• Spritual Growth - small, faith discussion groups that change topics and may swap members and grow to additional groups every eight weeks.
• Men's Breakfast - Food and fellowship with an open agenda.
• Women's Groups
  • WELCA (chapter of Women of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, a service organization) 
  • Ruth Circle (evening bible study)
  • Dagny Circle (daytime bible study)

Faith Discussion Groups
Although we come together to worship as an important part of our Faith lives, small groups provide a better opportunity for us to make connections, grow and faith and reveal ourselves to God and one another - joys, dreams, fears and doubts. This is a place to grow your faith, so give one of these dynamic small groups a try!

Living in Baptism
Forgiveness
Lion Witch and the Wardrobe study

Growing In the Spirit

The members of these groups gather to foster growth in the Spirit of God that dwells with us so we can better hear and honor that voice in our daily life. This can be a challenge given  the countless demands our world places on our time and energy. This group provides a place to share the joys and challenges of growing in the Spirit.

• Thomas Merton - http://books.google.com/books?q=thomas+merton
• Thirsty for God - http://books.google.com/books?id=jydOx76azAEC
• A Graceful Life - http://books.google.com/books?id=g2ELYOpzS4wC
• Divine Conspiriacy - http://books.google.com/books?id=yb1dpopRn-AC
• Luther's Spitituality - http://books.google.com/books?id=u7A4IAAACAAJ
• Faith, the Yes of the Heart
• A Spiritual Formation Workbook
• God Views
• People of Purpose
• X-trial group study
• The Matix Trilogy Bible Study

The Language of God - Facilitator: TBD

"The head of the Human Genome Project and a former atheist, Collins makes a strong case for BioLogos---God-directed evolution---in comparison to atheistic evolution, Intelligent Design, and creationism. He offers an awe-inspiring tour of the complexities of biology, genetics, and DNA---and reveals a richly satisfying, harmonious melding of scientific and spiritual worldviews. 320 pages, softcover from Free Press."
-http://www.christianbook.com/

Publisher's Discussion Guide: http://www.simonsays.com/content/book.cfm?pid=519365&tab=1&agid=10 Excerpt : http://abcnews.go.com/print?id=2192678 Interview with the author: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=9207913 Click "Listen" link for to hear show on NPR about the book.

Reflecting on the new life we receive in our baptism, we will explore the Lenten lectionary verses to focus on hearing God's call for us, here and now. How is God calling us to live out His call in the next week? We will use the Aural Bible study method as a tool to hear the scriptures in a new way.

Forgiveness - Facilitator: Rosa, Lent (Feb-Mar) 2008; April 17 - May 22, 2007

We will explore the topics of resentment, forgiveness, reconciliation and mercy using various sources including short stories by Amy Tan, Flannery O'Connor, Isaac Bashevis Singer, poetry by Robert Frost, radio program Speaking of Faith, essays by Kathleen Norris and others.

We will view a movie and relate the C.S. Lewis stories to the bible. Fun for all ages - senior to elementary.

Oct 9-Dec 18 2007 Dismantling Racisim - Facilitator: TJ

Resource: Understanding and Dismantling Racism: The Twenty-first Century Challenge to White America by Joseph Barndt

Quote from publisher:

More than 15 years have passed since Joe Barndt wrote his influential and widely acclaimed Dismantling Racism (1991, Augsburg Books). He has now written a replacement volume – powerful, personal, and practical – that reframes the whole issue for the new context of the twenty-first century.

With great clarity Barndt traces the history of racism, especially in white America, revealing its various personal, institutional, and cultural forms. Without demonizing anyone or any race, he offers specific, positive ways in which people in all walks, including churches, can work to bring racism to an end. He includes the newest data on continuing conditions of People of Color, including their progress relative to the minimal standards of equality in housing, income and wealth, education, and health. He discusses current dimensions of race as they appear in controversies over 9/11, New Orleans, and undocumented workers. Includes analytical charts, definitions, bibliography, and exercises for readers.

