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West Side Presbyterian Church
Seattle,
Washington
Adult Ministry > Sunday AM Forum
Adult Forum
All are welcome to join in. Classes are held on Sundays from 9:40 -
10:40am
(between worship services).
(Click here for list of
Sunday School staff, teachers, helpers and class locations for 2 yr olds through
high school.)
Winter Quarter 2010 (begins January 10)
- JOHN: THE GOSPEL OF BELIEF
Skip Kulle
Watch a video entitled The Visual Bible: The Gospel of John, which brings to life the best-loved of the four gospels, in a faithful and powerful dramatization of the Biblical text. With a cast of 2500, The Gospel of John has been adapted for the screen, word for word, based on the Good News Bible. Interspersed between the scenes there is background information adding to the understanding of the terms, geography and customs of the time. One reviewer has written “True to the book of John, verse by verse, we see the person of Jesus, and the actor does a magnificent job of portraying Him. I can see the love of the Savior in his eyes. The visual gospel brings it to life and gives us a glimpse of the time when Jesus walked the earth. The great miracles and parables of Jesus are portrayed beautifully. I recommend this to all people who love Him and want to try to look back in time and get a glimpse of Jesus. Awesome movie!” There will be plenty of time for discussion of the passages portrayed on the screen.
View video trailer (YouTube)
Class Location:
- VISION FOR THE NATIONS
Scott Berthiaume, Don Wilson and Mark Stewart
When will we have another chance to be introduced to the subject of missions by such an all-star lineup of veteran missionaries: a PhD linguist working in Mexico, a retired Englishman who spent the better part of his life working with the Shan people of Thailand, and a young Southerner who gave up a promising career to answer God’s call to Africa where he founded a mission organization and met his physician wife from India? Furthermore they will be using a curriculum developed by the U.S. Center for World Missions which has already impacted thousands of Sunday Schools and small groups around the world. Hang onto your passport!
Class Location:
- PARENTING 101
Sunny Moroles and Steve Vander Hijde
Jim Williams, director of STARS, a school-based program helping students make healthy lifestyle choices, has developed an excellent series of videos entitled ProActive Parenting: Building and Strengthening Christian Families. After Jim’s 19-year-old son was killed by a drunk driver, and he realized his 16-year-old headstrong daughter was slipping away, he knew something needed to change. Listening to God, Jim realized that he had been focusing on changing his daughter, when he should have focused on his own faith and his own parenting skills. He committed himself to learning how to be the kind of parent God wanted him to be. Sharing what he learned with others, Jim has now become a nationally sought-after parenting speaker. Two of our outstanding school teachers will guide the discussions.
Class Location:
December 2009/January 2010 Classes
- Sunday, December 6 - Ron Rice will show his latest video and tell about the adventures of his latest trip to Nigeria.
- Sunday, December 13 - Our Sunday School Christmas Program will be presenting “Jesus, The Light of the World”, written by Connie Burke, in Howell Auditorium. Don’t miss this opportunity to see our children share their gifts and talents! Teachers preparing for this program are Paul and Kris Aronson (2 year old class); Sally Porter, Kathy Moury, Heidi Thorson, Lori Neumann and Brietta Tatro (3 year olds through kindergarten); Jan Neupert, Shawn Packard (1st and 2nd graders); and Connie Burke, Martha Wilson, Marilyn Hill, Rand Fullington, and John and Sue Fullington (3rd through 5th graders).
- Sunday, December 20 - The traditional Christmas Carol Sing with Sid Hoagland and Sandra Dahl will be held in the Sanctuary.
- Sunday, December 27 - Matt and Brenda Carr, just back from Liberia, will tell of their SIM mission work there and their future plans.
- Sunday, January 3 - David Callaway, our Bolivian missionary, will share his latest pictures and always fascinating stories of his work in San Borja. Dave has brought his son Richard, who has just graduated from medical school in Santa Cruz, to spend Christmas with his grandmother Gladys here in West Seattle.
Fall Quarter 2009 (begins Sept. 13)
- WHERE DO I FIT IN?
