Agape Class

Lessons: Summer book study

Well, it's Friday, so we have hit our deadline on deciding on our book study on June 10th. Sara Chesnut recommended a book titled, "Kingdom, Grace, Judgment: Paradox, Outrage, and Vindication in the Parables of Jesus" by Robert Farrar Capon. You can order the book through Amazon at:

http://www.amazon.com/Kingdom-Grace-Judgment-Vindication-Parables/dp/0802839495/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1337979294&sr=8-1

You will notice that this book is fairly long. This summer, we will focus on the Parables of the Kingdom portion of the book (it is a trilogy). If you would like to ONLY purchase that portion, you can get the Kindle version here:

http://www.amazon.com/Parables-Kingdom-Robert-Farrar-Capon/dp/0802806058/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1337979065&sr=8-1

The book, Parables of the Kingdom, by Robert Capon is available in paperback, but you have to search to find it. Barnes and Noble has some used books available to purchase online. I am going to order the trilogy (the first link) in hopes that we study the other two portions at some point. 

Please get your books so that we are ready to go for our first lesson on June 10th. Our study will involve class discussion, but we will need a leader each week to get us going. I will have a sign-up sheet going around in class on Sunday so that you (and your spouse) can sign up. 

I am REALLY looking forward to hearing George Watts this Sunday. He is going to talk to us about "Faith and Politics". Let's give him a warm Agape welcome with a hearty attendance. Also, don't forget that there is a reception following the 11:00 worship service for the Stoker family.

Thank you all! Best,
Hollis Owens

Updates / Homework

We had a wonderful class yesterday! We discussed many options for our Summer book study starting June 10th. It was decided that we would look at the parables of Jesus and/or our favorite Bible stories. Your assignment for this week is to research books by well-respected Christian authors about these topics and reply to this message with your book titles. This Friday, we will take a vote for the Summer book study.

Here's the line-up for the next few weeks:This Sunday, May 27th - Goeorge Watts, "Faith and Politics"Sunday, June 3rd - Tom Downing will present a sample of suggested books by N.T. Wright, Wesley, and others for our in-depth Fall book study. He will also share some thoughts and reflections on his time at FUMC Dallas.

Saturday, June 9th - Agape potluck at the Owens HomeSunday, June 10th - Summer book study begins, book TBDFinally, please join us this Sunday after the 11:00 worship service as we celebrate the Stoker Family at a reception in Crossroads. It would be great to have a large group from Agape present to wish them good luck (but certainly not goodbye).

Best,
Hollis Owens

Potluck Save-the-Date

Saturday, June 9th
5:00 PM
The Owens Home
2411 Briarfield in Richardson

Programming & Updates

We will be finishing up Adam Hamilton's, 'When Christians Get it Wrong' this Sunday, May 13th. I hope you have enjoyed the lessons. The DVD as well as the DVD player should be in our room, so please go to 'When Christians Get it Right' on the main menu. This section is not very long so the class should have plenty of time for discussion on the Adam Hamilton series.

On May 27th, we will have George Watts with us to discuss the topic 'Faith and Politics'. 
On June 3rd, Tom Downing will join us. This is a big treat because Tom will be retiring next month and will have knee replacements this summer. 

You may have noticed that I skipped the program for May 20th. On May 20th, we will be selecting our summer book study. Please come to class on May 20th with any ideas you may have. Since our year has consisted of various speakers and the DVD series by Adam Hamilton, it is time for our class to immerse in a book study. The book study will begin on Sunday, June 10th. Here are some ideas:

Christian Beliefs: Twenty Basics Every Christian Should Know (Wayne Grudem)The Prodigal God (Timothy Keller)Incredibly Mysteries of the Bible: A Visual Exploration (Stephen M. Miller)Stories with Intent: A Comprehensive Guide to the Parables of Jesus (Klyne Snodgrass)

God's Big Picture: Tracing the Storyline of the Bible (Vaughan Roberts)30 Days to Understanding the Bible (Max Anders)Outlive Your Life: You Were Made to Make a Difference (Max Lucado)The Parables of Jesus: Made Simple (Matthew Robert Payne)

In the Fall, there will be an opportunity for our class to sign up for one of the long term studies at our church such as Companions in Christ which is offered during Sunday School class time. Some of you have said that you would like to participate in a long term or short term Bible study, so this may be a good choice for us. According to Tom Downing, it is possible that our entire class could participate in the same study. We will have the opportunity to talk about that as a class this summer. 

Finally, I want to remind everyone that registration for Vacation Bible School (June 25-29, 9:00 AM-12:00 PM) is available online on the FUMC Dallas website. This year, our VBS will take place at Grace United Methodist (downtown Dallas) due to the construction at our church. This is an exciting year to join with another church for VBS! We could also use more volunteers to help during the week of VBS, so please let Anamaria Mares know if you are interested.

Garage Sale & other news

-April 8th - No class this Sunday - Happy Easter! However, feel free to join the Covenant Class to watch the last video of "24 Hours That Changed the World" with Tom Downing.
-April 14th - Agape garage sale at the Chesnut home. Start collecting your items!

-April 21st - One Great Gift of Service at FUMC

Important Dates!

Tuesday, March 20th - Children's Council meeting @ 6 PM in Crossroads room at FUMC Dallas. Our very own Anamaria Mares is the Chair and Michele Blankenship is the Vice Chair for 2012. Way to represent Agape!

