Small Groups

ALPHA, Wonderful Wednesdays Stephen's Ministry and more!

ALPHA

Come and join us starting Wednesday January 9th at 6:30pm for dinner and learn more about these courses.  Contact the church office to contact Pam Burkett or Sharon Bigenho at 412-327-6552, or visit the information desk for direct contact and details on all of our groups and classes.

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• ALPHA course (10 weeks)
  • Alpha is an introduction and exploration of the basic principles of Christianity. It is a great way to learn about your faith for the first time, look at your beliefs in a new light, strengthen your personal relationship with Christ, or introduce your friends to Christianity in an easy to understand, non-threatening way.  Each Wed., for 10 weeks, we will meet for dinner and friendship. Then we will have a video lesson with Rev. Nicky Gumbel. Nicky combines scripture, personal experiences, and humor to present basic Christianity in a way that we can relate to our own lives. We end the evening with an opportunity to discuss in a small group. This is a time you can sit back and listen or share your thoughts.
• Quilting with a purpose (10 weeks)
  • Come learn basic sewing skills to be used in gifts and simple quilts. We start class with The Quilt of Life devotional by Mary Tatem, and sharing of praises and concerns. We learn useful techniques for household gift applications. A sewing machine is helpful, but not necessary. Project kits are provided weekly. Come enjoy this supportive, easy and stress-free class to learn more about quilting and each other.
• Genesis (13 weeks)
  • Welcome to the 'Genesis to Revelation!'  You are embarking on a journey that will strengthen your understanding and appreciation of the Bible by enabling you to engage the scripture on three levels.
    1) What does the Bible say?
    2) What does this passage mean?
    3) How does the scripture relate to my life?
    This is a verse-by-verse study of Genesis that is keyed to the NIV. It is a very simple format, which makes the student book easy to use and valuable to keep as a future resource. 
• Teen ALPHA Class (10 weeks)
  • This will be a Bible study with weekly illustrations of relativity through multimedia, including music, movies, art and other types of media. Multiple passages of the Bible will be studied to express your faith and to live your relationship with God every day.
• Becoming a Contagious Christian (6 weeks)
• You are a committed Christian and know that you are one day going to heaven, but the question remains: Are you taking anyone with you?  This course deals with how to draw unbelievers into a relationship with Christ by using your own unique style and personality. You can be an evangelist and still be yourself, making your testimony even more authentic and powerful. As Christians, we are responsible for becoming disciples for Christ by sharing His gospel with others. Find out your evangelistic style and use it to be an instrument of God to help save the lost.
• The Three Colors of Ministry (6 weeks)
  • This class will enable the participants to identify and develop their spiritual gifts to grow as Christians and discover and implement their God given potential in a balanced and effective way. This is a program that we developed by the Natural Church Development Ministries and is based on the three dimensions of God's nature--Creator, Jesus and Spirit--for which the author has chosen the colors of green, red and blue. Through the use of diagnostic tools and discussion, we will study six different starting points for participants to identify where they fit on the 3 color change compass; identify manifest and latent Spiritual gifts, and learn to utilize those Spiritual gifts in effective personal maturity.
• History of Christianity (6 weeks)
  • This small group study is a six-part series introducing the fascinating and perplexing history of the Christian church. Picking up in AD 65, where the Book of Acts leaves off, the role of Christianity in shaping Western culture will be reviewed. Weekly sessions will include a 30-minute video presentation by Dr. Timothy George, Historian and Dean of the Beacon Divinity School of Stanford University. Group discussions will be based on a student workbook that will be provided the first week. With the Mormon and Muslim religions being so prominent in the daily news, having a firm understanding of our own religion is important to making sense out of the conflicting reports.

We will also offer a few follow-up 4 week classes to be started on March 5th (after the 6 week classes have concluded).

• Jewish Heritage
  • A Messianic Jew will be here to discuss Jewish Heritage. This is a great follow up to the History of Christianity class.
• Just Walk Across the Room
  • This is a great 4 week experience that will show you how to follow the lead of Jesus by simply walking across the room to talk to someone, show them that you care about them and lead them into a future with Christ that will impact where they spend eternity. This study will start with a video done by Bill Hybels and will be followed by answering questions and discussion of how these issues apply to you and those you know. Learn to extend care and compassion to those around you and lead them into a relationship with Christ. There is nothing more important. This is a great follow up to Becoming a Contagious Christian.
• One Month to Live
  • You will examine how you can live passionately, love completely, learn humbly and live boldly to create a legacy that endures for generations. Through this life changing journey, readers learn to embrace their own mortality and live their lives more fully with no regrets.
  • Also visit http://www.onemonthtolive.com/
• Tuesday Morning Session
  • This study will start on Tuesday mornings on January 22nd at 9:30am. It will be a 2 part study of the book of Daniel. The first part deals with his pressures and temptations and comparing them to ours in today's world. The second part will cover the prophecies of Daniel in great detail.

Stephen's Ministry

Do you need to talk to someone who knows how to listen?

Would you like to talk with a caring person about a personal situation you are dealing with? Are you looking for a caring person to help you through a crisis? The Stephen Ministry program will be a confidential ministry provided by Holiday Park United Methodist Church for its people in need of care.  

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