Adults ~ Journeying together toward deeper faith, justice, and love for all

Journey of Faith

Our Journey of Faith program began in 2008 as part of the beginning of our congregation’s revitalization. This program combines adult Christian Education with opportunities to share our faith with others.  Over the years we have provided sessions such as book studies, video studies, invited speakers, ecological concerns, and presentations by our own members.  For a view of some of our past offerings, please click here.

Please consider joining us on Wednesday evenings from 6:30-7:30 as we explore questions of our faith!

JUNE 2017

June 7 | Since God is Still Speaking, What is God Saying about Immigration? | Why are there 11 million undocumented immigrants in the United States? What does the Bible say about welcoming the stranger? How is the United Church of Christ involved? What is an Immigrant Welcoming Congregation? What is a Sanctuary Congregation? This presentation and discussion will invite participants to continue on their journey of faith by reasoning together about the reality of immigrants in the U.S. and about God's call to Christians as we seek to respond to their presence in our midst. Come hear about why immigrants are here, how the U.S. is involved, what immigrants contribute to life in the U.S., what the Bible points us to in the treatment of immigrants, and what we discern our call to be in response to all of this. 

Diane Haines is chair of the Minnesota Conference Immigration Team. She is also on the UCC National Immigration Collaborative and chairs the Immigration Team at Mayflower UCC in Minneapolis. She has traveled to Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Colombia, Nicaragua, Haiti, and the U.S./Mexico border seeking the truth about U.S. immigration policies and discerning how the church should respond.

June 14 | The Christian Mysticism of Julian of Norwich | Julian of Norwich was a 14th-century English mystic who received a series of 16 visions as she lay near death at age 30. We’ll delve into the life and teachings of this enigmatic figure, the author of Revelations of Divine Love, who is perhaps most famous for her oft-quoted reflection: “All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well.”

Kathy Hull will lead this session. Kathy is a member of St. Paul’s UCC with much interest in the subject of Christian mysticism—but she humbly claims no expertise!

June 21 | Embracing God’s Promise: News from the Minnesota Conference UCC Annual Meeting | Every June, the Annual Meeting of the Minnesota Conference UCC brings together clergy and laypeople to share in decision-making, learning, and worship. The theme for 2017 is about church vitality. Rev. Norma Rae Hunt was the invited preacher for the meeting’s Sunday worship service. In this session, we’ll hear from SPUCC’s delegation. What did they learn? With whom did they connect? How did the experience change them?

June 28 | Ojibwe Spirit | While doing research for his book The Chippewa: Biography of a Wisconsin Waterway (2017, Wisconsin Historical Society Press), Rich Cornell had a problem. How would he contact and interview the elders of the Lac Courte Oreilles (LCO) tribe? Their reservation was flooded when the Chippewa River was dammed in 1923, creating the 13,000-acre Chippewa Flowage. Rich was fortunate to meet Dr. John “Little Bird” Anderson, who served as first chair of the LCO and first president of LCO Ojibwa Community College. He agreed to an on-camera interview. After Dr. Anderson passed away in 2016, Rich edited the filmed interview as a tribute. The film also includes the art of Sara Belbin and the traditional Ojibwe flute of Frank Montano. In this session, Rich will show the film and lead a discussion on Dr. Anderson’s thoughts on Ojibwe culture and beliefs. Rich Cornell, a member of St. Paul’s UCC, is a retired organization development consultant, history writer, and filmmaker.

ARC Retreat Center ~ Action, Reflection, Celebration

The ARC Retreat Center is located in a beautiful white pine forest just an hour north of the twin cities. ARC is “a retreat center operated by a residential community, rooted in Christian tradition, emphasizing the values of simplicity, justice and healing, mercy and prayer, serving individuals and groups seeking time apart, rest and spiritual renewal." We go on retreat during Lent and in the fall each year. Recent retreat themes have included Sabbath, Forgiveness, and most recently in February 2017, Exploring the Mountain and Valley Experiences of Faith. 

Interest Groups ~ ongoing connections based in commonalities

Men's Group

Join us on the first Sunday of the month. We have a light breakfast and gathering time beginning at 9 am in the Fireside Room. Tom Davis facilitates this group with a little help from his friends. 

Women's Group

The Women's Group began in 1994 as Working Women — a group that engaged in social gatherings and service work together. The group now includes women in their early 20s through 90s who are employed, underemployed, managing households, and retired. The group gathers for a 6 pm dinner at a local restaurant on the first Monday of each month and periodically sponsors a Sunday Morning Fair Trade Coffee Hour with a theme. They also provide Christmas gifts for our homebound members and were the original planters of the Peace Garden in front of the church. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for more information.