Session 1: September 10—October 22, 2023
WHEN THE CONGREGATION LEARNED TO SING: GERMAN HYMNODY IN THE WAKE OF THE REFORMATION
CLINT SHAFFER, COLIN HOLMAN
“Music,” said Martin Luther, “is a ruler of all the heart’s emotions. Nothing on earth has more power than music to make joyful the sad, make sad the joyful, or give heart to the downcast.” The Protestant Reformation that Luther set in motion in Germany marked the beginning of one of the most remarkable eras of sacred music composition in the history of the church. This class focuses on German hymn texts and melodies—both familiar and unfamiliar—from the 16th through the 18th centuries. We’ll explore their meaning for the life of faith, discover what’s lost (or gained) in English translation, and seek to reconnect to a profound strand of Christian tradition via a weekly hymn sing.
Clint Shaffer has been a member of Immanuel since 1997 and is a former elder. He retired in June after 27 years of teaching German and core studies courses at Wheaton College. At last count, Clint’s longest iTunes playlist of German hymns included 626 songs, and he’s been known to listen to hymns while mowing the lawn (though not usually singing along). Colin Holman and his family have attended Immanuel since 1995. He is a former deacon and serves as a lecturer (musicology, symphony orchestra, honors program) at Loyola University.
SEEING JESUS IN THE OLD TESTAMENT
RON HAYDON
In the New Testament, God blesses us with a clear picture of the revealed Christ. He is the fullness of humanity and fullness of the one God. But when we find ourselves in the Old Testament, we can have a tough time locating how Christ - who is God incarnate - present. This class will explore how Christ is indeed present in the Old Testament, a truth that the Scriptures and Early Church tradition both affirm and celebrate.
Ron Haydon teaches Bible at Naperville Christian Academy. He lives in Warrenville with his wife, Julie, and his son, Graham. He enjoys playing board games and reading.
Session 2: November 5—December 17, 2023
INTRODUCTION TO THE REFORMED FAITH
MARK NOLL
This class provides a basic orientation to the Reformed tradition that guides our church’s teaching and its ministries. It offers a brief history of the origin and development of Reformed churches, including Presbyterian churches, before reviewing two of the most important Reformed statements of faith (Heidelberg Catechism, Westminster Confession). It explains why Reformed churches focus on “covenant” as a key to understanding the Scriptures. It also introduces central Reformed teachings about the person and work of Christ, salvation, Christian living, and life in the world.
Mark Noll is retired as a history professor, first from Wheaton College and then the University of Notre Dame. He and his wife, Maggie, have been privileged to be part of this congregation for more than four decades.
New testament witnesses to christ
Diane Jerdan
Jesus told his followers, “You shall be my witnesses.” We want to be—we know we should be—but what does it mean practically to be a witness for Jesus? In this class we will observe and learn from various New Testament witnesses who can encourage us in our way of communicating our faith in our present context.
Diane Jerdan has attended Immanuel since 2011, when she and Bill moved here to be near their daughter’s family following their years of missionary service in France. She has found the IPC family to be an anchor through the changes and transitions of the last few years. Diane enjoys walks in nature, reading, puzzles, keeping up with worldwide current events, and spending time with her fourteen grandchildren—with never a dull or boring moment.
Session 3: January 7—January 28, 2024
Spiritual formation as if the church matters
Jim wilhoit
The church exists to carry out Christ’s mission in the world and to accomplish this spiritual formation must be a central task of the church. The charge to the church, given by Jesus himself, is to make disciples, baptize them, and teach them to obey his commands (Matt. 28:19–20). The witness, worship, teaching, and compassion that the church is to practice all require that Christians be spiritually formed. This class briefly overviews the themes in my book, Spiritual Formation, as If the Church Mattered (Baker, 2022), which addresses what the church can do to promote spiritual formation.
