Dear Grace Anglican Church,

I am eager to share with you some improvements to our Sunday morning schedule that will create a new format for both discipleship and community. Back on Vision Sunday I shared with you that I intended to pursue a new approach to Christian Education for the purpose of helping our entire congregation grow deeper in faith. To accommodate this, I am asking everyone to shift their Sunday routine. I want our church to increasingly be a physical space where Christian community and growth in the Gospel are cultivated.

WHY?
I am often told from members that they don’t feel as though they know the Bible very well. In teaching the catechism class, I’ve been surprised that basics of Christianity are received as new concepts. Over the years, we have offered many options for Christian Education, but they have typically been held on weeknights with varying levels of participation and limitations. I do hear praise for our preaching ministry, but a 20-minute sermon cannot bear the burden of discipleship. It is just not adequate for Christian Education, in part because there is no room for interaction, questioning or further clarification from the teacher. There is a need and a hunger for more teaching of the faith at our church. In addition, the Christian Education hour will create an overlap of the services in which new relationships can be formed and deepened. I hope what I’m saying resonates with you. Are you willing to invest some additional mental energy and time into growing deeper this year?

WHAT'S CHANGING?
Beginning on Sunday, June 2nd, we will be adjusting our entire Sunday morning schedule to introduce a new Christian Education hour. In order to do this, all service times will change. We will move to offering two services, 8:30 AM and 11:00 AM, the first traditional and the second contemporary in style. The Christian Education hour will be in between those services at 9:45 – 10:45 AM. For the summer, we will offer one class for adults and teens. Our Teens will be encouraged to attend the adult classes or serve in leadership within the children’s ministry. Nursery will be available. We will also have a children's class (K-6th) that will track the same topics as the adults and teens. We will continue to have children (K-6th) in the worship services at 8:30 AM & 11:00 AM, with a children’s sermon in the narthex simultaneous to the adult sermon.

WHAT TYPES OF NEW COURSES WILL BE OFFERED IN THE CHRISTIAN EDUCATION HOUR?
This summer (beginning June 2nd), Curtis Froisland and I will be team-teaching an adult course based on the curriculum called CASKET EMPTY. That title is a very memorable acronym, which will help us trace God’s plan of redemption fulfilled in Jesus through the entire Bible. We will study the redemptive story of the Old Testament through one of these six major periods: Creation, Abraham, Sinai, Kings, Exile and Temple, with the first letter of each heading making up the word CASKET. We will then look at the New Testament portion (EMPTY). I’m beginning our Christian Education here because the CASKET EMPTY curriculum provides a comprehensive sweep of the Bible with Christ at the center. My goal for the class is not only more familiarity with the major movements of God in Scripture but also that we would grow in our experience of God’s grace as we see the strong connections with Christ, who fulfills all of Scripture.

Casket Empty is just the first of many types of adult courses I envision in the seasons to follow. Other subjects could include a recurring 4-week membership course, a course on hearing God, a course on spiritual gifts, a course on emotionally healthy spirituality, the Catechism course, a course on contemporary issues facing Christianity, and many other such courses. Obviously, there is a lot to learn when pursuing life in the kingdom of God. This new Sunday arrangement will allow us to grow into a full Christian Education plan gradually.