Adult Education Programs
Adult Discussion Group with pastor shelli
2025-2026 — Diving Deeper: The Reformed Christian Faith according to the Greats
Did you know that the United Church of Christ stands in the Reformed Tradition of Christian history? But what does it mean to be Reformed? And why does it matter?
This year, we will read together and reflect on some of the greatest theologians of all time, who are also Reformed theologians. We’ll dive deep into their most famous writings and note how they are relevant to our life in the UCC and more generally as Christians.
Watch videos in this series here
Watch previous courses on-demand here!
Monday Religious Studies Starting: September 14, 10-11:30am
Join the Monday Morning Religious studies class as it begins the Fall with The History of Christianity II: From the Reformation to the Modern Megachurch, a Great Courses video course with 36 lectures. The presenter, Dr. Molly Worthen, Professor of History at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, earned a B.A. in History and master’s and doctoral degrees in Religious Studies at Yale.
In the Course Guide, she describes her lectures as an exploration of “the complex journey of the Christian faith from the turn of the 16th century to our present day, following the radical transformations as well as the continuities … We’ll see Christians both flourish and struggle in cultures ranging from tsarist Russia to the slave plantations of the Caribbean, from smoke-blackened factories of Victorian England to the slums of apartheid South Africa and the hidden house churches of communist China.” (p.1)
Beginning on September 14, all are welcome to join us for some or all of the lectures Mondays, 10:00-11:30 a.m. on Zoom: bit.ly/LR-ReligiousStudies After the 30-minute lecture and our discussion, we will complete the class with fellowship time. We have fun learning and sharing our reflections. All are welcome!
September 14: Lecture 1: Prophets of Reform before Protestantism
September 21: Lecture 2: Luther and the Dawn of Protestantism
Monday Morning Religious Studies Class: Understanding the New Testament
Join the Monday Morning Religious Studies class as it begins 2026, with a new course, Understanding the New Testament (a Great Courses video lecture course), presented by Dr. David Brakke. He describes these 24 lectures in the study guide:
“The New Testament is something of a paradox. On the one hand, it is a single book—or part of a book, the Christian Bible. As such, Christians believe that it communicates a single religious message. On the other hand, it is a collection of 27 different books, written by probably 16 different authors at various times and places. This paradox expresses itself in a variety of ways … This course investigates the diversity of the New Testament by studying the distinct perspectives of its individual writings in their historical contexts.”
All are welcome to join us for some or all of the lectures on Zoom at bit.ly/LR-ReligiousStudy on Mondays, 10:00-11:30 a.m. The new course, Understanding the New Testament, begins January 5.
January 5: Lecture 1: The Paradox of the New Testament and Lecture 2: The Jewish Origins of Christian Faith
January 12: Lecture 3: 1 Thessalonians and Paul’s Ministry and Lecture 4: The Salvation of Gentiles in Galatians
Tuesday Evening Discussions Oct. 6, 13, 20 & 27
When Karl Barth (1886-1968) published his first major theological work, a contemporary of his said that it was "a bomb dropped on the playground of theologians." Barth became one of the most significant theologians of the 20th century, and his name echoes off the walls of seminaries and divinity schools to this day. What is so exciting about this Reformed theologian's work? How was he involved in the resistance to Hitler and the Nazi regime of his day? And what might we take away from his writings for our own spiritual lives?
Join us every Tuesday evening in October from 7:30-9pm as we read and discuss portions of his work together as a group. All discussions are online. Zoom link to join discussions: https://bit.ly/tues-discussions-zoom
To receive materials and updates for the discussions, please sign up: