We caught up with Women’s Ministry leaders Michelle Funk and Holli Pearson to preview the Women’s Live classes for this fall.
Q: What are some of the big changes to Live this fall?
Michelle: Classes are still offered on Thursdays, but we are expanding to Monday nights and Friday mornings in order to reach more people. This is also first time we are also offering Alpha groups specifically for women. We are so thrilled that Jeff Kirby and Michelle Kirby, long time Alpha leaders will lead these.
Q: Are these Live classes open to every woman at the church?
Holli: Absolutely. One of the greatest things I have seen is it is a place to make new friends especially if you have just moved here. It is a good place to grow deeper in God but there are a lot of friendships that begin. We are doing life together and sharing and learning together in Live.
A woman in my class last semester moved here from Wyoming. She had been here six months, was living with her daughter and had no way to make friends. So we said, "We are your new friends. We are it. We are here to help you." That’s always such a good feeling. She needed that and we needed her.
Q: Are these Bible Studies catered to any certain age group?
Holli: We have women of all ages. Sometimes you will have a brand new mom and you could also have someone who is 80. You can get and give a lot of wisdom; it goes both ways. That never seems to be an issue with age. Everyone learns from everyone.
Here is a preview of the classes that will be offered this fall.
Embraced by God by Babbie Mason
Thursday, 9:30-11:30 am, 9/12 thru 12/05 register
Resurrection Class Description: Become equipped to accept God's unfailing love through seven biblical promises. Live out these promises to deepen and enrich your relationship with God and others. Led by Donna Ibenthal and Michelle Arteberry.
Amazon's Customer Book Rating: 4.5 stars.
Amazon Customer Review: "I finished this book thinking to myself that this is a universal message for men and women. All of us just want to know that we matter, that what we bring is enough. That is what Babbie reminds us of in this book. It's not about being like someone else or thinking more of others than ourselves. It's about recognizing that God has created us to shine in our own way for His glory."
Purchase this book at The Well Bookstore.
Gideon by Priscilla Shirer
Thursday, 9:30-11:30 am, 9/12 thru 12/05 register
Resurrection's Class Description: Do you downplay your abilities? Think you're not quite the right person for God to use? Too old/young? Inexperienced? Afraid? Learn how Gideon surrendered to God's calling, and how He can transform YOU. Led by Diann Hurt.
Goodreads Customer Book Rating: 4.73
Goodreads Customer Review: "Apt and timely is what I can say for Gideon. Are you dealing with weakness, insecurity, or fear? Are you dealing with all three? Want to study a character in the Bible that received holy confidence and was allowed to be a part of great and supernatural accomplishments? Read and take part in Gideon. The discussion questions and homework help guide the study very well; I finished the study with a sense of who Gideon was."
Good and Beautiful Life by James Bryon Smith
Thursday, 9:30-11:30 am, 9/12 thru 12/05 register
Resurrection's Class Description: Following the Sermon on the Mount, this follow-up to The Good and Beautiful God guides us to look behind these character flaws and to replace our false beliefs with Jesus' narratives about life in the kingdom of God. Led by Laurie Webb and Maribeth Hinderer.
Amazon's Customer Book Rating: 5 stars
Amazon's Customer Review: "Throughout this series of books Smith cogently argues that "we live at the mercy of our ideas and our narratives," and it is through this lens the content of our spiritual lives is examined and then challenged. Each chapter within this installment presents a common narrative that many people hold that leads to anger, lust, lying, vindictive competitiveness, vainglory, avarice, worry, or judgmentalism, and then challenges that narrative through the life and teachings of Jesus. Smith relies on Jesus's teachings in the Sermon on the Mount as paramount for instilling the virtues that oppose these vices, reinforcing the Jesus narratives with an accompanying spiritual practice. In this book, those practices are writing a letter to God, play, hospitality, keeping the Sabbath, a media fast, silence, praying for the success of competitors, secret service, deaccumulation, prayer, a day without gossip, and living one day devotionally. The practices are simple, yet powerful, and the instructions Smith provides are very easy to follow."
Purchase this book at The Well
Gospel of Mark by Shirley Yarick
Thursday, 9:30-11:30 am, 9/12 thru 12/05 register
Resurrection Class Description: He didn’t write any books or build any buildings. He didn’t live in a palace or a mansion. He had no silver or gold and didn’t raise any armies. Yet, this man who died a criminal's death turned the world upside down. Who was he? Led by Shirley Yarick.
No Amazon Ratings/Reviews at this time. Michelle Funk gives her description:
"This is an excellent study authored by the teacher Shirley Yarick. She is very renowned Bible teacher here at church and has been established teacher in Thursday Live. This was such a great study we actually gave it away at Leadership Institute last fall. It is an excellent way to dig deeper and get to know Jesus through the Gospel of Mark."
