Pastor Bob O'Bannon
Are you curious about Christianity? Perhaps you were not brought up in the church, and you want to know more about the claims of Jesus. Maybe you come from a Mormon or Muslim family, and yet you are interested in orthodox Christianity. Or perhaps you’ve strayed from the church, but now feel a tug to go back. You want to know the basics of Christianity, but don’t know where to start.
Or, perhaps you consider yourself a Christian, but you’ve never really grown in your faith because no one has come alongside you to lead you forward. You want to learn more, but you’re reluctant to admit that you actually need to start at the beginning. You’re not sure where to turn.
Christianity Explored (CE) is a seven-week “class” that is designed for the people described above. We will be starting a class on Thursday June 4, and it will last through Thursday July 16. We will meet from 6:30 to 8:30 pm each Thursday. And we would love for you to come.
Below are six reasons why CE is a good way for anyone to explore the Gospel:
1) CE encourages participants to ask questions. CE is intended to function more like a conversation than a class or lecture. We don’t necessarily promise to be able to answer every questions asked, but we will try — we want people to feel completely safe to express their inquiries without fear of being seen as a troublemaker or “doubter.”
2) CE does not pressure people to make decisions. Some evangelism programs are designed to put people on the spot to “make a decision for Jesus.” We understand that a decision of this magnitude can and should take time to process, so not only is the Gospel discussed over the course of seven weeks, there is also no pressure at the end for anyone to do anything.
3) CE directs participants to the Bible. The goal of the class is to take every participant through the book of Mark, the shortest Gospel in the Bible. This way, the Bible is allowed to speak for itself, and people decide for themselves what they think of Jesus.
4) CE takes place in the context of community. Each CE class involves a group of around eight to 15 people. This way everyone can benefit from the questions, insights and comments of others in the group. And if you prefer not to talk, that’s fine too.
5) CE always involves food. Let us never underestimate the power of food! Every class begins with some time to just hang out and eat dessert together.
6) CE is free. There is no cost for any of the materials. A study handbook and a copy of the New Testament will be given to every participant.
If you’re interested in getting involved in the upcoming class, contact the church office. We also have invitation cards at the Welcome Center if you want to invite someone.
If you want more information on CE, try the following links: