September Classes
For a look at all the Adult Education offerings in September, download the brochure: Adult Education September 2018
Please note: there will be no Adult Education Classes on September 2
September 9
I’ll Say a Little Prayer for You…
Ann Schoonover
9:15 a.m.
Assembly Room
What are our sensibilities when it comes to praying? Join me in an informal conversation, where there are no right or wrong answers, and questions are encouraged. We will consider our denomination’s tradition of prayer during worship, and explore the role(s) prayer plays in our congregation’s life together. What about contemporary views, practices and expressions of prayer? If time permits, we will share stories about praying and its impact upon ourselves as well as the world around us.
Ann Schoonover, a graduate of Princeton Theological Seminary, is ordained as a Minister of Word and Sacrament in the PCUSA and currently serves Covenant and Hamilton Square Presbyterian churches. She is developing a regional older adult ministry (ROAM) program involving PCUSA churches in the greater Trenton area. Formerly, Ann served in hospital, behavioral health, hospice and homecare settings as a chaplain. She has obtained certificates from Good Shepherd Mediation program and additional training in spiritual direction from Oasis Ministries. Keenly interested in people, Ann is fulfilled by guiding individuals, families and congregations through change and transition. Before attending seminary, Ann had a first career in labor relations, where she met her husband Tim Brown; they both now serve the PCUSA in various capacities.
Ongoing: September 9 through December 16
In-Depth Bible Study: Colossians
George Hunsinger
9:15 AM
Maclean House
George Hunsinger returns for the 21st year to lead this verse-by-verse examination of Colossians. Bibles are available for use during the class. Find them on the Deacon Desk by the church kitchen. Class meets next door in Maclean House (Garden Entrance).
September 16
Preaching the Gospel
Andrew Scales
9:15 a.m.
Assembly Room
How do we proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ today? That question has shaped worship and preaching for Presbyterians since the Reformation. In a world filled with plenty of bad news, preachers are listening to the Scriptures to discern what the Spirit is saying to God’s people. Join Andrew Scales as we explore together how preachers craft sermons that speak truth amid our hopes, fears, and needs.
Andrew Scales is a PhD Candidate in Homiletics at Princeton Theological Seminary. He also serves as a Chaplain and Executive Co-Director of the Princeton Presbyterians campus ministry with his wife, Len Turner Scales. He is currently finishing his dissertation, “’Every Last Christian Takes Part’: Oscar Romero and Remembrance of Disappeared Persons in El Salvador.”
September 23
Confessions in Worship and Life?
Dirk Smit
9:15 a.m.
Assembly Room
The Presbyterian and Reformed practice of weekly corporate confession of sin in worship, and weekly unison reading of a selection from a confession or creed in the PC(USA) Book of Confessions, often garners questions and strong reactions from congregants. Do Reformed people really need creeds and confessional documents? What role could they play in worship and life, and what role do they play?
Dirk Smit is the Rimmer and Ruth De Vries Professor of Reformed Theology and Public Life at Princeton Theological Seminary. He recently came to Princeton from South Africa, with years of experience in Reformed circles and the ecumenical church, including experience with confessional documents and their reception and use in church and public life.
September 30
Surely the Presence of the Lord is in This Place
David A. Davis and Noel Werner
9:15 a.m.
Assembly Room
At each weekly gathering of the church staff, one of our major tasks is the preparation of Sunday worship. Within the four-fold movement of Reformed worship, all of our choices are governed by fidelity to scripture, the pastoral needs of the congregation, commitment to discipleship, and our calling in the world. Come hear Dave Davis and Noel Werner as they describe the creative and prayerful process of shaping the worship life of our church.
Dave Davis has been pastor and head-of-staff at Nassau since the fall of 2000. His PhD in Homiletics from Princeton Theological Seminary focused on preaching as a corporate act and the active role of the listener in the preaching event. He has published two sermon collections, A Kingdom You Can Taste and Lord, Teach Us to Pray.
Noel Werner has been the Director of Music at Nassau Presbyterian Church since 2006. He lectures on occasion at Westminster Choir College and Princeton Theological Seminary, and spearheads many cooperative music endeavors in the community, in addition to directing Nassau’s adult choir, coordinating Nassau’s extensive music program, and staffing the Worship and Arts Committee.
[Unfortunately this class was not recorded.]