Mark Stewart
One of the most exciting things in the life of a believer is to find out where they fit in God’s plan for the church, as well as functioning in that plan. Just like our bodies, God designed the Body of Christ perfectly, and every part has a vital role to fulfill to keep the body healthy. Do you know where you fit? Is God preparing you for something you never considered or even imagined? Is there a calling on the inside that is yet to surface? Come and explore the gifts God has given you and how those gifts might fit into the Body of Christ.
Class Location: Chapel
- I LOVE YOU MORE
Scott and Tonia Berthiaume
Utilizing a video series by Drs. Les and Leslie Parrott, co-directors of the Center for Relationship Development at Seattle Pacific University, this class will focus on how everyday problems can strengthen a marriage. The question isn’t whether struggles will arise, but how will husbands and wives handle them when they come. Surprisingly, these struggles can become the tipping point for a deeper love between a husband and wife.
Class Location: Howell Auditorium
- THE APOSTLES’ CREED
Ron Rice and Andy Lewis
The Apostles’ Creed is a living expression of the heart of the Christian faith and has since the time of the early church summarized the basic beliefs of Christians around the world of every denomination. We will view a brand new video series by an award-winning producer which demonstrates the timeless power and importance of the Creed and features a cast of notable theologians, including Alistair McGrath of Oxford, N.T.Wright, Bishop of Durham, Mark Galli, editor of Christianity Today, and many others. Come and watch and then discuss each phrase of the Creed, and its relevance and application to our lives today.
Class Location: Lewis Hall
Summer Quarter 2009
- Sunday, Sept. 6 - MICHAEL and OETJE MADANY have been
missionaries to the people of Somalia since 1981. They have worked
with World Concern and SIM, and are now based in Renton, working with
World Relief and the large population of Somali refugees here. They
are coordinating church volunteers to help recently arrived Somali
families. Somalis are raised to distrust and despise Christians. Acts
of Christian love build relationships that allow for appropriate
Christian witness. Internet use is widespread among Somalis, and so
Michael has developed a website with the Somali Bible and other tools
that has been visited by Somalis in over 100 countries.
- Sunday, August 30 - DR. SCOTT and TONIA BERTHIAUME - The
Berthiaumes are our “Missionaries in Residence” this year, spending
their furlough with us. Scott is just returning from Mexico where he
heads the annual Summer Institute of Linguistics at the University of
San Luis Potosi. They are Wycliffe
missionaries among the Pame people of Mexico.
- Sunday, August 23 - ANDREW and RABYA PROUT - The Prouts are
our missionaries in Jordan, where Andrew is teaching part-time at the
Jordan Evangelical
Theological Seminary and they are ministering among the small
Christian community there.
- Sunday, August 16 - MARK STEWART - Mark and his wife, Dr.
Grace John-Stewart, have been attending West Side for the past year.
Mark was a missionary in Sierra Leone at the height of the civil war
in the mid-1990s. As he traveled throughout the country conducting
leadership seminars for church leaders, and saw the burned villages,
ravaged towns and tremendous suffering, he realized he could not walk
away without helping them. Thus his ministry,
Hope Universal, was born.
It is bringing Christian witness and relief now to Sierra Leone,
Liberia and India, with plans to expand into the Philippines. Grace is
a medical researcher, working on HIV/AIDS at the University of
Washington and in Kenya.
- Sunday, August 9 - DR. TIM TEUSINK - One of our
missionaries to Ethiopia, Dr. Teusink is in charge of
SIM’s HIV/AIDS ministry there, and
has been teaching AIDS prevention and care to large numbers of
seminary students, both Protestant and Orthodox.
- Sunday, August 2 - JOSEPH D’SOUSA - This is a video of
another powerful address given at the 2009
Missions Fest Vancouver.
Dr. D’Sousa is the International President of the
Dalit Freedom Network and
President of the All India
Christian Council. He is particularly concerned about the plight
of the 250 million “Untouchables” of India and other human rights
issues in Asia. Come and hear what God is doing among some of the most
oppressed peoples of the world.
- Sunday, July 26 - KATIE BLINCOE, West Seattle Young Life
leader, will tell of the ministry of
Young Life in the West Seattle area, as well as
Young Life’s Malibu Club in Canada and other camp ministries.