Jim Wilhoit and Carol have attended Immanuel since 2008. Jim taught spiritual formation at Wheaton College for thirty-eight years and is ordained as a teaching elder in the EPC. In his retirement, he enjoys time for prayer, writing, family, getting outside, and volunteering at the Morton Arboretum. He recently self-published Abide, a book on biblical meditation (available through Amazon).
neighborhood friends
jeff lancaster
Informal but sustained relationships are important in our increasingly secular world, as many Christian beliefs are highly offensive to people, as they were in the first century. Movement toward Christian belief will have to be personal, organic, and incremental as we question our friends’ working answers about meaning, morality, identity, and hope and take the time to answer their questions about Christianity. Friends share their hearts with each other and do what’s best for each other. Evangelism can emerge naturally in friendship if you don’t let your pride, fears, or pessimism cut it off and make you hide your faith and heart. The gospel that makes us completely accepted in Christ frees us from the fear that keeps us from being vulnerable and that makes us treat friends in a dehumanizing way as “evangelistic projects.” You’ll share the good news because you love your friends. Because of the gospel, we can help our friends find faith in the most credible, natural, and fruitful way (Acts 2:47). (Content credit to Tim Keller’s Evangelism in the Early Church).
Jeffrey and Cathy Lancaster have planted churches in Oxford, MS, in New Orleans, and in Memphis. These days they are serving in Chicago, planting an EPC congregation. They are the parents of three adult children.
Session 4: February 18—March 24, 2024
thinking about heaven
john schuurman
The volume of things that have been written, sung, painted, preached, and thought about the life of God’s people after they die is like oceans or mountains, which is to be contrasted with the relative paucity of what the Bible has to say on the subject. We cannot hope to do justice to all the ideas and speculations about heaven, but in this class we will deal with what the Bible does say, and try to deal fairly with what the historic Christian Church has said, along with what sympathy card writers and artists as well as song writers and philosophers have communicated about the matter.
John Schuurman and Janet have been worshipping and serving at IPC since John retired from ministry in the Christian Reformed Church in North America in 2011. John and Janet enjoy travel, reading, and attending theater performances and concerts. IPC folks have an open invitation to their credible little walk-up movie theater on most Friday nights in the summer.
it takes a village
chris and amy danusiar
From long, sleepless nights, through toddler joys and tantrums, to school-day crazies, proms, and beyond, raising children is not for the faint of heart. There is no shortage of books or opinions on parenting, but how do we learn what our children need and how we can help them grow strong in grace, wisdom, and resilience. Chris and Amy, along with other seasoned parents from Immanuel, will share ideas, scriptural insights, and stories of what they’ve learned along the way and facilitate discussion on difficulties we face in raising children.
Chris and Amy Danusiar brought their three little girls to Immanuel in 1999 and are incredibly thankful for ever nursery, Sunday School, Children in Worship, and Youth Group worker, pastor, or mentor who has helped in training up their children. By day, Chris is a veteran of the technology industry and Amy will always be a children’s librarian at heart. Their grown daughters are married and living as far away from their parents as possible.
Session 5: April 7—May 19, 2024
the holy spirit and the christian life
dan treier
Dan’s long-running course of Evangelical Theology 101, which provides an introductory survey of basic evangelical Protestant beliefs, undertakes to move as slow and simply as possible, with one section starting where the last one left off. This installment focuses on the Holy Spirit and especially his work in sanctifying God’s people.
Dan Treier is Knoedler Professor of Theology at Wheaton College Graduate School. He and Amy and Anna have been part of Immanuel since 2010. This course engages material from his textbook, Introducing Evangelical Theology (Baker), which won the 2020 Bible and Reference Book of the Year award from the Evangelical Publishers Association.
zoom around the world
missions team
Join the Mission Team on a virtual visit to seven of the twelve missionaries Immanuel supports. Our online sessions will meet with a different missionary family every Sunday to hear about their exciting ministry opportunities and interesting cultural forays into their foreign lands, even while we pray for their needs.
The Missions Team at Immanuel: Dan Balzer, Bill France, Priscilla Heidebrecht, Diane Jerdan (chair), John Jacobsma, Annette LaPlaca (ex-officio), Tom Nguyen, Maggie Noll, Bob Williams, Leah Witte, and Sharon Wolgemuth.
Adult Education Zoom Recordings
Audio recordings of some Adult Education classes are available on the Members page, found on the top menu.