I walked through a store this week and noticed that school supplies and fall clothing are everywhere. It’s hard to think about school and classes when dealing with the heat and humidity of summer, but they will start before you know it! While most of us are not in Elementary, Middle, High School or going to a College or Technical school, there is a school that all are welcome to join in and expand our knowledge: Lay School.
I graduated from the Core Certificate Program last spring, and I look forward to participating in the continuing education classes. Now, I did the 8 class Core Program in 2 years, but that is not how everyone does it. I had several other students in my classes that were only taking 1 or 2 classes each year. In fact, one does not even have to have the goal of completing the full program. Look at the classes offered and if only some of them pique your interest, you can take just those classes!
The Core classes offered this year are:
• Intro to Theology – “we will explore how this theology impacts all aspects of our lived theology: how we think,
talk and teach about God, the questions we ask, and how we live out our faith in daily life, especially at times of suffering and loss.” – Learning about the theology of the cross has changed my way of looking at our beliefs and made me more humble in acknowledging that
God’s grace is there to get through the good and bad of life.
• Old Testament/Hebrew Bible – “The Old Testament makes up almost 77% of our scriptures and yet is often ignored or misunderstood by Christians. Our goal is to help us reclaim the whole of our scripture, become more fluent
readers of it, and help us better understand the Old Testament’s relevance to our faith and practice.” – I had the most trouble working through my thoughts and feelings with this class. Lots of conversations with God were had in how God acts in the Old Testament.
• Liturgy & Life – “we will examine the Use of the Means of Grace, discover different sources and functions of various portions of the liturgy, the history of rituals for life passages (baptisms, weddings, funerals, healing service), and the origin and depth of attending to feasts and seasons throughout the liturgical year.” – I loved learning about
the different parts of the worship service and why we do and say what we say every Sunday.
• Faith and Spirituality (focus is on Faith) – “We’ll experience the joy of Christian community as we learn together to articulate our faith and receive God’s love for us as individuals and as a group.” – I really learned a lot about myself and different ways of looking at our faith in ourselves and in action. Next year’s classes are titled Introduction to the New Testament, Lutheran Confessions, Church History, and Faith and
Spirituali
ty (focus on Spirituality). So, check out the link and sign-up for a class or classes that move you! https://ecswlayschool.org/
Remember, the wisest people are those that start learning when they are born and never stop until the good Lord
calls them home! Tina Kopiske
Comments