- Sunday, July 19 - DR. TONY CAMPOLO. This missions address
by one of America’s most powerful and dynamic speakers was videotaped
at the huge Missions
Fest Vancouver in January. Tony Campolo will challenge you like no
one else. Don’t miss it!
- Sunday, July 12 - DCLA REPORT. Hear from our 20 teenagers
and 6 adults about their experiences at the
huge youth conference in Los
Angeles.
- Sunday, July 5 - TOM and DEBBIE WOOD are just back from the
second most dangerous city in the world, along with their daughter
Meredith. Hear their plans for the expansion of
Bible Education by Extension (BEE)
into this and other closed areas and Debbie’s recent teaching trips to
other difficult Asian countries.
- Sunday, June 28 - LOREN and ÅSA GILL, our missionaries to Bolivia, will be here for the first time in over 5 years, with their children Emma, Eli, Simon and Silas. Don’t miss this opportunity to greet this wonderful young family and get updated on their future plans. View their blog.
| NOTE: AYUBA GUFWAN from Nigeria will speak on April 26.
Ron Rice’s partner in the wheelchair ministry, Ayuba Gufwan, will be here from Nigeria on Sunday, April 26. All adult classes and younger classes as well will join in Howell Auditorium to hear his story, from 9:40-10:40am. Many West Siders feel like they already know Ayuba from all of Ron’s videos over the last 10 years. Ayuba was crippled by polio as a young boy. After 3 years at a school for disabled kids, his father said it was a waste to spend any more money on school fees for a boy who walked on his hands. It wasn’t until he was age 19 that his father saw a wheelchair for the first time, got his brother to build one, and Ayuba went back to the 4th grade. He has graduated from the Law Faculty of the University of Jos and now heads the largest wheelchair ministry in Nigeria, a country half the population of the US. Don’t miss this very special event! |
Spring Quarter 2009
- EXCUSES, EXCUSES!
Louis Platt and Keith Kuhn
“Isn’t it arrogant to say that Jesus is the only way to God?” “How could a loving God send anyone to hell?” “Why does God permit all the innocent suffering we see in the world?” “Hasn’t science made the Bible outdated?” These are among the most common questions and doubts that skeptics and even sincere Christians wrestle with today. Using famous New York City pastor Tim Keller’s recent book The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism, the class will seek cogent answers to these and other questions, to both strengthen our own faith and help us become compelling witnesses to our world. “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have” (1 Peter 3:15).
- JESUS CHRIST: FULFILLMENT OF THE PROMISES OF GOD
Ron Rice
In this video series, Dr. Jim Edwards, one of Whitworth University’s most popular professors, will take the class on a Biblical journey through the characters and events of both Old and New Testaments. He brings refreshing new insights into God’s dealing with Abraham, Moses, and the themes of priesthood, servanthood and authority and their fulfillment in Christ. There will be time for discussion as well. Several years ago we used Dr. Edward’s powerful series, Is Jesus the Only Savior? These videos will be equally compelling.
- RUNNING THE RAPIDS
Jim and Jill Campbell
Guiding Teenagers through the Turbulent Waters of Adolescence is the subtitle of this video series by leading Christian psychologist, Dr. Kevin Leman. Adolescence is often the most critical time to understand and relate to your child, though it can be painful at times. Dr. Leman mixes humor and wit with wisdom and truths that will lead to a respectful and less turbulent adolescence. Come and gain new insights, as well as share your joys and frustrations with other parents of teenagers in the discussion time.
Winter Quarter 2009
- BOUNDARIES: When to Say Yes, When to Say No, to Take Control of
Your Life
Dianne Crawford
This class will feature a popular video series based on the best-selling award-winning book by Drs. Henry Cloud and John Townsend. It presents a biblical view of what boundaries are, what they protect, and how to develop, repair and use them. By learning to set limits, participants will become more productive, creative, and better servants of God. After the 9-week series, the class will continue with the Boundaries in Marriage series and into spring quarter with Boundaries with Kids.
