Let's face it: most of us have questions about faith and spirituality. Often though, our friends don't really want to talk about these things, and churches seem to look down on people with doubts and struggles.
Explorers is a safe place for unbelievers, and for the unbeliever in all of us. It's a place where you can be honest about what you think, and get honest answers about the Christian faith. It's a place where you can make up your own mind about historic Christianity, by looking at the sources, rather than settling for second hand opinions.
Fundamentally, Explorers is all about working on our spirituality in
community. It's a place where you can be yourself - share a meal, talk about your struggles, wrestle with your faith, as
friends rather than foes. We meet once a week for about two hours. We share a meal. We laugh together. And we share our thoughts.
This Spring we'll be looking at The TWO Jesus' in the Bible.
(Wait a second, you ask, "There's
two guys named Jesus in the Bible?!?" Yep, there sure are! One's in the Old Testament, a fellow by the name of Joshua, who God called to pillage and plunder his way into the promised land. And then there's the New Testament Jesus whom we've all heard of. But in the original Hebrew, they share the same name, and we're going to look at both of them...)
- This is going to be a long term explorers group - we'll meet on Sundays @ 1 PM at the Cryder place (2307 River Road - look for the mailbox, turn down the alley).
- We'll work through the first 11 chapters of the Old Testament book called Joshua. Then we'll work our way through the life and teachings of Jesus in the New Testament Gospel According to Luke.
- Together, we'll also get a firsthand glimpse into the wild and crazy world of the Old Testament, -AND- the ministry and teachings of the biblical Jesus.
- There won't be any homework - we'll share a meal together, read a chapter of Scripture, and answer any questions you might have (and boy, the stuff we'll be reading ought to generate LOTS of questions).
- You can come as you are; you can say as little or as much as you like. You won't be asked to sing, or pray, or do anything that makes you feel uncomfortable.
- You can start (or stop!) coming at any time. No one's going to nag you, stalk you, or ask you for money. Seriously!
The goal of these groups is not to convert you. Our job is simply to introduce you to the Jesus of Scripture so you can figure out what you believe for yourself. In the process, you will learn a lot about Jesus, Christianity, and your own spirituality. You'll also have a chance to build friendships with interesting people who are asking the same questions you are.
If this sounds interesting,
please contact Christian (529-5568) for details. Or check out the
Explorers FAQ! Or ask us about talking to real live folks who have gone through this group - we have numerous alumni who would be happy to tell you what it's like!
