Christian Education

Christian Education is a vital part of our congregational program; consequently, we offer a wide variety of weekly and monthly educational opportunities.

Sunday School

Classes are provided for children, youth and adults.  This year, we are using the Augsburg Fortress Spark

curriculum for Pre-K through 6th grade. 3 year olds will engage in God’s Children Sing (GCS) designed by

Musikgarten. Middle and High School students will be exploring Biblical ties to current culture. No classes

are held during June, July and August.

Rally Day, September 12, 2010

Rally Day, September 12, 2010 will begin our new Sunday School church year. We will go back to the

Bible to hear God’s promises for our future. A time capsule will be buried to mark this journey. Sunday

School students of all ages are invited to attend at 9:45a.m. in the sanctuary.

Wednesday Morning Crossways &

Thursday Evening Crossways

     Every Wednesday and Thursday from September 8, 2010 through May 26, 2011 and from September 7, 2011 through May 31, 2012, the new CROSSWAYS Bible Study will be offered to members of the congregation and to those in the greater community interested in an indepth study of the Holy Scriptures. CROSSWAYS is a 60-unit, two year course that studies the biblical narrative from beginning to end. The goal is to complete the Old Testament in 2011 and the New Testament in 2012. Participants are invited to commit to the two year study or to either the Old (2010-2-11) or the New Testament (2011- 2012). This curriculum makes use of 160 full-page, fullcolor illustrations that enable students to see as well as hear the message.

     CROSSWAYS will help participants by increasing theirability to understand the Word they hear and read; teach them who they are, and Whose they are: encourage them to follow their Servant-King, Jesus the Messiah, in all they think, say, and do; clarify their thinking about the mission of the Church; give them a vision for personal ministry and purpose in our daily life; enhance their worship; help them understand biblical stewardship as a way of life. Each participant will receive a textbook and a workbook—each at a cost of $5.00.

Participants may elect to attend on Wednesdays from 10:00 - 11:30 a.m. or on Thursdays from 7:00—8:30 p.m.  The same material will be covered in both weekly sessions.

Wednesday 10:00 a.m. Thursday 7:00 p.m.

September 8,15 & 29 September 9, 16 & 30

October 6, 13 & 20 October 7, 14 & 21

November 3, 10 & 17 November 4, 11 & 18

December 1& 8 December 2 & 9

January 5, 12 & 19 January 6, 13 & 20

February 2, 9 & 16 February 3, 10 & 17

March 9 & 16 March 10 & 17

March 31 both 10:00 a.m. & 7:00 p.m. Class

April 6, 13 & 27 April 7, 14 & 28

May 4, 11 & 18 May 5, 12 & 19

Adult Sunday School Offerings for 2010-2011

September: Draft Social Statement on Genetics

October: A Social Statement on Caring For Creation: Vision, Hope & Justice

November: Speakers Bureau on Creation 1

December: The Advent/Christmas Scriptures

January: Global Missions and the Lutheran World Federation

February: Global Missions, Pt. 2

March: Speakers Bureau on Creation 2

April: Greening the Church

May: The “Green” Life

Ø September 12:Introduction of the Draft Social Statement on Genetics

Ø September 19: CNU Lecture on Genetics

Ø September 26: Class Discussion on the Draft Social Statement (all participants are encouraged to respond to the ELCA by October 15.)

Ø October 3: Introduction of the Social Statement on Caring For Creation: Vision, Hope & Justice

Ø October 10: CNU Lecture on the State of the Environment

Ø October 17: Discussion of the Issues

Ø October 24:Forum on the Church’s Role in the Environment

Ø October 31: Reformation Sunday (Reception-No SS)

Ø November 7: Lecture on the State of the Ocean (The Virginia Institute of Marine Science)

Ø November 14: Lecture on the State of the Bay (The Chesapeake Bay Foundation)

Ø November 21: Advent Event

Ø November 28: Lecture on the State of the River (The Sierra Club/ James River Falls Division)

Ø December 5: Homecoming Sunday (Reception-No SS)

Ø December 12: The Advent Scriptures

Ø December 19: The Christmas Scriptures

Ø December 26: (No Sunday School)

