On Wednesday nights this Fall, adults at Advent have the opportunity to deepen their spiritual journey through study.
The first set of sessions begins September 3rd at 6:15. Pastors Beverly and Pete are familiar voices at Advent offering sessions on Christian Caregiving and a Bible study from the Gospel of Mark. Rev. Vaughn CroweTipton, Chaplain at Furman University, joins us to offer an exploratory look at four of the parables of Jesus. Please continue reading for a more detailed description of each session and sign up online now for the course of your choice. Sign up lists are also available on Pastor Beverly's door.
September Sessions (Sep 3, 10, 17, 24) 6:15-7:10
The Gospel of Mark
Led by Pastor Beverly CroweTipton 
The New Testament is a collection of faith documents, written both in faith and about faith, intended to transform us into persons living God’s purposes. Mark, especially, is a Gospel intended to instruct us in the life of faith, to develop our spirituality. Come join us for this study of Mark and learn from the first Gospel writer how to live authentically as a spiritual person following God’s love, grace, and purpose in life.
Christian Caregiving - a Way of Life
Led by Pastor Pete Berntson
Do you ever feel uncomfortable talking about your faith, praying with others, or trying to comfort a friend? How about knowing how to be assertive, maintaining boundaries, or not being too results oriented when caring for someone who is hurting? If so, this short course, Christian Caregiving - A Way of Life, based on a book by Kenneth Haugk, will challenge and equip you to care for others in a distinctively Christian way. When Pastor Pete first took this course, he found it to be the "tool box for caring" that he had sought for so very long. Now he is eager to share this course, and his insights, as we together we learn to share the best possible Christian care to each other. Topics covered in this first session include: Why Care?, Touching Spiritual Depths, Ministering to the Whole Person, and God as THE Curegiver.
And Jesus Told a Parable...
Led by Vaughn CroweTipton, Chaplain at Furman University 
Central to the way Jesus taught his followers is the parable. What is this kind of teaching and how can we understand it in our modern context? These four sessions will introduce the concept of what a parable is, consider how Jesus' contemporaries would have understood parables, and look at ways we can learn from them today. This study will focus on four of Jesus' parables: The Shrewd Manager (Luke 16:1-8); The Persistent Widow (Luke 18:2-5); The Lost Sheep (Matthew 18:12-14); The Workers in the Vineyard (Matthew 20:1-15).