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Immanuel Presbyterian Church carries out its commitment to adult education in a variety of ways. One unique feature of Immanuel's approach to adult ministry is that most of our Sunday morning classes and small groups are inter-generational. In other words, adults are not divided into age or stage-of-life groups, but benefit from the perspectives of fellow believers from every phase of adult life. In general, Immanuel's adult education offers fall under the following categories: Adult Electives
Every Sunday morning during the school year, we offer a selection of classes for adults. Taught by members of the church, these classes include a Bible study or survey, a treatment of a family-oriented or personal spiritual growth topic, and a theological issue or contemporary issue examined from a biblical perspective. Small Groups
All adults at Immanuel are encouraged to become part of a small group that meets for fellowship, prayer, and learning. Some of these are official programs, such as the Women's Bible study that meets on Tuesday mornings or evenings. More often members form their own groups without the assistance of pastoral staff. For more information, call Carol Plueddemann, Minister of Congregational Life, at (630) 393-4400.
| April 7 - May 19 (7 weeks) | | | | | Connecting over Coffee and Scripture - Room 9, Downstairs This is an ongoing class that seeks to promote community as we study together. Each class includes a sermon discussions as well as other topics. If you'd like to become better acquainted with others at Immanuel and participate in a discussion-oriented class, consider participating! Feel free to drop in any Sunday.
Cindy/Steve Bretsen and Carol/Jim Wilhoit coordinate this class. |
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| | The Butterfly Effect: God at Work in our Ordinary Lives - Sanctuary The "Butterfly Effect" suggests that small actions sometimes have a much larger impact than we expected. Together we will discover how God works organically, through small actions of faithfulness, to impact those around us in significant ways. Drawing on some principles in Brandon's book, The Stategically Small Church, this class will explore God's work in our ordinary lives from three perspectives: 1) Community: we'll learn how local churches/ministries are working to spread the Kingdom of God. 2) People: we'll explore what it means to serve out of our passions and gifts. 3) Workplace: We'll hear stories about and brainstorm strategies for living out our faith at work. Dan Balzer lives his ordinary life in West Chicago with his wife, Phebe, and two daughters. Dan has been a member of Immanuel since the early 1990s and has enjoyed participating in various teaching opportunities at Immanuel over the years. During the week, Dan develops online and face-to-face training programs for owners of BP gas stations. Brandon O'Brien is learning that working from home was a lot easier before the baby came along. When he isn't changing diapers, he is a freelance writer, teaches part-time at College of DuPage, and has just submitted his doctoral dissertation in early American Church history. He and his wife Amy have been members of Immanuel for about 6 years.
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| | Tell Me a Story: Storytelling and Story Reading in the Bible and Other Places - LaRoca Room, Downstairs Why does "story" seem to interest us so commonly and deeply? Why is the Bible so full of story narratives? How might "telling" something be different from "explaining" it? How can we read a story for better understanding and meaning? How might our personal response affect what a story might mean? Are all stories "invented" and what might we mean by that? What is a "true story?" We will distribute copies of some varied kinds of short story-narratives each week, read them, and come back the next week to discuss them and share our responses and questions together. Bob Warburton has been part of Bethel and Immanuel congregations since 1960 and has served both as elder and deacon. He has been a professor of English at Wheaton College, COD, and elsewhere since about 1954--mostly teaching and talking about stories and such. | | | | | | | |
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