Adult Education and Spiritual Growth
"As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving." (Colossians 2:6)
Please join us in the Cindy Bolbach Meeting Room (#103)
each Sunday at 9:45 am.
April 7 through May 12 our ASG class will explore the work of the apostles and the early founding of the Christian church, through study of the Book of Acts. We will consider the historical context of the early church in which the people were caught between diaspora Israel and the Empire of Rome. We will explore how the Spirit of God was moving over the land during this time, disrupting the status quo with Jesus's teachings.
Our discussion will draw from a book by Willie James Jennings: Acts: A Theological Commentary. It is not required, but if you would like to read this in parallel to the class, you can order through Amazon (web address: amzn.to/4acv1YX)
For those who want to read the Biblical passages or the Jennings commentary in advance, our schedule is:
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April 7 (Acts: Ch 1-4) (Jennings Commentary: The Revolution is Here!)
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April 14 (Acts: Ch 5-9) (Jennings Commentary: The Struggle of Diaspora)
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April 21 (Acts: Ch 10-15) (Jennings Commentary: The Desire of God Exposed)
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April 28 (Acts: Ch 16-21) (Jennings Commentary: The Spirit and the End of Segregation)
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May 5 (Acts: Ch 22-28) (Jennings Commentary: The Disciple Citizen)
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May 12 (review, discussion and reflection)
Wednesday Morning Bible Study 8:00 am to 9:00 am on Zoom — Would you like the opportunity to explore the Bible with a small group? Everyone is welcome at this weekly online Bible study gathering led by Pastor Billy and church members. We'll look at upcoming Lectionary passages (the assigned readings for worship each week) and pay particular attention to the Scripture readings that will not be used for sermons during worship at First Presbyterian (and how they intersect with the chosen sermon texts).
Zoom login information is in each Weekly Word email.
Sermon Discussion Series: Our sermon discussion series will return every second Sunday of the month, starting April 14th. Please join us in Pastor Billy’s office (Room #105) fifteen minutes after church ends to discuss the lessons in that month's sermons.
First Presbyterian Church is a Sponsor of The Reformed Institute of Metropolitan Washington
In 2013, First Presbyterian Church became a sponsoring member of the Reformed Institute of Metropolitan Washington (RI). The RI is an organization that was established in 2003 "to promote understanding and awareness of the Reformed Tradition among the staff and members of Presbyterian churches located in the Washington area." Its purpose is to help the churches in this presbytery live up to one of the basic principles of the Reformed Tradition – to ensure an educated laity.
FPC Arlington has benefitted from many of the RI programs – the Confirmation Retreat, many of its classes, the annual convocation, and its Company of Teachers. As a sponsoring church of the Reformed Institute, First Presbyterian members are invited to participate in all of the RI adult education programs. RI offers half-day, one day or short series adult education formats during the year for sponsoring church members.
One member of our staff and a member of our congregation serve on the Board of Directors. As members of the Board of Directors, we are involved in determining the programs that are offered, development activities, staffing decisions, etc. We are expected to actively support the programs of the Institute by encouraging our members, friends, and community to participate in their offerings, and to take the things we learn and put them to use in our own congregation.
For more information on the Reformed Institute, visit their website at: www.reformedinstitute.org