The Gospels are full of stories of Jesus sharing meals with disciples, friends, even tax collectors and Pharisees. Whether multiplying bread to feed a whole crowd, relaxing with his inner circle, or telling curious elite’s stories about even greater banquets, Jesus imparts wisdom as he shares the wine and grants forgiveness, or as he distributes the fish.

Join Rev. Dr. C. Kay Fuino on Wednesday evenings at 6:00 p.m. for a Lenten study using the book Meeting Jesus at the Table by Cynthia M. Campbell and Christine Coy Fohr. This eight-chapter resource provides biblical insights along with thought-provoking queries regarding our own time, such as who should we invite to Sunday dinner and who is left out and left behind in our culture today.

The class will begin on February 15th to prepare for Ash Wednesday, and finish on April 12th, the Wednesday night after Easter. This study will be our “Learn a Little” classes during the Lenten season. The book is available on Amazon. Please register with Tracy Brinker by e-mail at tbrinker@duluthumc.org or call the church at 770-476-3776 by February 13th and order your book to begin the class. You may contact Rev. Dr. Fuino at by e-mail at ckfuino@duluthumc.org or 770-376-4776 ext. 117.

Learn a Little classes are one-night classes for adults, offered on Wednesdays evenings from 6 to 7 p.m. in room F145 (unless otherwise noted), located on the 1st floor of the Sheldon Family Life Center. They cover a wide variety of subjects. Upcoming dates and topics include:

• February 1st: Social Principles of the United Methodist Church, led by Rev. Beth Brown Shugart.
• February 8th: The United Methodist Church: Who We Are, led by Rev. Beth Brown Shugart.
  

For additional information, please contact Rev. Beth Brown Shugart by email at bshugart@duluthumc.org, or call 770-476-3776, ext. 128.

Rev. Beth Brown Shugart invites you to read Faith Unraveled: How a Girl Who Knew All the Answers Learned to Ask Questions by Rachel Held Evans and then join Beth for a discussion of the book. If you don’t know the author, you are in for a treat. Her writing is “brilliant, gutsy, real and hilarious”. You will easily identify with her as writes about her evolving spiritual journey.

We will meet on Monday, February 13th, from 10 to 11:30 a.m. in room F145, located on the 1st floor of the Sheldon Family Life Center.  That gives you plenty of time to read the book.  Please contact Beth by e-mail at bshugart@duluthumc.org if you have any questions.

Are you looking for a way to move through the season of Lent with new trust in God and more compassion for others, but are not available for a Wednesday night class? Join Rev. Dr. C. Kay Fuino on Friday mornings, beginning February 17th at 10 a.m., for an online Zoom session to walk together through The Desert of Compassion:  Devotions for the Lenten Journey.

The desert, a landscape both severe and beautiful, embodies spiritual struggle and divine support. Jesus experienced forty days of testing and transformation in the rugged Judean desert. Whether disease, social injustice, personal loss, or other challenges have led you to the spiritual desert, it may seem doubtful that any good can come from hardship. Yet it was the arid wilderness of physical deprivation and soul-deep testing that prepared Jesus to live a life of devotion, courage, and merciful service to others. Deserts have much to teach about vulnerability, tenacity, and the interdependence of living beings.

The season of Lent, based on Jesus’ forty days in the desert, calls you to navigate your own trials with trust in God and compassion for yourself. By doing so, you can learn to treat your dear ones, your neighbors, and all creatures with care contoured by wisdom.

In these daily devotions for the Lenten journey, author Rachel M. Srubas draws on her life and learnings as a contemplative pastor, spiritual director, and desert dweller. Written in language both relatable and reverent, The Desert of Compassion provides daily Lenten sustenance inspired by sacred Scripture, present-day teachings, and personal experience.

Each week we will meet to talk about our own desert experience and the testing we are facing in our trials for this world. The book may be ordered from Amazon. Please register by contacting Rev. Dr. Fuino by e-mail at RevCKay@gmail.com by February 10th. Once you have registered you will receive the Zoom link for the group meeting.

Join us to learn about what it means to be a United Methodist. The group will meet once a month in room F145, located on the 1st floor of the Sheldon Family Life Center, and cover a variety of topics – topics you want to know more about.  Bring your questions, as these discussions are to be helpful to you.

On February 20th, from 10 to 11:30 a.m.,  the class will focus on the structure of the United Methodist Church and the process of ordination.

Other class dates are on the following Mondays - February 20th, March 20th, April 17th, and May 15th. If you have any questions, please contact Rev. Beth Brown Shugart by e-mail at bshugart@duluthumc.org.

Men Studying Together meets weekly from 10 to 11:30 a.m. in room F207, located on the 2nd floor of the Sheldon Family Life Center. Our first study is on the book From Wild Man to Wise Man: Reflections on Male Spirituality by Richard Rohr. Rev. Terry Tippens is leading the class.

To register for this study, please contact Tracy Brinker, Church Receptionist, by e-mail at tbrinker@duluthumc.org or call 770-476-3776.