heavenly perspective that is more aware of the spiritual dimension in our lives. This Winter, the group begins a new book, The Cost of Control: Why We Crave it and the Anxiety it Causes us, by Sharon Hodde Miller.
We all wish we had more control. The problem is, the more we seek control, the more it betrays us. In place of predictability, it gives us anxiety. In place of certainty, it creates more complexity. The Miller helps us discover the real power God has given us in Christ, to exercise influence over ourselves and our lives.Patrick@firstpresnb.org for more information or to get the Zoom link.
Wednesday Evening Worship - Led by the Rev. Patrick Ryan
Wednesdays, 5:00 pm-5:30 pm
Chapel (Ministry Center 1st Floor)
This worship service is an opportunity offers a mid-week pause in our busy lives to ponder God’s living Word presented to us in Scripture. This half-hour is sacred time to sit at God’s feet and listen for God’s still small voice. Contact patrick@firstpresnb.org.
Sunday Afternoon & Mid-Week Offerings
Presbyterian Women - Gatherings once a month for study and fellowship
This year the PW study will be Sacred Encounters: The Power and Presence of Jesus Christ in Luke-Acts by Olive Mahabir. She invites us to consider Jesus and Jesus’ disciples who shared the Good News through sacred encounters with everyday people. Over nine months participants will experience through Luke-Acts the unfolding of God’s redemptive purposes in human history, as well as present a distinctive perspective on the person and work of Jesus Christ. Contact Janet Bryan at janruth_51@hotmail.com for more information.