- A LAYMAN LOOKS AT THE END TIMES
Don Wilson
There is certainly a fascination and curiosity with what the Bible has to say about future events, especially when the times seem to be perilous. Most all Christians agree that Christ will return to earth again, but down through church history there have been a wide variety of interpretations of the biblical passages relating to eschatology or the end times. The class will look at the pros and cons of the four most popular views, and focus especially on what Jesus and Paul had to say. Topics to be explored include: the when and how of the return of Christ, the millennium, the final judgment and eternal punishment, the new heavens and the new earth.
- THE BOOK OF HEBREWS
Louis Platt and Sandra Dahl
The letter written to Hebrew Christians is one of the most fascinating of the 27 books in the New Testament. It describes in detail the Jewish anticipation of the coming Messiah and how Jesus Christ not only fulfills but exceeds the hopes and dreams of the Old Testament people of God. It is the one book that most clearly builds a bridge of understanding between the Old and New Testaments, and between the Jewish people and those of us from all races and backgrounds who now affirm Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and are saved by grace through faith. Come and be challenged and grow as we dig deeply into the roots of our New Testament faith.
December 2008 Classes
- SUNDAY, JANUARY 4 (RESCHEDULED) - Phyllis Sortor will share the amazing
story of her new Christian school for Fulani children in Nigeria.
Phyllis is a missionary from the First Free Methodist Church, across
the street from SPU here in Seattle, and has worked with Ron Rice in
Nigeria. The Fulanis are nomadic cattle herders, Muslim, and very
resistant to the gospel, to education and to outsiders. The story of
the tremendous response to this new school and Phyllis’ work among the
Fulanis is truly remarkable. Phyllis’ husband Jim died of a sudden
fever just two months ago in Nigeria.
- SUNDAY, DECEMBER 28 (RESCHEDULED) - Annual Sunday School Christmas Program.
will be presenting “The Voice of Christmas” in Howell Auditorium at 9:40am. Don’t miss this opportunity to see our children share their gifts and talents! Teachers preparing for this program are Paul and Kris Aronson (2 year old class); Sally Porter, Kathy Moury, Heidi Thorson, Lori Newmann and Cheryl Merritt (3 year olds through kindergarten); Esther Kutz, Jan Neupert, Shawn Packard (1st and 2nd graders); and Connie Burke (3rd through 5th graders). This play was adapted by Connie Burke.
- SUNDAY, DECEMBER 7 - Wheelchairs for Nigeria. Ron Rice will show the video of his recent trip to Nigeria, including the next chapter in the remarkable Wheelchairs from Jesus saga in the remote town of Tula, and presentations of folding white canes to blind students at several schools.
Fall Quarter 2008
- MONEY MATTERS 101
Chuck Morgan, Ron Rice
Few things are so dangerous to our spiritual lives than the insidious pull of earthly riches. How many of us hunger and thirst for righteousness as much as we do for comfort, power, and control? This is a complicated subject because the pull of money is so subtle. This course will especially focus on Biblical principles leading to financial freedom.
- YOUR CHILD: Essentials of Discipline
Mike & Denise McGaffey, Sunny Moroles
Parenting can be tough—but learning about it doesn’t have to be! Using a new video series by Dr. James Dobson, you will receive counsel on topics vital to 21st century moms and dads: anger vs. action; to spank or not to spank; compliant vs. defiant; the strong-willed adolescent and more. Gain practical understanding to handle your child’s negative behavior in a positive way. There will be plenty of time for discussion as well.
- HOT BUTTON ISSUES
Louis Platt
We will consider such controversial questions as: “Are Church and State Really Separate?” “God and Prayer in Schools?” “When does Human Life Begin?” “Dying with Dignity?” “Bible, Church & Homosexuality?” These topics all evoke strong emotions and often conflicting opinions, but we will seek to build an objective, well-informed & biblical response to each one.
Summer Quarter 2008
| College Age
Forum (Lewis Hall) - In a series intended for returning college students and recent graduates, we are revisiting many of the classic Bible stories of our childhood. Using a modern cinematic approach, we are looking at what these stories have to say to you NOW as you establish and build your own adult relationship with God. |
Adult Forum
(Howell Auditorium)
|