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DISCIPLESHIP & GROWTH COURSES   

Growth in our Christian lives comes through a rhythm of intake and output, receiving and giving. In making your elective choices, please consider at least one service elective during the year as part of your contribution to the life of the church and as an important ingredient in your own growth in Christ.

From time to time it is helpful to take a good look at who we are and what we believe. This involves paying close attention to the Word of God and taking a careful look at how those who have gone before us have shaped our faith Journey. 

Two of the Spring electives will give careful attention to these issues. Pursuing a Faithful and Obedient Life in Christ, led by Pastor Starr, will focus on the Anabaptist and Pietist roots of our church. 

Congregational Identity and Practice, facilitated by Pastor Wingert, will look at who we are as a church. It will join with Pastor Starr’s elective for the historical background sessions but will then explore Brethren in Christ core values and the practice of life together in our congregational setting. Persons interested in uniting with EBIC in membership should take the Identity and Practice elective.

This prayer group prays short prayers of praise, confession, and intercession on behalf of our congregation, specifically the Sunday School teachers and children, youth and adults who are in classes at the same time. We pray for those who are physically and spiritually sick, for church staff and leaders, for missionaries and the church around the world. We share prayer needs from people in the congregation as well as our own personal concerns, and sometimes we sit in quietness just to wait before the Lord. We don't follow an exact agenda or have expectations that everyone needs to be a terrific "prayer" or even needs to pray out loud each time. We're open to anyone who'd like to join us. We also welcome specific prayer requests or even praying with someone who feels special need for prayer at a particular time.

This service elective gives you a wonderful opportunity to care for our infants and play with our one-year-olds during the Sunday School hour. Three people can make a difference by holding, rocking, playing, and most importantly, praying for these little ones for a quarter. Be one of the three. 

Do you want to be a faithful and obedient follower of Christ? One way to challenge ourselves in this direction is to learn from people and movements of the past which have pursued this goal and have shaped who we are and where we are today. The Brethren in Christ Church was shaped and formed by two movements within the Christian church. The goal of the Anabaptists was to obediently follow Jesus, and the Pietists emphasized a heartfelt personal faith. As we explore the history and values of these movements, we will be challenged to passionately follow Jesus Christ in our lives, and we will come to a better understanding of who we are as a BIC church today.

This course will explore Brethren in Christ biblical and historical roots, give attention to our church’s core values and beliefs, and provide understanding and guidance for the practice of life together in our congregational setting. People who are new to the church are especially invited to take this course, whether or not you intend to become a member. Those who have been a part of the congregation for a longer term may benefit from a renewed understanding of who we are and how we seek to reproduce the likeness of Jesus in our world.

The Ministry of Hospitality

This class will explore the meaning, value, and practice of Christian hospitality in today’s busy, complex, and needy world. Hospitality is much more than inviting visitors for a meal after church. It involves a Christian calling and privilege to care for the sick, to safeguard the pilgrim, and to host the stranger. Participants should be open to being challenged to exercise hospitality in a variety of forms, then actually go out and practice hospitality during the week (lab portion of the course), followed by sharing their experiences with the group. All this will be done in an atmosphere of mutual support, encouragement, and prayer.

Coffee, Current Events, & Prayer

This elective will have three components.  Each session will begin with a short devotional lesson on prayer from the Gospel of Matthew.  Second will be introduction and discussion of a timely national or international hot topic. The third part of the class will be devoted to a time of prayer about that topic. Discussion of the topic may generate diverging and opposing points of view, so it is essential that members enter the class with humility and a tolerance for divergent opinions.  Ultimately, these issues will not be for us to decide, but we will seek to learn how to pray with regards to “Thy will be done,” beyond hoping that “my point of view” will prevail.