Adults

RESURRECTION: AN ISSUE OF FAITH

Leaders: Bill Brown and Sandi Payne
Location: The Parlor

Resurrection has been called the most central tenet of the Christian faith. Leading up to Easter, we will look at resurrection from from the biblical to the existential (with the theological somewhere in between). What does resurrection mean in a death-denying/death-fixated culture such as ours? What does it mean to us at North Decatur?

This course will also include presentations from the LIVING THE QUESTIONS video series, a source of curriculum and media for both seekers and “church alumni/ae” convinced that Christianity still has relevance in the 21st Century. Providing a variety of flexible resources, Living the Questions can help people explore what a meaningful faith can look like in today’s world.

SPIRITUALITY IN FILM AND POETRY

Leaders: Ellen Gadberry, Alice Hickcox and Tim Merritt
Location: The Den

Beginning on February 1 for four weeks, we’ll watch a short film each week in class – drama, comedy, documentary. Our discussions will explore how these films relate to the challenge of leading a spiritual life in modern times.
During Lent (beginning on March 1), we will remember that scripture tells us that after Jesus revealed himself as the messiah, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. We too will participate in a journey of preparation for Easter, using poetry and scripture to guide us through this penitential season. Our conversation will be about contemporary poems in the context of Lent as we deepen our understanding through our shared meditations. After Easter we will close out the church school year with a final six weeks of focus on feature-length films, more shorts, and/or additional poetry – we’ll plan together as a class, so bring your great ideas to share.

ENSLAVED PEOPLE, SPIRITUALS AND RELIGiON

Leaders: Kent Leslie and Debby Miller
Location: The AA Room

In this class we will explore the history, the wisdom, and the art of African American Spirituals. It will be an invitation to deeper understanding of the struggle for freedom and the ability of enslaved people to maintain hope over despair through profound religious faith, spiritual connection, and powerful music. We will study the music and lyrics of slave songs, their secret meanings, and their Biblical and African roots through a wealth of interpretive literature and annotated commentary. Every class will begin with a listening experience. We will listen to historic and modern recordings, read and discuss a variety of essays, watch a PBS video of the Jubilee Singers, and hear expert guest speakers. If we’re lucky, we’ll have a class in learning to sing with our hearts.

Resources include audio recordings (Paul Robeson, Marion Anderson, Nina Simone, Alan Lomax collections, Anthony Brown), film (Woman of Color, Daughter of Privilege), and literature by Alice Walker, Kent Leslie, Lydia Parrish, Anthony Brown, Richard Newman, Arthur Jones, and more.