Hop, Skip, and a Jump Through the Bible by J. Ellsworth Kalas
Thursday, 9:30-11:30 am, 9/12 thru 12/05 register
Resurrection Class Description: Highlights the wonders of the Bible for readers both familiar and unfamiliar with them, and shows how the Bible isn’t just a collection of stories of the past, but rather it is our own continuing story of God and God’s relationship with the human race. Led by Doris Lippe.
Amazon Customer Book Rating: 4 1/2 stars
Amazon Customer Review: “As a teacher of an adult Sunday School class with members in the 40-60 age bracket, I'm always looking for interesting and easy to follow lessons that can be covered in about 45 minutes. Having heard Dr. Kalas give this very presentation in one day, I knew this was the perfect book. Dr. Kalas has a unique way of bringing everything to life while giving new perspectives on biblical stories you thought you knew. We advertised this new lesson in our church bulletin, and had several people from other classes join us just for this book. While that probably upset some of the other teachers, it sure added to the discussion within our class. I highly recommend this book to all individuals and classes."
Purchase this book at The Well
James: Mercy Triumphs by Beth Moore
1. Monday 7:00-8:30 pm, 9/23 thru 11/25 register
2. Thursday, 9:30-11:30 am, 9/12 thru 12/05 register
Resurrection Class Description: James is a book with many topics: social justice, joy, hardship, faith, reversal of fortunes for rich and poor, wisdom, gifts from above, single-mindedness, the dangers of the tongue, humility, and prayer. Learn about these as you meet the man, James, through video segments and discussion.
Amazon Customer Book Rating: 4 1/2 Stars
Amazon Customer Review: "Mercy Triumphs by Beth Moore is such a great in-depth Bible study on the book of James that I was sorry to see it end. Beth's older daughter, Melissa, also had some interesting articles included from an historical standpoint based on research she did. I learned so much more about James, the author of this book, than I had known before and accepted Beth's challenge to memorize the entire book of James, which I am in the process of still doing, having memorized the first two of the five chapters. This is a very practical study because the topics in the book of James are still relevant today: Patience, temptation, rich and poor, favoritism, judgment, controlling the tongue, wisdom,, our relationship with God, how to treat others, prayer. This study is fantastic! I really can't say enough good about it. There are DVD's that go with this that I enjoyed too because of some funny stories she shares from her experience to make her points. In particular, I especially liked hearing about her camping trip with the birds and the hair brush story at the airport. That is one I don't think I'll soon forget.”
Wonder Struck by Margaret Feinberg
Thursday, 9:30-11:30 am, 9/12 thru 12/05 register
Resurrection Class Description: Learn to unearth the extraordinary moments in every day life, recognize the presence of God in the midst of your routine, and discover peace in knowing you're wildly loved.
Amazon Customer Book Rating: 5 stars
Amazon Customer Review: "Margaret's writing awakened me afresh to the wonder of God. I will admit that I often spend a lot of time studying about and serving God, all the while missing the wonder of God. Margaret reawakened that wonder inside of me. I'm amazed a book could do that. Her writing style is whimsical and tangible. She is transparent and yet well researched. In short, she is perfectly equipped to help you encounter the one, true God, for the first time or the first time in a long time. Don't pass up this book, especially at the amazing price."
Grace: More Than We Deserve, Greater Than We Imagine by Max Lucado
Thursday, 7:00-8:30 pm, 9/12 thru 12/05 register
Resurrection's Class Description: God's grace has a drenching about it. A wildness about it. A white-water, riptide, turn-you-upside-downness about it. Grace comes after you. It rewires you. From insecure to God secure. From regret riddled to better-because-of-it. From afraid to die to ready to fly. Let's make certain grace gets you. Led by Patricia Sanders-Hall.
Amazon's Customer Book Rating: 4 1/2 stars
Amazon's Customer Review: "Grace is the real reason to love Jesus. Max very eloquently projects how little we realize about the greatest aspect of accepting the free gift God offers to any who accept. It is the aspect of grace and being redeemed that is so much more than just "being saved from eternal death" that is so powerful. This enables me to live in this life without condemnation that would otherwise be mandated. Thank you, Max, for so beautifully revealing how grace was presented throughout the bible for us to model! This is a "must read" book and the best of Max Lucado so far."
Alpha for Women
Monday 7:00-8:30 pm, 9/23 thru 11/25 register
Thursday, 9:30-11:30 am, 9/12 thru 12/05 register
Thursday, 7:00-8:30 pm, 9/12 thru 12/05 register
An overview of the Christian faith and exploration of questions about the existence of God, purpose of life, the afterlife, claims of Jesus, and more. Refreshments each class. Holy Spirit Retreat on 10/11 - 10/12, very important to attend. Led by Jeff Kirby and Michelle Kirby, for women only.