Education - Adult
Adults at Mount Olive are encouraged to grow in their faith through study of the Bible, Lutheran theology, and discussing practical issues for our everyday life. There are many ways one can be involved:
Sunday Morning Adult Forum: From September through May, Adults are welcome to the Fellowship hall from 9:30-10:15am. Bring your coffee!
January:
- January 8 - "Workplace Values: Love Your Enemy" We will discuss together how to love the person in the cubicle next to you. You know, that annoying, irritating, bully of a person?
- January 15 - "Workplace Values: Sharing Your Faith" So, how do you share your faith with co-workers, especially if they are of different faith? What are we "supposed" to do as Christians?
- January 22 -"Workplace Values: When your personal values don't match the Corporate values" What do you do when you are asked to act or behave in a way that is in the best interest of the corporation, but goes against your values as a person of faith?
- January 29 - TBA
February:
- February 5 - Introduction to Islam with Rashed Ferdous
Rashed Ferdous is a speaker of the Islamic Resource Group, a Minnesota based non-profit educational organization. He is involved in various interfaith activities in the Rochester area. Some of these are Interfaith Habitat for Humanity, Rochester Area Interfaith Youth Core, Tent of Abraham Peace Walk, KSMQ weekly interfaith TV show "Diversity Connection: Faith Edition" and Rochester mosque open house. Rashed teaches at Rochester Islamic School on Sundays. He is a religious volunteer at Federal and State prisons. Rashed received Diversity Award 2011 given by the Mayor of Rochester for his work in the community. He is a student of Sharia Academy of America and pursuing a Ph.D. at University of Minnesota. He is a software engineer by profession.
- February 12 - Follow up look at Islam
- February 19 - Pancake Breakfast Brunch
- February 26 - "Is Anything too Wonderful for God? Stories of Hope in the Wilderness"
March:
- March 4 - "Is Anything too Wonderful for God?"
- March 11 - "Is Anything too Wonderful for God?"
- March 18 - "Is Anything too Wonderful for God?"
- March 25 - "Is Anything too Wonderful for God?"
April:
- April 1 - "Is Anything too Wonderful for God?"
- April 8 - OFF EASTER
- April 15 - Revelation: A Lutheran Look at a Confusing Book (P.S. It's not what you think!)
- April 22 - Revelation
- April 29 - Revelation
May:
- May 6 - Revelation
- May 13 - Revelation
- May 20 - End of the Year Brunch
Wednesday Night Classes: There are three 6- week sessions on a particular topic. Classes are from 6:30-7:30pm:
- Winter: Wednesday, January 4- February 8
- Spring: Wednesday, April 11 - May 16
Faith Seeking Understanding Book Club: This unique book club focuses on reading both classic and new books on theology and religion. The variety of books chosen each year try to emphasize diversity of thought within a community of deep faith.
- Meets the First Tuesday of the Month: October 4- May 1 from 6:30-8:00 p.m. in the front Conference Room
- February 7
Phyllis Tickle reframes our understanding of the current "birth pangs" of the church. Looking back over the course of history she makes the case that every 500 years the church refines itself and it is not without pain. She gives us the perspective to see how the church is working to emerge into something new in our time.
- March 6
This modern translation of the first 8 books in Saint Augustine's "Confessions" chronicles the brilliant man's life from birth to the moment of conversion at the age of 33. Reading this book will convince you of his place in history and remind you that some Saints were once the worst sinners of all.
- April
Richard Rohr is a favorite to read! In this book he offers a new paradigm for understanding one of the most profound of life's mysteries: how our failings can be the foundation for our ongoing spiritual growth.
- May
The Power of Now: A Guide to Spritual Enlightenment
To make the journey into the Now we will need to leave our analytical mind and its false created self, the ego, behind. From the very first page of this extraordinary book, we move rapidly into a significantly higher altitude where we breathe a lighter air. We become connected to the indestructible essence of our Being, "The eternal, ever present One Life beyond the myriad forms of life that are subject to birth and death." Although the journey is challenging, Eckhart Tolle uses simple language and an easy question and answer format to guide us. A word of mouth phenomenon since its first publication, The Power of Now is one of those rare books with the power to create an experience in readers, one that can radically change their lives for the better.
A number of small groups meet during the program year, as well. Two book groups meet, one reads fiction and meetings either the second Monday in the afternoon at 1:00 p.m. or that night at 6:30 p.m. The second is called the Faith Seeking Understanding book group and tends to read non-fiction works on the growing edge of faith and spirituality.
Faith formation small groups meet on Wednesday nights, as well as for specific seasons in the Church year.
