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 worship services on the following dates:
| 2022 GPS Dates: | Info and Topics: |
| January 23 | This week’s GPS (God’s People Seeking) presentation comes from the Church of the Servant Creation Care Team who introduce Peter & Annica Quakenbush on “Green Burial”. What is it? What does it involve? Why would one consider this? What are the future implications? Watch this video as we learn together more of the history and implications of burial practices. Learn more at: https://www.miburial.com/ |
| January 30 | Join for a GPS Session at 11:45 am. This Zoom-only presentation is titled: How can we ensure that EVERYONE in Grand Rapids has housing they can afford? Join to learn about the city’s efforts toward affordable housing with Kurt Reppart, a Grand Rapids City Commissioner representing the 1st Ward. Previously, he was the Executive Director of The Other Way Ministries, a place-based Community Development organization working with lower-income families on the Westside of the City. He worked there for nearly 20 years. He has also led 35 short-term mission trips to Mexico and Honduras. He lives by John Ball Zoo with his wife Matteah (married 20 years!), his two children Raiya (12) and Koen (9), his big dog Lucy and cat Judy. |
| February 6 | Understanding Church Overtures and Denominational Processes. As COS continues to participate in listening circles concerning the CRCNA Human Sexuality Report, several questions have emerged around the administrative specifics of church order in our denomination. To help make sense of things, the HSR task force has invited Bob Arbogast, Pastor of Celebration Fellowship CRC and Stated Clerk for Classis Grand Rapids East, to answer some of our questions about Synod. This Zoom presentation will take place at 11:45 am on February 6. We hope you’ll join as together we seek to understand better what happens between now and Synod and what, if any, role that individuals and church councils can play during that time. Here are some recent overtures that may help in preparation for this presentation or following it: Overture from Church of the Servant • Overture from Calvin CRC • Overture from Neland Ave. CRC |
| February 20 | Join GPS after worship on Sunday, February 20 as we welcome Ken Soper, COS’s Refugee Support Coordinator, who will be telling us a little bit more about the Refugee Support Team. Are you aware that the official count of refugees in the world today stands at over 70 million, the most since after WW II? And did you know that our church has worked with, sponsored, and learned from refugees, asylum seekers and others fleeing wars and natural disasters since 1975? Wondering how COS is helping to support refugees here in our own city in 2022, and thinking that you might want to get involved? Then plan to attend the GPS session via Zoom following the 10 am worship service at 11:45 am on Sunday, Feb. 20. This GPS event has been canceled. The COS Refugee Support Team (RST) anticipates sharing more information soon about their various efforts and will include opportunities for the congregation to join in this work. |
| March 6-April 3 | We will begin a 5-week series of reading and discussing Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Life Together. Learn more here: coscrc.org/lifetogether Our Five-week GPS sessions (11:45 am Sunday Mornings) will include panelists discussing the week’s chapters: Sunday, March 6 Chapter 1: Community Sunday, March 13 Chapter 2: The Day with Others Sunday, March 20 Chapter 3: The Day Alone Sunday, March 27 Chapter 4: Ministry Sunday, April 3 Chapter 5: Confession and Communion |
| April 10 | Truth and Reconciliation in Northern Ireland: An Artistic Response The COS Artery has mounted a new exhibition developed in response to study abroad in Northern Ireland. In January 2019 and 2020, two groups of Calvin University students along with instructors, Gail and Ken Heffner traveled to Belfast, Northern Ireland, to learn about reconciliation and peacebuilding. We learned about the religious roots of the conflict in Northern Ireland and the political, social, and economic factors which led to the Protestant-Catholic conflict. We also learned about the important work of reconciliation that has been unfolding in Northern Ireland and the role the Christian community has played in the peace-building process. We also had the privilege of listening to the stories of many people from all walks of life in Northern Ireland. Students worked in small groups to develop an artistic response to what they experienced and learned in Northern Ireland. This exhibition portrays students’ collaborative artistic responses to what they gathered from this rich learning experience and includes visual art, music, film, and poetry. The exhibition will run from March 28 – April 20, 2022. Please join us for an artist conversation after morning worship on Palm Sunday, April 10 at 11:30 AM in the worship space. This will be a good introduction for anyone considering the COS trip to Northern Ireland in 2023. |
| April 24- May 22 | “Hungering for God” GPS Series (April 24-May 22, 2022) We have been created with the incredible means to be in communion with God. This series will examine some foundational principles and practices of Christian spirituality. Whether this is your first time to explore the spiritual life or you are further along the journey there will be new insights for all. Each week we will discuss a different aspect of cultivating one’s relationship with God and practice a specific spiritual discipline. Meeting time 11:45-12:30pm in the large worship space. Presenter: Tom Schwanda, ordained RCA minister, professor of Christian spirituality, and spiritual director. |