COS has a rich history of deep and meaningful adult education opportunities. Our Sunday Morning Adult Ed Sunday School has included times of story and testimony, theological discussions, lectures, and opportunities to share with each other about what God is doing in our lives.
GPS sessions have three stated goals:
- Build community
- Expand our view of God
- Grapple with faith
We invite you to join us Sundays immediately following our 10 am Zoom worship services on the following dates:
| 2021 GPS Dates: | Info and Topics: |
| January 17 & 24 | Join us after Zoom worship for the second of a two-part GPS series on the Human Sexuality Report. Synod has shared the Human Sexuality Report with congregations and encouraged church families to have discussions around the contents of this report. This report attempts to define how churches within our denomination should respond to a variety of relational matters, including gay marriage, the stance of the church in regards to LGBTQ members, premarital sex, and other potentially controversial topics. Presenters will guide us through a summary of this report and create opportunities for feedback. We look forward to prayerfully and humbly navigating through this report with all the members of our COS family. |
| February 7 | COS Mental Health Committee Panel Discussion “Strengthening our mental health when times are hard” This discussion will explore how the stresses and losses of the pandemic have impacted our mental health. We’ll also discuss physical, social, and spiritual practices that can restore our mental health. |
| February 14 & 21 | GPS: Jamie Skillen, Calvin professor and author of, “This Land is My Land” Jamie Skillen will present part 1 of his 2 part series: “God, Guns, and Extremism in American Politics” On January 6, a violent mob stormed the U.S. Capitol, leading to five deaths, significant property damage, and a constitutional crisis. One of the most troubling aspects of the assault was that the mob seemed driven by the very symbols of American patriotism and Christian faith. In his recent book, This Land Is My Land: Rebellion in the West, Jamie Skillen explains how American civil religion has helped militias and other extremist groups shift from the fringes of conservative politics to the mainstream. In these two talks, Jamie will trace this history and suggest alternatives for Christians engaged seriously in American politics. Watch Part One Here Watch Part Two Here |
| February 28 | Refugee Support Team presentation: Advocacy for Refugees and the Role of the Church At the GPS session on Sunday, February 28, the Refugee Support Team is pleased to offer members of COS an opportunity to engage the question, “How Will the Church Respond to Refugee Resettlement Now?’ We invite you to join us for a presentation and Q and A featuring Stacey Clack, Midwest Faith Community Organizer for Church World Services and a member of Tabernacle Church in GR. COS has a long history of working with refugees and immigrants and will continue to do so. But what will this look like going forward? The discussion will be stimulating and will help to prepare new COS volunteers to assist with the arrival of new refugees in the coming months. Watch the recording here |
| March 14 & 21 | 2-part GPS: Kristin Du Mez, Calvin professor and author of Jesus and John Wayne. Watch part one here Watch part two here In preparation, you’re invited to view these resources: A presentation at Calvin last fall, available here A recent piece on Patheos Kristin is cited in this NYT piece recently: |
| April 18 | GPS introduction to “Understanding Us and Them” led by Pennylyn Dykstra. Understanding Us & Them is designed to help readers build stronger communities with those who are different from themselves. It introduces the concept of cultural intelligence combined with interpersonal skills. Through stories, examples, and creative learning tasks, readers develop key abilities for engaging in good ways across lines of difference. Each reader-friendly chapter is paired with a variety of activities for personal or group learning. Watch a recording of this session |
| April 25 | In GPS on April 25 we welcome Robin Harris leading us in “Worshiping Together across Cultural Divides: Case Studies from Siberia and South Carolina.” Robin Harris served for decades in cross-cultural contexts, including ten years in northern Russia. She earned MAs in Intercultural Studies (CIU) and Ethnomusicology (Bethel Univ) and a PhD in Music/Ethnomusicology (UGA). In addition to serving as Director of Dallas Int’l University’s Center for Excellence in World Arts, she speaks at colleges and conferences about ethnodoxology and its application to cross-cultural work. She also serves as the President of the Global Ethnodoxology Network (GEN), an organization she helped to launch in 2003. Her publications include co-editing Worship and Mission for the Global Church: An Ethnodoxology Handbook (William Carey Library, 2013) and Storytelling in Siberia(University of Illinois Press, 2017). Handouts: Disharmony – handout for discussion questions Disharmony in the 11 AM worship hour This side of Heaven – Priest Watch a recording of this Zoom presentation |
| May 16 | GPS – Returning to In-Person Worship Members and leaders at COS share insights on the decision to return to in-person worship on May 23, and offer some answers to questions from the congregation. Watch a recording of this GPS Session here. |
| November 21 | Following the morning services: We encourage all our members to consider staying for a GPS session following our morning worship services. Council remains committed to providing hospitable spaces of grace where we cultivate spaces of listening to each other acknowledging our different positions particularly regarding the Human Sexuality Report. Please join us on November 21 at 11.45 am in room 3. There will be a presentation and discussion from council and other COS members. We will talk through the process of how council prepared a response to the CRC’s Human Sexuality Report to be presented to synod 2021. We will review COS’s journey with gender and sexuality, present a brief overview of the HSR, review council’s discernment, hear from staff, prepare for listening circles, and review an overture proposed to be sent to classis and then on to Synod. The content of the overture will be a deeper dive into the science reflected in the overture and council’s response to this. |