 
Saturday, March 24th - Potluck @ 5 PM - The Szklarski's (5527 Worth Street, Dallas, 75214)
 
Sunday, March 25th - Ron Horick: "God and 4 - Year Olds of All Ages"
 
Saturday, March 31st - Join us as we cheer on Kevin Smith. He will get his head shaved to benefit pediatric Cancer research. You don't want to miss it! Time TBD at Trinity Hall Pub in Mockingbird Station.

 
Sunday, April 1st - Agape will be hosting the Lenten Study in the old Dining Room downstairs. The study is on Adam Hamilton's "24 Hours That Changed the World". A sign up sheet will go out next week to sign up to bring food and help sign in attendees.

 
Also on Sunday, April 1st - Annual FUMC Dallas Easter Egg Hunt and Picnic @ Scottish Rite Hospital front lawn. Picnic will begin after worship (12:15 PM) followed by the egg hunt. If you would like to order box lunches for you family from Jason's Deli (HIGHLY RECOMMEND), sign up in the Narthex on March 25th.

 
Sunday, April 8th - Easter Sunday, no class
 
Sunday, April 15th - Viewing Part 1 of the documentary, "I AM" by Tom Shadyac in Agape classroom

Saturday, April 21st - One Great Gift of Service is being held on Saturday, April 21st at FUMC Dallas. Please join Agape on Saturday morning for a few different opportunities to serve. Kevin Rice will be sending out the information soon! 

Sunday, April 22nd - Viewing Part 2 of the documentary, "I AM" by Tom Shadyac in Agape classroom - class discussion to follow.
 
Sunday, April 29th - 5th Sunday Mission in downstairs dining room - "Genesis Women's Shelter"

 
Sunday, May 6th - George Watts: "Faith and Politics" 
 

Social Class

When: Sunday, March 18th, 2012 9:45a
It is Spring Break week! We will be having a class social time on Sunday, March 18th. Please bring a breakfast item!

Lessons

We had a wonderful class last Sunday with Andy Stoker. He summarized the Gospels and helped us to think about how to teach them to our children. He gave out some wonderful hand-outs which will also be available this Sunday, March 11th at which time Andy will continue his thought-provoking and highly entertaining discussion.

Looking ahead, we will have a class social time/potluck on Sunday, March 18th. If you are able to make it, please respond with what you plan to bring so that we do not have 4 dozen donuts and 3 gallons of juice :). 

We are in for a treat on Sunday, March 25th. Ron Horick will be with us to talk about religion in the minds of 4 year-olds. You don't want to miss!

Lessons

We are in for a special treat over the next 2 Sundays (February 19th and 26th). Bishop Hardt will be joining us to talk about "Looking for a Guarantee for Your Faith". He is an extraordinary man, and he is looking forward to getting to know our class. Hope to see you there!

Babyproof your marriage

Those who attended Agape today asked that I send out an e-mail with our solutions to babyproofing our marriages. Here you go:#1. Make time for each other - schedule a date night every few weeks or every month. It is important to have time away and focus on each other.

#2. Plan together - Plan a time every week (ex. Sunday evenings) to sit down with the calendar. Then, work together to divide and conquer the weekly activities.#3. Rip up the scorecard - Stop keeping points. It does not do any good to play the game of who does more and who does less around the house. Instead, work it out through the time you take with #2.

#4. Small gestures - Sometimes, it's just the little things that go a long way. For example, send a simple "love you" text during the day, pick up a bouquet of flowers while you are at the store, make a special dinner/dessert, etc..

#5. Hand in your martyr badge - Sometimes, we think we can handle it ALL. Make sure to ask each other for help when needed. By ripping up the scorecard in #3, the martyr badge is not necessary. Hand it in.
#6. Show appreciation and respect - Everyone needs validation that what they are doing is appreciated. Make sure to communicate this to each other. One way to do this is to pray out loud as a family with specific mention of love/respect for each other.

Keep these solutions in mind as you start out this next week. As for me, I look forward to a brand new week! Best,
Hollis Owens

Lesson: Babyproof your Marriage

Please join us this Sunday for a class discussion on "Babyproofing Your Marriage". Please bring your Bible.

Lesson Sunday

Please join us this Sunday, January 29th. Rachel Cabal will be with us to discuss "Radical Hospitality". She will also tell us how to use "My First Church"! Rachel is a delight, so I hope you will be able to join us. 

One more request.... We have been getting started at about 10:00, but this leaves little time for Agape announcements, prayer requests, etc.. It would be great if we could get started closer to 9:45! Let's shoot for that this week.

Best,
Hollis Owens

Lessons

Jan 22nd: Sydney Fiedler, "Balancing Family and Work"Jan 29th: Rachel Cabal, "Radical Hospitality"Feb 5th: Hollis Owens, "Babyproofing your Marriage"Feb 12th: Frank Roby, "Learning to Accept the Ambiguity of Scripture Without Losing Your Faith"

Feb 19th and Feb 26th: Andy Stoker, topic TBA

Lesson

Please join us this Sunday, January 10th in Agape. Gretchen Combs will be discussing the topic, "Birth Order-And What You Need to Know About It.". We'll start promptly at 9:45.

Lessons

January 8th - We'll start the new year withan Agape potluck during class. Brian Owens will be showing his documentary titled "Take me to the Water" and tell us a little bit about the amazingcommunity in Pin Point, Georgia where religion is the center of theirlives.

January 15th - Gretchen Combs - "Simple Discipline"

January 22nd - Sydney Fiedler - "Family Traditions"

January 29th - Rachel Cabal - "Radical Hospitality"