St Mark UMC offers two adult Sunday School Classes and a children's Sunday School class, all of which take place each Sunday morning at 10:00 am. Please join us for one this Sunday!
The Agape Class is led by a rotation of instructors including Eanix Poole and Ed Black.
The Faith Class is led by April Ponder-Twardy.
The 'Jesus Loves Me' Children's Sunday School Class is led by Suzy Roberts.
The Agape Class is led by a rotation of instructors including Eanix Poole and Ed Black.
The Faith Class is led by April Ponder-Twardy.
The 'Jesus Loves Me' Children's Sunday School Class is led by Suzy Roberts.
A Word From The Agape Class
We have quickly traveled through the books of 1 Corinthians, 2 Timothy, James, and I Peter of the New Testament the past month with scriptural references selected to emphasize the need for first century as well as present day Christians to move away from the shadow of the Law and move into the bright light of God’s grace. This was accomplished by the coming of the Messiah, His death and resurrection where he destroyed death, “oh death where is thy sting?” The Glory of God was found in the Tabernacle, then in the Temple in Jerusalem, and after it was destroyed it was in Jesus and now it is found in Believers everywhere. The Apostle Paul explains that this was God’s plan from the beginning.
Most of the early Christians were Jewish and had grown up under the Law. It was a hard sell to convince them to diminish the importance of the Law and believe in a Messiah who was born and placed in a feeding trough in an animal holding area and who had grown up in the small town of Nazareth. In addition, he died a horrible death reserved for criminals on a cross. This was not what most Jewish people expected of the Messiah. They expected a King coming on the level of David or higher to deliver them from the oppression of the Romans and others. We all need to take a lesson from the Servant Jesus who had real compassion for sinners of all types.
Despite these obstacles, there were many converts by Jesus and subsequently the Apostles/ Disciples Paul, Peter, and others. These lessons explain how Christians are to live by setting examples for others, grow in spiritual maturity and how to worship in Churches that glorify God. They emphasized that we are saved by faith only and salvation gives us hope for eternal life. Non-believers think all this as foolishness but they have no hope. The proof of the reality of our faith is a changed life. Genuine faith will inevitably produce good deeds. This was the central theme of James letter. Paul discusses the importance of unity in churches he had founded in Ephesus, Corinth and elsewhere when factions had developed and false teachers had sown seeds of discord. All these problems are found in modern day churches who suffer from spiritual immaturity.
The worldly with whom we are exposed to daily, focus on material success and earthly desires that tend to cause pride, arrogance, and rivalries. Humanity is constantly dealing with brokenness. On the other hand, the Gospel of Jesus Christ focuses on spiritual and Godly desires, particularly the salvation of sinners and serving others.
When people visit our church, how do we react toward them. James makes the point that whether they are rich or poor, they should be treated with dignity and respect. If they are Christians, we are brethren, if they are still sinners, Christ died for them the same as for us. Furthermore, God can use the least among us to bring Glory to His name. Many examples are found in the Bible of people of limited means that made a tremendous difference in the spiritual lives of many people. When Jesus died, He broke down walls between the rich and poor, young, and old, educated, and uneducated.
The commandment to love our neighbor as ourselves is extremely important in our lives. The question is not who is our neighbor, but to whom can I be a neighbor? Amen
Most of the early Christians were Jewish and had grown up under the Law. It was a hard sell to convince them to diminish the importance of the Law and believe in a Messiah who was born and placed in a feeding trough in an animal holding area and who had grown up in the small town of Nazareth. In addition, he died a horrible death reserved for criminals on a cross. This was not what most Jewish people expected of the Messiah. They expected a King coming on the level of David or higher to deliver them from the oppression of the Romans and others. We all need to take a lesson from the Servant Jesus who had real compassion for sinners of all types.
Despite these obstacles, there were many converts by Jesus and subsequently the Apostles/ Disciples Paul, Peter, and others. These lessons explain how Christians are to live by setting examples for others, grow in spiritual maturity and how to worship in Churches that glorify God. They emphasized that we are saved by faith only and salvation gives us hope for eternal life. Non-believers think all this as foolishness but they have no hope. The proof of the reality of our faith is a changed life. Genuine faith will inevitably produce good deeds. This was the central theme of James letter. Paul discusses the importance of unity in churches he had founded in Ephesus, Corinth and elsewhere when factions had developed and false teachers had sown seeds of discord. All these problems are found in modern day churches who suffer from spiritual immaturity.
The worldly with whom we are exposed to daily, focus on material success and earthly desires that tend to cause pride, arrogance, and rivalries. Humanity is constantly dealing with brokenness. On the other hand, the Gospel of Jesus Christ focuses on spiritual and Godly desires, particularly the salvation of sinners and serving others.
When people visit our church, how do we react toward them. James makes the point that whether they are rich or poor, they should be treated with dignity and respect. If they are Christians, we are brethren, if they are still sinners, Christ died for them the same as for us. Furthermore, God can use the least among us to bring Glory to His name. Many examples are found in the Bible of people of limited means that made a tremendous difference in the spiritual lives of many people. When Jesus died, He broke down walls between the rich and poor, young, and old, educated, and uneducated.
The commandment to love our neighbor as ourselves is extremely important in our lives. The question is not who is our neighbor, but to whom can I be a neighbor? Amen
A Word From The Faith Class
Greetings from the Faith Sunday School Class. We are studying God’s call this month, as we finish out the winter quarter “From Darkness to Light.” I think the scripture that most resonated with me and others in the class was from 2 Timothy 1:7, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and a sound mind. ” KJV A good reminder for these days.
As part of our class, we give money collected away to meet needs as they arise. In January, we gave money to UMCOR to help with tornado relief. This month we gave money to the Scouts in recognition of Scout Sunday.
As part of our class, we give money collected away to meet needs as they arise. In January, we gave money to UMCOR to help with tornado relief. This month we gave money to the Scouts in recognition of Scout Sunday.