At St. Michael's we provide numerous adult learning opportunities designed to deepen our understanding of the Bible, nurture our faith, stimulate our thinking about important issues and provide direction for living out our faith in our homes, workplaces, and world.

For a printable brochure of the information on this page please click here.

ADULT EDUCATION-
Steven Prothro is the chair of the religion department at Boston University and author of the New York Times bestseller, Religious Literacy-What American’s Need to Know and Don’t.  Prothro says that almost anywhere you look in America today you will find believers, but hardly knowledgeable believers.  In fact, he says, most Americans know very little about Christianity. Most lack an understanding of the essentials of faith. Why?  Prothro says there has been a pronounced shift in America in recent decades.  Previously, when it came to religion, people sought to integrate head and heart, believing God gave us brains to use, Scripture to inform, and the natural world as a resource for insight and understanding.  Today, however, there has been a pronounced movement toward a religion based on emotions. It doesn’t matter so much what Jesus had to say.  It doesn’t matter that we really understand Scripture and the context in which books of the Bible were written.  What matters in religion today is what one feels and having a personal relationship with Jesus. The result, according to Prothero, is that most Americans are religiously illiterate.

Well one of the aims of adult education at St. Michael’s is to help integrate head and heart, to help us use our brains, to deepen our understanding of Scripture and the world.  We do that in the hope that participants in various education offerings might receive insight and inspiration to think more deeply and creatively, and live more graciously in response to what we know of God as revealed in Jesus.   

FAITH IN DAILY LIFE -Once a month you are invited to, over the lunch hour, take a break from work and join others from St. Michael’s for lunch and meaningful conversation.  We currently have three groups that meet; the first Thursday of the month at Chianti Grill in Roseville, the second Thursday of the month at the Thrivent Cafeteria in downtown Mpls, and the third Thursday of the month at the restaurant at the Embassy Suites in St. Paul.  We meet from noon until 1 p.m., recognizing that folks sometimes will need to arrive late and/or leave early.

This year we will begin our conversation in September by discussing the book The Shack by William P. Young.

In the following months we will read the new book Jesus was a Liberal - Reclaiming Christianity for All by Rev. Scotty McLennan, Dean for Religious Life at Stanford University. Harvey Cox describes the book as, "Wonderfully readable and timely. It makes Jesus available again, as he has been at many times in history, to a much wider spectrum of people, and not just "liberals". It will be appreciated by those who want to"conserve" what Jesus stood for, taught and died for.

McLennan advocates a Christianity based on the humanity behind Jesus' teachings. He champions beliefs that embrace progress, acknowledges that "doubt is the handmaiden of faith", and reveals Christianity's compassion and understanding too often ignored by its most dogmatic believers.

Colleagues are welcome to join us.

MONDAY'S MINISTRIES BREAKFAST -Meeting at 7 a.m. at the church on the first and third Mondays of the month we enjoy breakfast together followed by a chance to engage in thoughtful discussion around a variety of themes.  The first gathering of the year will take place on Monday, September 21.

WOMEN'S CIRCLES - Join a CIRCLE of Friendship
     Sarah Circle meets the first Tuesday of the month at 9:30am,at church or in a members home,
        for a coffee brake, fellowship and discussion.
     Elisabeth Circle meets the first Wednesday of the month at 12:30pm, at the church,
        for dessert, fellowship and discussion.

2009 Theme:  Liberty and Justice for All
The “Liberty and Justice for All” curriculum hopes to help each of us, as thoughtful citizens, to do our duty to secure the blessings of liberty that we have inherited.  Our liberties rest on all our citizens’ duty and responsibility to work together for the common good.  One of those duties is to understand what our faith and our history mean to us, both as individual citizens and as a nation. Each session is rich in content from readings, a DVD presentation, issue discussions and activities. 

THURSDAY MORNING STUDY -The Eight Bible Stories Everyone Should Know
The Bible contains hundreds of stories; thousands of names. So how does a person begin to understand and remember it all? This study will offer a unique Bible overview of what many scholars consider to be its core stories. Theologian Walter Brueggemann calls them the primal
narrative - the most simple, elemental, and non-negotiable story line that lies at the heart of biblical faith. Utilizing the scholarship of Dr. Mark Throntveit, Professor of Old Testament at Luther Seminary, and Dr. Mark Long, Professor of New Testament at Chandler School of Theology at Emory University, we will examine:

How is the Bible true?
God's call
The Exodus
Sinai Covenant
Promised Land
Davidic Rule
Jesus' Family Tree
Jesus' Life
The Cross
Resurrection Life
Run the Race

We will begin meeting on Thursday, September 17th at 9:30 a.m.

DESSERTERS II - BOOK CLUB DISCUSSION GROUP - Meets in member's homes the 4th Tuesday of each month (except December) during the school year. You heard it here first! Technology is passe!! If you want to be on the cutting edge, setting the trends rather than following them, you will want to be seen reading a book. Absorbing knowledge and experience in a measured manner, with the leisure to ponder while lingering over perceptive passages is the new status symbol. Discussing the experience with other courageous early adopters guarantees recognition as a cultural innovator. Desserters II offers an easy way into this scintillating world. We enjoy and encourage discerning new participants - no dues, no quizzes, attendance is not taken. The books we are reading delve into various settings, cultures and eras. Watch the Sunday bulletin announcements or contact the church office for meeting locations. For a list of dates and books click here.

Religion in Life - Meets during our education hour (between services) on Sunday Mornings from 10:00 - 10:50 in the Courtyard Room. This is a forum which brings extraordinary speakers, experts in their field, to help us carefully examine the intersection of our faith with vital aspect of our daily life and important ethical issues in the world. By participating in this special time of learning, participants gain new insights that will shape how they live out their faith in the world.  Children's Sunday School and childcare are provided during this time.