Led by Marcia Rostad

Study will resume Sept. 6. Each study usually lasts six weeks.

Our first study is “Questions Jesus Asked” by Magrey deVega. Jesus was fond of asking questions, many of which cut right to the heart of what it means to be human. Why are you terrified? What do you live for? Who do you say that I am? Asking these and other questions takes courage. Not only do they reveal what Jesus really cares about, they open a window into our hearts. We all have questions for God, but growth happens when we turn things around and ask what Jesus wants to know about us.

Please register especially if attending by Zoom.

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No book is required, but it is helpful. Scholarships are available by contacting Pastor Kim, kim@umcstmarks.org.

Led by Rick Farnsworth and Carl Harrison

Current study: “Courage” a study by Tom Berlin.

As Christians, we do our best to live our lives as Jesus lived, following the examples of his many virtues – including honesty, faithfulness, and generosity. But one often overlooked virtue is courage. Throughout Jesus’ life, he was called upon to be brave and, by his example, we can begin to understand what true courage is. This 6-week study challenges us to unlock the courage we already possess as Christ followers and begin to find the remarkable life Jesus offers us.

This study will stimulate much discussion and reflection upon the changes we are experiencing and the church’s response to them.

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9:30-11 a.m. Sundays

Led by Brenda Hunter and Kelly Deyoe

Study: The book of Revelation beginning Sept. 10

In addition to the Bible, the class will use the study book Breaking the Code by Bruce Metzger. Please obtain this book from your favorite resource before the study begins.

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Several Bibles are available in the meeting room.

Led by Marlyce Wright

This 6-week study of Psalms will “help readers know and understand the meaning, the message, and the God of the Bible.” Each weekly study unit presents several selected texts to explore. Class discussion centers around some basic questions, and lastly, the class allows time for personal reflection and application. Each participant needs to read and complete Chapter 1 before the first class. Books have been purchased ahead and may be obtained from the church office during regular hours. Also, there is homework each week (but not too much).

This study about the Psalms is designed as a 12-week course that will be scheduled as two separate 6-week sessions. Interested participants may attend one 6-week session or the entire 12-week study.

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6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Mondays, Sept. 18 – Oct. 23.

Coming in October! Led by Linda Walker.

Professor, lecturer, and world-renowned author Marcus J. Borg asked his “unchurched” university students to write a short essay about their impressions of Christianity. They consistently used five adjectives to describe Christian believers: “literalistic, anti-intellectual, self-righteous, judgmental, and bigoted.” Borg, a passionate believer in living the life of faith, wanted to change the students’ views and offer them a progressive alternative view of what the Christian life can be. The Heart of Christianity was the result of Borg’s work. This book argues that the essential ingredients of a Christian life—faith, being born again, the kingdom of God, the gospel of love—are as vitally important today as they have always been, even during this time of conflict and change in the church. St. Mark’s will offer this six-session study, led by former adult education coordinator Linda Walker, beginning mid-October.

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Led by Pastor Kevin

Theo Pub meets at a local restaurant for dinner and conversation around life and faith ideas in a welcoming and inclusive setting. All views entertained with respect.

For more information, contact Pastor Kevin, kevin@umcstmarks.org.

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Led by Celeste Pardee and Ann Reaban

Do you enjoy discussing the books you read? This St. Mark’s book group is for you! It meets on a Friday in the latter half of each month.

Sept. 22: Welcoming the Stranger, by Matthew Soerens and Jenny Yang (updated edition, 2018). Immigration is one of the most complicated and controversial issues of our time. Christians find themselves torn between a desire to uphold laws and a call to minister to the vulnerable. Soerens and Yang offer a sensible Christian response to immigration. They put a human face on the issue by sharing stories of immigrants’ experiences in and out of the legal system. With thoughtful analysis, they suggest immigration policy reform that is compassionate and just—a way for us to welcome and assist our immigrant neighbors.

Oct. 20: Just Like Us: The True Story of Four Mexican Girls Coming of Age in America, by Helen Thorpe (updated edition, 2011). Thorpe introduces us to four teenagers in Denver, CO, preparing for their senior prom. They are bright, ambitious, excellent students. All four dream of college and professional careers, but two don’t have a green card or Social Security number because their parents brought them across the border illegally. Their two friends are legal—one was born in the U.S., and the other has a green card. Each girl views the others as her equals, yet the world does not treat them that way. This is a story of girlhood, friendship, and identity—what it means to fake or steal an identity, or to inherit an identity from one’s parents and country.

Nov. 17: The Night Watchman, by Louise Erdrich (2020). This novel is based on the life of Erdrich’s grandfather, who carried the fight against Native dispossession from rural North Dakota to Washington, D.C. The main character is a Chippewa council member who works as a night watchman at a factory near the Turtle Mountain Reservation. He is concerned about the consequences of a 1953 “emancipation” bill on its way to the U.S. Congress that will terminate the rights of Native Americans to their land and culture. How can the government abandon treaties made in good faith with the Chippewas “for as long as the grasses shall grow?” Erdrich weaves a story with characters who grapple with the worst and best impulses of human nature.

Dec. 15: The Book of Lost Names, by Kristin Harmel (2020). Inspired by true events, this historical novel follows Eva, a graduate student who leaves Paris in 1942 after the Nazis arrest her father, a Polish Jew. Finding refuge in a small town in the free zone, she helps the Resistance by forging identity documents for Jewish children fleeing to Switzerland. But erasing people comes with a price, so Eva finds a way to preserve the real names of the children who are too young to remember their true identity. The records she keeps in the Book of Lost Names become more vital when the Resistance cell she works with is betrayed. This is a tale of enduring hope, survival and heroism in the midst of adversity.

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Books may be borrowed from the Pima County Public Library or purchased (new or used) from Amazon, Barnes & Noble or Bookshop.org, which supports local booksellers.

Bible and a Bite Bring a sack lunch and the latest copy of “The Upper Room” to discuss and break bread together just as Jesus and his disciples broke bread in the upper room. 12:30 p.m. Thursdays at Sanctuary Campus. Chris Shafer, (call the church office).

Roadrunner Book Study 9:30 a.m. Wednesdays at Roadrunner Coffee, Linda Vista and Thornydale. What started as a pastor’s Bible study has evolved into a book study that reads a little of everything. Participants enjoy terrific fellowship. Email info@umcstmarks.org for info.

Virtual Coffee Chat 10-11 a.m. Thursdays via Zoom. Bring your favorite drink and a snack and join this free-flowing conversation. Contact Office Manager Lora Wineinger for the Zoom link: lora@umcstmarks.org.

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