Ø January 2: Epiphany Event

Ø January 9: The Lutheran World Federation: Its History & Impact

Ø January 16: Global Missions: (YAGM) Jaci St. Pierre

Ø January 23: Annual Congregation Meeting (No SS)

Ø January 30: Global Missions: Papua New Guinea

Ø February 6: Global Missions TBA

Ø February 13: Global Missions TBA

Ø February 20: Global Missions TBA

Ø February 27: Global Missions TBA

Ø March 6: Creation & Justice through Participation

Ø March 13: Creation & Justice through Solidarity

Ø March 20: Creation & Justice through Sufficiency

Ø March 27: Creation & Justice through Sustainability

Ø April 3: Greening the Church , Pt. 1

Ø April 10: Greening the Church, Pt. 2

Ø April 17: Palm Sunday(First Communion Reception-No SS)

Ø April 24: The Resurrection of Our Lord (Reception-No SS)

Ø May 1: The “Green” Life, The Community

Ø May 8: The “Green” Life, The Family

Ø  May 15: The “Green” Life, The Person

LIFE IN THE FLESH ANONYMOUS:

Exploring the Connections between

Romans 6, 7 & 8 and

The 12 Steps of Emotions Anonymous

     Pharmacist Paul St. Pierre and Pastoral Counselor Dan Jungkuntz invite you to join them in these personal science/religion based explorations. In one sense this class is intended to explore further the experience of “religious pluralism.” It presumes to do so by entering the zone of realities that all human beings experience whatever they believe or don’t believe – the reality of emotion. In the context of Romans 6, 7, and 8 we will track connections between emotions and ethics, beginning with one’s own family experiences. For example, how come it sometimes is difficult to “honor your father and your mother,” “get along with your spouse,” or “deal constructively with your children”?

     From October through January we will be unpacking how the life experience and perspective of the Apostle Paul in regard to Judgment Day appears to have been deeply affecting human self-understanding, for sure in the Western world, for nearly 2000 years. To demonstrate this we will explore how the 12 Steps and the history of Emotions Anonymous in the 20th century seem deeply rooted in the Apostle Paul’s story of his own very personal struggles with making a god out of his “flesh” until he “came to believe that a Power greater than [himself]” could restore him to a true relationship with Reality and help him in the capacity to love his neighbor as he loves himself. mindsight: The New Science of Personal Transformation, a new book by neuroscientist and psychiatric professor, Daniel Siegel, M.D., will serve as a guide to today’s scientific understanding of emotion. The Rev. Dr. Paul Jersild’s book The Nature of Our Humanity will also be a reference for these explorations. He is the Emeritus Professor of Theology and Ethics of Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary and now resides in Norfolk.

     Then beginning in February, for any who are interested, we’ll begin to make whatever anonymous personal connections we want to between those 12 steps and the lives we live in our own families, work families, and worship family. This would involve for those who choose to continue in the group to commit to the principle of maintaining a strict confidentiality about whatever anyone shares in the group. To find more information about Emotions Anonymous, go on line to http:// www.emotionsanonymous.org/.

Dan Jungkuntz

Classes will be held from 9:45 a.m. –10:45 a.m.

The Dead Sea Scrolls

Lecturer: Professor Gary A. Rendsburg, Ph.D.

Video Series

     The year: 1947. A Bedouin shepherd tracked one of his stray goats into a cave mouth above the shore of the Dead Sea at a desolate place named Qumran. Inside, he discovered a pair of tall, thin clay pots. And what he found when he opened those pots would be nothing less than the greatest archaeological discovery of the 20th century: the Dead Sea Scrolls.

     In the 60 years since their dramatic discovery, excavation, reassembly, and translation, the Dead Sea Scrolls have provided us with these and other fascinating insights:

v Our oldest biblical manuscripts, including all of the book of Isaiah, portions of virtually every other book in the Hebrew Bible, and other texts esteemed by ancient Jews.

v An unprecedented window into two great monotheistic traditions in the pivotal years before and after the time of Jesus, offering insights into Jewish history, culture, and religion, as well as the growth of early Christianity out of Judaism

v Evidence of both the theological stance and ritual practices of the Yahad, an Essene group that had authored the scrolls and that, thousands of years later, have given scholars a fresh perspective on rival sects like the Sadducees and Pharisees.

v The remarkable consistency in wording and meaning between the biblical texts discovered at Qumran and the great medieval codices that form a part of the spiritual lives of millions of Jews and Christians. 

v Enhanced knowledge of how the Bible was transmitted across the ages.