Exploring Unconscious Prejudice - Facilitator: TJ

Aug 28-Sep 18, 2007 "Exploring Unconcious Prejudice"
What is Unconscious Prejudice?
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/1998/09/980930082237.htm

Please visit this web site (takes about 5-10 minutes) and take an implicit association test: https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/ . You will read some short statements of understanding then continue to the Demonstrationsection. Try the Skin-tone IAT. Time and inclination permitting: Try anything else you find interesting, including the Research button at the beginning.

PBS Video about the Implicit Association Test (Alan Alda): http://www.pbs.org/saf/1507/video/watchonline.htm

Youth Study Guide (adapted for adult study) http://www.une.edu.au/chaplaincy/uniting/finding_god/racialjustice.pdf

Dismantling Racision by Joeseph Barndt (1991) Augsburg Fortress . Review excerpt available on Amazon.

An Ethical Critique of Christian Zionism Bishop Munib Younan

We weren't able to get a copy of this video, but it would be an interesting addition: Race The Power of an Illusion: three one-hour videos from PBS. Is "race" a fact or an illusion? Is a person’s race genetically determined, or is it a social or cultural construction? This series explores popular assumptions as well as historical and modern scientific information about the concept of race and how it works in our society. The first video includes a multi-racial group of high school students exploring the concept of race by analyzing their own DNAs.

Irresistable Revolution - Facilitators: TJ and Rosa

May 29-Aug 14, 2007 "The Irreisitible Revolution" by Shane Claiborne. Visit http://speakingoffaith.publicradio.org/ to hear an interview about the book (Aired May 17,2007). From the back cover:

In The Irresistible Revolution, Shane Claiborne invites you into a movement of the Spirit that begins in the heart and extends through our hands into a broken workld. Using examples from his own unconventional life, Shane Claiborne stirs up questions about the church and the world, challenging you to live out an authentic Christian faith. This book will comfort the distrubed, distrub the confortable and invite believers to change the world with Christs's radical love.

This I Believe
Jan 9th and 15th, 2007 6:30-8pm in the classroom. Based on the NPR series. Study resource: "Houses of Worship"

Get Out of the Boat  Facilitator: TJ
Oct 24- Dec 12th, 2006 Tuesdays, 6:30p-7:30 in the classroom.

" LOTR: a Christain Perspective"  - Facilitator: Rosa
Feb 2 - Mar 2, 2006 Thursdays at 7pm, lounge.

The Lord of the Rings is a legend that has captured the imagination of generations of readers and, most recently, viewers of the popular cinematic trilogy. J.R.R. Tolkien's work includes many spiritual themes and many fans have found Peter Jackson's interpretation in the movie series a faithful treatment of those themes.

Whether you've memorized every line of dialogue in the trilogy, read the books as a young adult decades ago or just wonder what all the fuss is about, you are invited to join a small group that will be discussing these works from a Christian perspective. This is also a perfect opportunity to invite friends and acquaintances who might not be interested in a traditional bible study. This study will include 3 movie viewings and 5 study sessions. While it is not necessary to join the group in the movie viewing it is a nice refresher if you haven't seen the movies in a while and it'll be fun, too! If you cannot join the movie viewings please speak to the facilitator and arrange to borrow copies of the films.

LOTR Movie Viewings: Sundays, 3-6pm

• 1/29 - Fellowship of the Ring
• 2/12 - Two Towers
• 2/19 - Return of the King

Connecting with God in a Disconnected World: A Guide for Spiritual Growth and Renewal< by Carolyn Coon Mowchan and Damian Anthony Vraniak
January-Mar 2006

"Sharing Faith in Daily Life "
November 2005

"What is a Lutheran Today " - Facilitator: Pastor Clark
Aug-Nov 7th, 2005 Mondays at 7pm in the lounge. Meets at least annually.

Lutherans in the U.S. were once held together by a common culture but this changed over the years by the immigration of different cultures. Our original ideas persist but diversity is now Lutheranism. The "Baptized We Live" book is an affirmation of our beliefs.

How do we see God in our world today?  What difference does Jesus and his death on the cross make?  How does God speak to us and change our lives?  What is a Lutheran?  And what does grace have to do with our daily work and lives?  In this discussion group we take a look at the basics of Christian faith and discover what it means to be disciples of Jesus.

Resource: Baptized, We Live: Lutheranism as a way of Life by Daniel Erlander.