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Facilitated by Pastor James, Faith Development is a contemporary outgrowth to what has traditionally been referred to as Sunday School, Bible Study, or Religious Education.  In Faith Development, we gather for group discussion of a wide range of spiritual topics.  Faith Development is usually composed of reading a book, watching a video, or listening to a presentation, followed by open-ended questions and dialogue.  The participants prayerfully learn from one another as each person shares unique experiences, insight, and enlightenment, especially as relevant to our current particular situations and daily lives.  We typically meet Wednesdays 6:30-8:00 p.m. in the church facilities.

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Faith Development During Lent

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The next Faith Development (FD) will begin on Ash Wednesday, February 17.  We will meet each Wednesday on Zoom, starting at 6:30 pm and ending at 8:00 pm.  We will conclude this FD during Holy Week on March 31.  We will read and discuss a book entitled “Heaven and Hell: A History of the Afterlife.”  The book was published in 2020 by best-selling historian Bart Ehrman.

 

According to Ehrman, “In this book I will not be urging you either to believe or disbelieve in the existence of heaven and hell.  I am interested, instead, in seeing where these ideas came from within the dominant culture of the West, Christianity, especially as it emerged out of the pagan religions of its world and out of Judaism in particular.  I want to see how views of the afterlife came about and how they were then modified, transformed, believed, doubted, and disbelieved over time….  A fuller understanding of where the ideas of heaven and hell came from can provide assurance and comfort….  I believe this assurance, on a practical level, can free us to appreciate and enjoy our existence in the here and now, living lives full of meaning and purpose in the brief moment given us in this world of mortals.”

 

To register for this Lenten FD, please send an email to the church office: ffgcomchurch@ffgcomchurch.org.  Deadline to register is February 10.  All participants are expected to purchase their own book.  For additional information or questions (including about Zoom), please contact Pastor James.