     Whether complete or only fragmentary, the 930 extant Dead Sea Scrolls irrevocably altered how we look at and understand the foundations of faith and religious practice.

Ø October 3: The Discoveries and Their Significance

Ø October 10: The First Seven Scrolls

Ø October 17: Opening and Reading the First Scroll

Ø October 24: The Historical Backdrop of Ancient Judaism

Ø November 7: The Rise of the Jewish Sects

Ø November 14: The Dead Sea Site of the Qumran Sect

Ø November 28: The Emergence of the Rabbinic System

Ø December 12: A Dead Sea Scroll from Medieval Cairo

Ø December 19:Pesher Interpretation- Prophecy Read Anew

Ø January 9: The War Scroll and Other Apocalyptic Texts

Ø January 16: Biblical Manuscripts at Qumran

Ø January 30: Alternative Views of Qumran and the Scrolls

Ø February 6: Stops and Starts En Route to Publication

Ø February 13: The Qumran Vision for a New Temple

Ø February 20: Daily Life at Qumran

Ø February 27: The Halakhic Letter - Rituals Define the Sect

Ø March 6: The Qumran Biblical Canon

Ø March 13: The Qumran Calendar

Ø March 20: Jewish Scholars and Qumran Ritual Practices

Ø March 27: Prayers, Hymns, and the Synagogue

Ø April 3: Qumran Hebrew as an Anti-Language

Ø April 10: The Enigma of the Copper Scroll

Ø May 1: Connections to Christianity

Ø May 8: Scroll Fragments and a New View of Judaism

Confirmation Classes

Classes are held on Sundays, September through June for youth in grades eight and nine. Ninth graders are

confirmed at a service held on Sunday, June 19, 2011. The 2010-2011 confirmation schedule is:

     Parents’ Meeting: September 8, 2009 6:30 p.m.– church parlor

     Class Meetings: 3:00—5:00 p.m.

Ø September 12 & 26, 2010

Ø October 10 & 24, 2010

Ø November 7 & 21, 2010

Ø December 5 & 19, 2010

Ø January 9 & 23, 2011

Ø February 13 & 27, 2011

Ø March 13 & 27, 2011

Ø April 3 & 17, 2011

Ø May 1 & 15, 2011

Ø June 12, 2011

Ø June 18, 2011 Rehearsal

     Rite of Confirmation: Sunday, June 19, 2011

First Communion Classes

First communion classes are held on Wednesday evenings, beginning March 16, 2011, during the season of Lent. Class members commune for the first time on Palm Sunday, April 17, 2011 and are honored at a reception between services in the fellowship hall.

Vacation Bible School

Our congregation participates in the Hilton ecumenical Vacation Bible School Program. VBS will be held in July of 2011.

 The contact person is: Alicia Rafferty

Men's Breakfast Group

This group meets at 7:00 a.m. every third Tuesday of each month, September through May, at Warwick Restaurant. All are welcome to come share breakfast and God’s Word.

The contact person is: Roy Mozingo 

Women of the ELCA

All women of Trinity are invited and encouraged to join the longest standing circle at our church. You will find it to be a rewarding and enriching experience and a great way to meet people and make new friends. The Cora Miller Circle meetings are held on the second Thursday of each month at 10:30 a.m.

The contact person is: Carretta Behrmann

For more information regarding the Women of the ELCA, please contact: Judy Wagner St. Pierre 

Ecclesiastical Arts Society

The EAS continues to use art as an expression of the Word of God. The congregation and members of the

school have been generously giving crosses for the cross wall. This is an ongoing project. We will continue to have symbolic floral displays for special Sundays. It is important to be involved with our community. We invite you to join our group! You do not have to be an artist, just enjoy art.

The contact person is: Anne Obara