Faith in Daily Life
Take a break from the day for lunch and conversation about faith and life with other members of St. Michael’s. We have three Faith and Daily Life groups. Each meets once-a-month. There is a group that meets the first Thursday of the month in Roseville at the Chianti Grill, another group meets the second Thursday of the month in the cafeteria of Thrivent in downtown Minneapolis, and a third meets the third Thursday of the month at Chammps, located on 35E just north of downtown St. Paul.

We will begin the year reading and discussing the book, Why Faith Matters by Rabbi David Wolpe. Wolpe is a thoughtful and articulate scholar and rabbi. Because of his rabbinic background Wolpe welcomes wrestling with tough questions. Chapters include: From Faith to Doubt, Where Does Religion Come From?, Does Religion Cause Violence?, Does Science Disprove Religion? What Does Religion Really Teach? Reading the Bible, Is Religion Good for You?, and Why Faith Matters. Cost of the book is $10.

If you have any questions please contact Pastor Hayes at roland@stmichaelselca.com
You are welcome and encouraged to invite colleagues!

Monday’s Ministries
On the first and third Monday’s of the month you are invited to gather at the church at 7:00 a.m. for a light breakfast and study. This year we begin with Brian McLaren’s thought-provoking work, “Everything Must Change-Jesus, Global Crisis and a Revolution of Hope” McLaren’s work is based on a simple question, “How do the life and teachings of Jesus address the most critical global problems in our world today?”

McLaren contends that Jesus’ message is more than a ticker to heaven or a formula for personal prosperity. It is an invitation to personal and global transformation. It invites us to think very seriously about what it means when we pray the Lord’s Prayer, ‘thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven”

Our first gathering will be on Monday, September 13.

Women’s Circles –Join a Circle of Friendship
Sarah Circle - first gathering Tuesday, September 7th at 9:30 a.m. at the church
Elisabeth Circle-first gather Wednesday, September 8th, 1 p.m. at the church

Our study this year will focus on Joan Chittister’s book, The Gift of Years- Growing Old Gracefully. We will read and discuss together Chittister’s wisdom and insights about the mental and spiritual attitudes we can bring to the challenges and blessings that come with growing older.

Thursday Morning Study
Uppity Women of the Bible
Through this video series by Dr. Lisa Michele Wolfe we will do an in-depth examination of the story:

• Ruth where we will consider the vulnerability of widows and the difficult situation of foreigners in biblical times. We will explore the themes of loyalty, bitterness, courage, poverty and seduction. What really happened on the threshing room floor?
• Esther will take us into the exotic and fanciful Persian kingdom complete with a dim-witted king, a defiant queen, and egotistical lieutenant and a loyal uncle. With lavish banquets, extreme beauty treatments and dangerous liaisons at every turn, can the beautiful and courageous Esther avert disaster for her people? All this occurs in a Biblical book where God is never mentioned.
• Judith, from the Koine Greek version of the Old Testament, reads like and historical novel rife with warfare, lust, espionage and intrigue.
• The Song of Songs is an intricate and sometimes puzzling book. Who wrote it? What sort of people are the main characters? Is it based on history, mythology-or both?

The Thursday morning study will begin on Thursday, September 16 at 9:30 a.m. If you have any questions please contact Pastor Hayes at roland@stmichaelselca.com
You are welcome and encouraged to invite friends!

Desserters II – Book Club Discussion Group
Do you like to read and discuss good books? If so, then Desserters II is for you. And you will always have a chance to enjoy a delicious dessert as well.

Desserters II meets at 7:30 p.m. the 4th Tuesday of every month. The group meets in various homes and the book that is being discussed is always listed in The Messenger and the bulletin. Participants are invited to come on the night when a book of particular interest is being discussed, or participate every month. Participants include people of all ages, individuals and couples. All are welcome!

Schedule for 2010-2011

Date	Title	Author
September 28 October 26 November 23 January 25 February 22 March 22 April 26 May 24	The Last Dickens The Old Cape Magic Purple Hibiscus The Madonnas of Leningrad The Plague of Doves The Girl Who Played with Fire The Help Between Two Worlds	Matthew Pearl Richard Russo Chimamanda Adichie Debra Dean Louise Erdrich Stieg Larsson Kathryn Stockett Roxana Saberi