Adult Ministry

9:30-10:30 a.m. Sundays, Sept. 13-Dec. 20, Rooms 126/127, Mission Campus. Village Forum is a Sunday morning class that welcomes all adults into thoughtful dialogue and spiritual growth through the discussion of theological, social, spiritual, and historical topics. Facilitated by Jim Gibson and Rev. Jay McKell, retired Village Church pastor.

• Sept. 13-20 – Bible Stories for Grown-Ups. An adult look at the stories of Noah & Zacchaeus from the video series by Rev. Josh Scott.
• Sept. 27-Oct. 11 – Conspiracy Theories. Dr. Leslie Dorrough Smith of Avila University leads a discussion of the psychology and sociology of conspiracy theories.
• Oct. 18 – The Separation of Church and State. Dr. Greg Vonnahme of UMKC Department of Political Science leads a discussion on the separation of church and state.
• Oct. 25 – Propaganda. Shelly Cline from the Midwest Center for Holocaust Education tells us about Nazi propaganda and the importance of media literacy.
• Nov. 1 – Christian Nationalism. Bill Tammeus, “Faith Matters” blog writer and columnist for Presbyterian Outlook, speaks on Christian nationalism.
• Nov. 8-15 – Racism. Rev. Jay McKell draws on the work of Princeton University professor Dr. Eddie Glaude, Jr. to discuss racism and the soul of America.
• Nov. 22-Dec. 20 – Voices in Advent. Advent reflections from Rev. Zach Walker and videos from Diana Butler Bass.

10:10-10:50 a.m., Sundays, Sept. 13-Dec. 20, Room 124, Mission Campus. This group values the study of various sources, discussions, sharing our diverse understandings of faith, and being a caring, supportive community seeking to grow in our faith journey. Facilitated by Kathy Ray.

• Sept. – “The Future is Peace: A Shared Journey Across the Holy Land” by Aziz Abu and Maoz Inon (2026). The authors have experienced family tragedy and are trying to develop a culture of dialogue, forgiveness, and peace.
• Oct.-Nov. – “Christianity Without Dogma: A Personalized Way to Deconstruct Christian Beliefs & Practices” by Jack Bergstrand (2022). Rather than destroy Christianity, deconstruction can save it. “Christianity without Dogma” was written to help people think through this more systematically. Without dogma, more people will be able to flourish spiritually, and deconstructed churches may even be able to start growing again.
• Dec. – “Jesus & Buddha: The Parallel Sayings” by Marcus J. Borg (2022). Examine lessons of peace, love, patience, and kindness for similarities demonstrating that we are more alike than different.

9-9:45 a.m. Sundays, Sept. 13-Dec. 20, Library, Antioch Campus

• Sept. 13: Adult Education Kickoff and Overview
• Sept. 20-Oct. 18: On Being. Death and dying are as much a part of the human experience as eating, breathing, and sleeping, and yet we tend to shy away from discussing them out of fear or superstition. In this class, we will discuss not only what it means to live well, but also what it means to grieve well, plan well, and die well. This class will be facilitated by staff at Prairie Sky Counseling Center as well as our own Village Church staff and pastors.
• Oct. 25-Nov. 15: The Next Right Thing. Sometimes the tasks that lie before us can overwhelm us into paralysis. Emily P. Freeman reminds us that we don’t have to know how to do everything or have a five-year (or even five-day) plan, we just need to know how to do the next right thing. Her book, The Next Right Thing: A Simple, Soulful Practice for Making Life Decisions was a 2025 bestseller and started out as a podcast, which she continues to host. In this class, facilitated by Rev. Anna Owens, we will explore the practice of finding the next right thing through all of life’s challenges, big and small.
• Nov. 29-Dec. 20: Holy Disruption: An Advent Study on the Gospel of Mark. You Bible scholars out there might already be thinking, “But there’s no baby in the Gospel of Mark,” and you’re right! Tracy S. Daub takes us through a journey of the shortest gospel that highlights the many ways Mark guides us to the good news of the incarnation, even without a birth narrative. This class is facilitated by Karen A. Reimer.

9-10 a.m. Sundays, Sept. 13- Dec. 20 (no class Nov. 22), Multipurpose Room, Antioch Campus

This class is an opportunity for parents to join in fellowship and conversation on a weekly topic centered around family and faithful parenting. Facilitated by Dr. Aaron Redburn, director of music ministry and faith formation at Antioch Campus.

11 a.m.-noon Sundays, Sept. 13-Dec. 13 (no class Nov. 29), online only (see below for Zoom info). Facilitated by Diann Markley and retired Village Church pastor Rev. Dwight Tawney.

The Dawn of Religion in the Neolithic World. Advancements in modern technologies are providing new insights into our human origins. The appearance of our species some 300,000 years ago was not the inevitable outcome of evolution, but the outgrowth of a long series of successes, setbacks, dietary challenges, innovations in the material culture, and climate change. This class will examine some of the innovative trends in paleoanthropology and archaeology that are shedding light on the ways in which the origin of ritual, symbolic art, and religion impacted human society.

Join on Zoom. Meeting ID: 836 9076 8869, Passcode: 926588