Journeys in the Spirit:   Adult Spiritual Growth at Northaven UMC

Northaven’s Adult Education program is called Journeys in the Spirit because we understand the Christian life as a journey of our spirit in a relationship with God’s Spirit that stretches throughout our lives. To help participants to be more intentional in their growing in the Spirit  our offerings are organized into four areas:

• Nurturing our Relationship with God, which focuses on our inner life
• Servanthood in the World, which concerns ethics, social justice and mission activities
• Exploring the Scriptures, which helps us get our grounding in the Bible
• Exploring Our Beliefs, which leads us into theological reflection on the Kingdom of God

This is accomplished through the following opportunities:

1. Sunday Morning On-Going Classes There are three class groups who have a core “membership” who come together each Sunday at 9:30-10:30 a.m. to meet educational and social needs. Each class plans its own program, typically focused on a particular topic or book for several weeks. Some “members” of classes may also attend other classes or special courses for several weeks, if interested in the topic.

2. Short Term Courses ranging from 6 to 12 weeks in duration are offered on Sunday mornings or weekday evenings. Each has a focused purpose carried out in a structured manner using lectures, DVDs, and discussion. There are some courses are designated as “basic” or “overview” that relate to one of the four Journey areas above. Others are courses that are more narrowly focused that take you deeper into a particular area of study.

3. Other events and programs like the 2nd Monday Series, Faith Voices on Justice and Passage Meditation are offered weekly and/or monthly and provide specialized content and experiences. 

4.  A variety of small groups provide social and self-care opportunities.  

For more details, please refer to the complete catalog Spiritual Growth Opportunities Spring 2012 (PDF, 1367 KB).