Come join us for Simply Psalms , a Bible study of the Book of Psalms, led by Rev. Dr. C. Kay Fuino and Rev. Beth Brown Shugart. Each week we will study one Psalm during the one-hour class. The same class will be offered twice a week:

• “Simply Psalms” Class:  Tuesday mornings at 10:00 a.m. in room F145, located on the 1st floor of the Sheldon Family Life Center;
• “Simply Psalms” Class:  Wednesday evenings at 6:00 p.m. in room F147 (please note new room location), located on the 1st floor of the Sheldon Family Life Center.

Upcoming class dates and Psalms are

• February 18th and 19th:  Psalm 54
• February 25th and 26th:  Psalm 55
• March 11th and 12th:  Psalm 56
• March 18th and 19th:  Psalm 57
• March 25th and 26th:  Psalm 58
• April 1st and 2nd:  Psalm 59

For additional information, please contact Rev. Beth Brown Shugart by e-mail at

bshugart@duluthumc.org, or call 770-476-3776, ext. 128.

The Enneagram is growing in popularity as a personality typing tool, but it is so much more! In fact, the Enneagram is a wonderful tool for spiritual formation. Learning our Enneagram type can help us identify specific ways in which we are invited to share God with the world, the patterns that get in the way of our doing that, and the spiritual practices that return our focus to God and our true calling.
 
Join us as we explore this fascinating tool at the “A Path to God: The Enneagram as Spiritual Practice” class which will meet on Sunday afternoons from 4:00 to 5:15 p.m., beginning February 9th and continuing through March 16th, in room F207 (please note updated location), located on the 2nd floor of the Sheldon Family Life Center. The class will be led by Kristen Vincent, an award-winning author, speaker, and artisan whose passion is spiritual formation.

Registration is required to ensure that you have the needed materials. The deadline to register is Friday, January 31st. To register, please contact Tracy Brinker by e-mail at tbrinker@duluthumc.org, or call 770-476-3776.  If you need childcare, please let her know.

Rev. Beth Brown Shugart invites you to join with the Book Club on Monday, March 10th, as they discuss Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger. Ordinary Grace is a brilliantly moving account of a boy standing at the door of his young manhood, trying to understand a world that seems to be falling apart around him. It is an unforgettable novel about discovering the high price of wisdom and the enduring grace of God.

The Book Club will meet from 10 to 11:30 a.m. in room F145, located on the 1st floor of the Sheldon Family Life Center to discuss the book. Please contact Beth by e-mail at bshugart@duluthumc.org, or call 770-476-3776, ext. 128, if you have any questions.

A new 24-week study on the Old Testament led by Pete Fleming began on Tuesday, January 7, and Wednesday, January 8, 2025. This study will examine the literary and historical dimensions of the Old Testament (the Hebrew Bible), probing deeply into the inner meanings of the biblical texts, especially in their Hebrew translations. It will also look in depth at the history, dating, and writing of the texts themselves, and will examine the texts’ literary and linguistic features, noting how they achieve their impact on the reader.

The Understanding the Old Testament study will utilize the Great Courses video “Understanding the Old Testament” by the late Robert Donald Miller II, who received his PhD in Biblical and Near Eastern Studies from the University of Michigan. He taught at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., rising to Assistant Dean of Graduate Studies in the School of Theology, and was a scholar of the history, literature, religion, and archaeology of Ancient Israel in the First Temple Period.

This study will be offered on:

• Tuesday mornings from 10 to 11:30 a.m. in room F154, located on the 1st floor of the Sheldon Family Life Center.
• Wednesday evenings from 6 to 7:15 p.m. in room F151, located on the 1st floor of the Sheldon Family Life Center.

The same class will be offered on Tuesday mornings and Wednesday evenings, so attend whatever day works best for your schedule.

Anyone interested in participating in these classes should contact Pete Fleming by e-mail at lfleming3832@att.net, call 678-575-3761, or in person.

The Men Studying Together group meets for Bible/book studies on Thursday mornings from 10 to 11:30 a.m. in room F145 (please note new room location), located on the 1st floor of the Sheldon Family Life Center. This study is led by Rev. Terry Tippens.

All are invited to join us, and every class time will allow for individual input and group discussion. Please contact Tracy Brinker by e-mail at tbrinker@duluthumc.org or at 770-476-3776 for more information.

Women Studying Together, the Women's Thursday morning Bible study resumed on January 9th with a study of the book The Prodigal Prophet: Jonah and the Mystery of God's Mercy, a study of Jonah using a text by Timothy Keller. The author has been labeled as "a C. S. Lewis for the 21st century". 

The story of Jonah seems so unlikely that it is easy to overlook it's deeper meanings. The text helps us address some big questions:

• What is my identity?
• Who is my neighbor?
• How do I react to the storms of life?
• When Jesus declares that one greater than Jonah has come, what is he saying about himself?
• What is the 'sign' of Jonah?
• Does God's mercy include 'those' people'?
  

This six-week study will begin on Thursday, January 9th, and Women Studying Together meets from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. in room F207 (please note new room location), located on the 2nd floor of the Sheldon Family Life Center. After this study is completed, we will move to a different study, ending in May, 2025.   

As we study, we ask questions, search for answers, share our stories, laugh and pray together. Sometimes, we even sing! Discussion will be led by Jenny Masterson. Bring a copy of The Prodigal Prophet: Jonah and the Mystery of God’s Mercy, as well as your Bible and join us - all women are welcome to attend! For additional information, please contact Jenny Masterson by e-mail at jennybobm@comcast.net or call 678-591-0800.

Rev. Beth Brown Shugart invites you to read An Invisible Thread: The True Story of an 11-Year-Old Panhandler, a Busy Sales Executive, and an Unlikely Meeting with Destiny by Laura Schroff and Alex Tresniowski, and then join her on Monday, April 21st, for a discussion of the book. Chronicling the lifelong friendship between a busy sales executive and a disadvantaged young boy that began with one small gesture of kindness, An Invisible Thread is a “ray of hope for a better future, as well as an assurance that love is a stronger force than injustice and inequality” (Sybrina Fulton, mother of Travyon Martin and coauthor of Rest in Power: The Enduring Life of Trayvon Martin).

We will meet from 10 to 11:30 a.m. in room F145, located on the 1st floor of the Sheldon Family Life Center to discuss the book. Please contact Beth by e-mail at bshugart@duluthumc.org, or call 770-476-3776, ext. 128, if you have any questions.