The Old Mission Academy is an assortment of adult classes to help us discover how faith and life come together as we grow in our faith journey.The Academy has offered courses in the area of Bible, Theology, Finances, and Recreation. We have also provided Retreats and Seminar opportunities. The thought is that as we grow and learn spiritually, we will deepen our walk with God and become better disciples of Jesus Christ.
How do I register for Old Mission Academy? (one of the ways shown below)
Call (913) 262-1040 and register with Rev. Karen Nyhart at ext.102 or email karen@oldmission.org
Sign up sheets are also in the church office.
Note: Let us know if you need the nursery when you register.Scholarships are available if there is need in covering a course fee. We do not want the cost to keep anybody from taking a course!
2018 Study Offerings
Wednesday Morning Study for Women
Starts Wednesday, September 5, 9:00 am, Hanson Hall
Led by Janice Kresin
This group will be doing a 6 week study called, Ruth: Loss, Love & Legacy, by Kelly Minter. Join us as we study Ruth's journey of unbearable loss, redeeming love, and divine legacy. We will learn more about the character of Ruth, her unique relationship with her mother-in-law Naomi, and her love with Boaz. If you've ever felt devastated, struggled as a stranger, longed to be loved, or wept along the way, you'll find a loyal sister in Ruth.
Fee: $18.00 for a study book.
A New Reformation: From Luther’s World to Ours
Starts Tuesday, September 18, 11:00-Noon, rm 121
Led by Rev. Karen Nyhart
In this six week DVD study led by Rev. Rob Fuquay, we will learn about the life of Martin Luther and two important themes of the Reformation he sparked: the centrality of Scripture and the power of God’s grace. Through a close look into the life of Martin Luther and the world of sixteenth-century Europe, we will discover what makes Luther’s message revolutionary today—and how we can embrace Reformation in the church and in our personal lives.
Fee: $12.00 for a book.
Caring Ministry Study
Exploring Memory Loss
Starts Friday, September 21 11:00-Noon
Led by Rev. Leslie Van Blarcom
Join this 4-week class exploring practical and theological issues for persons with increasing memory loss and caregivers who have responsibility for those with early dementia. We will meet on four consecutive Friday mornings from 11am to noon at the church (Sept. 21 and 28; Oct 5 and 12) to use retired Bishop Kenneth Carder’s new curriculum “Ministry with the Forgotten”. Since we are living longer, memory loss is becoming an increasing issue for many and this curriculum looks at ways for us to be more aware of those concerns and for the church to be better informed and helpful.
Immortal Diamond
Starts, Tuesday, August 14 at 6:30 pm, Bingham Chapel
This six week book study written by Richard Rohr will compare True Self to a diamond, buried deep within us, formed under the intense pressure of our lives, that must be searched for, uncovered, separated from all the debris of ego that surrounds it. In a sense True Self must, like Jesus, be resurrected, and that process is through transformation.
Fee $15.00 for a book.
Present over Perfect: Leaving Behind Frantic for a Simpler, More Soulful Way of Living
Starts Tuesday, September 11 at 6:30 pm, Location TBA Led by Rev. Karen Nyhart
In this six week book study written by Shauna Niequist, we will explore the landscape of our own life, and what it might look like to leave behind the pressure to be perfect and begin the life-changing practice of simply being present, in the middle of the mess and the ordinariness of life.
Fee: $15.00 for a book.
Couple’s Dance Classes
Tuesdays starting in September, 7:00-8:00 pm, Fellowship Hall
Whether you’re a beginner or long time dancer, join us for a one hour dance class that is easy, fast, and fun. Jon Gregory, our teacher, has over 30 years of experience teaching all the popular social dances, from Waltz to Salsa, from Swing to Latin, and many more! Courses generally run 6-8 weeks for each dance style, with a refresher clinic class after each three dances. Tuition is only $20.00 per class, and special shoes are not required.
Seminar by Dr. Tex Sample
Thursday, November 15 at 6:30 pm, in the Sanctuary
Topic: Working Class Rage: A Field Guide to White Anger and Pain
His new book by the same title will be out in September and will be available that night for purchase.
In his book he says, “White working-class people are poorly understood and perceived as a threat to the common good – unintelligent, self-destructive, utterly incapable of leveraging their own privilege - white working-class people have recaptured the cultural and political imagination in the wake of the 2016 presidential election. Many are scrambling to understand what makes this demographic tick with mixed results. Scape-goated for all things racist and identified as the voting block that gave the country its most divisive leader in a generation, they are not what they seem: so much more than common xenophobes and red-hat wearing nostalgic for a lost time of white supremacy, this group begs for a richer, more nuanced portrait if they are to be loved and impacted by Christian faith and the Gospel of Jesus Christ”
Tex Sample is a much sought-after lecturer, storyteller, workshop leader and consultant. He is currently serving as the pastor of the Trinity United Methodist Church in Kansas City, MO. He is also the Robert B. and Kathleen Rogers Professor Emeritus of Church and Society at Saint Paul School of Theology.
Come hear his expertise and insights as we learn more about this topic and group of individuals.
The Future of United Methodism: Is there life after 2019?
All Adult Sunday school Seminar
Sunday, November 11 at 9:30 am
Dr. Michael Gardner, Senior Pastor, Old Mission
The topic of how the Church deals with human sexuality and LGBTQ persons has been a part of conversation and at times, heated argument for decades.
Dr. Gardner is offering to facilitate a one hour conversation about how the plans proposed to the 2019 called General Conference will and will not impact the future of our local churches and the denomination.
He also is recommending the book Unafraid and Unashamed: Facing the Future of United Methodism, by Wil Cantrell, a pastor from Knoxville, TN and a delegate to the General Conferences of the United Methodist Church in 2012 and 2016 and to the called General Conference of 2019. He also was a member of the Executive Committee of the World Methodist Council from 2001-2005.
Books can be purchased in the church office or online.