CURRENT CLASSES

November Adult Education Classes

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Who, What, and When in ancient Israel and Judah (November 3 and 10)
John Strikwerda continues his three-part class. Come for answers to these questions:
• David, Abigail, Solomon, Ahab, Jezebel, Elijah, Hezekiah, Josiah, …Who were these folks and what did they do?
• Why was Jesus compared to the prophet Elijah?
• How did good King Josiah die? Why should we care?
• Why would anyone say this proverb? “The parents eat sour grapes, the children’s teeth are set on edge.”
• Who wrote the books of the Bible? When? Why?

Anxiety in Children (November 3)
Learn more about anxiety in children Sunday, November 3rd during adult education. We will be revisiting the presentation given last year which discussed what anxiety can look like in children and going more in-depth about things caregivers can do to support children who have anxious behaviors. The presentation will be led by Jenny Von Bergen, a school counselor, and Mollie Moore, a postdoctoral fellow in Health Psychology working with both adult and pediatric populations.

Martin Luther King’s Letter from a Birmingham Jail (November 3, 10 & 17)
For three weeks in November we will have a discussion on Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s landmark writing “Letter from a Birmingham City Jail.” On November 10th, Lisa Hermann, a Presbyterian pastor and former history teacher, will lead a class on the history of the letter and provide context for when it was written and why it needed to be written. On November 3rd, Marcia McDermid will lead a presentation on the content of the letter, and why it is such an incredibly compelling document. On November 17th, Pastor Jeff will lead a class on the attempt to add the letter to the PC(USA) book of Confessions; teaching about the Book of Confessions, the process for amending the Book of Confessions, and the current status of the letter.

Food, God and Us – Making a Difference with Small & Sustainable Changes – Part 2 (November 10)
Frances Parker offers part two of her Covenant Creation Care class.

Ending Extreme Partisan Gerrymandering in Wisconsin (November 17)
On June 18, 2018, the United States Supreme Court issued an opinion in Gill v. Whitford, a case in which a federal district court had held Wisconsin’s 2011 state legislative districting plan (Act 43) to be an unconstitutional partisan gerrymander. The lawsuit was filed in July 2015 by 13 registered Democratic voters in Wisconsin who claimed that Act 43 violated their right to vote guaranteed by the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment to the US Constitution, and their right to freedom of association under the First Amendment, by unfairly favoring Republican candidates for the Wisconsin legislature, ensuring that Republican legislators would control the Assembly and Senate for the entire decade. Without ruling on the merits of the claims, the Supreme Court vacated the judgment and sent the case back to the federal district court for a new trial in July 2019. But on June 28, the US Supreme Court ruled in Rucho v. Common Cause, a partisan gerrymandering case from North Carolina, that partisan gerrymandering claims cannot be brought in federal courts. Consequently, the Whitford case was dismissed. Attorney Doug Poland is one of the lead trial attorneys representing the Plaintiffs and was a member of the team that presented the case to the Supreme Court. Doug will explain what partisan gerrymandering is, why it is such a severe threat to representative democracy in Wisconsin, and efforts here and in other states to eliminate partisan gerrymandering in the wake of the Supreme Court’s Rucho opinion.

Alcoholism Recovery Using the 12 Steps (November 17)
David Lincecum will share his own experiences with recovery using the 12 steps. Topics include 12 step programs, spiritual recovery as an alternative to behavioral modification, effects of addiction on the family and family recovery options. David shares practical experience and information that can be helpful for anyone - whether affected by addiction or not.

CPR/AED, Heart Attack/Stroke Refresher (November 24)
Help save a life! It’s easier than you think. On November 24 between services, training will be provided on how to respond in an emergency with hands-only CPR (cardio-pulmonary resuscitation) using chest compressions. Training will also be provided on how to use an AED, and how to recognize of the signs of a stroke or heart attack.

Digging deep into “white fragility” about racism (November 24, December 1 & 8)
Adult Education invites you to take a fresh look at racism in America -- personal and societal – in a three-Sunday 10 a.m. class beginning November 24. Guest presenter Eugenia Sherman Brown and Covenant’s Jenny Von Bergen and Dick Lovell will lead us deep into Robin DiAngelo’s challenging 2018 book White Fragility. We’ll explore why most white Americans are uncomfortable talking about racism, why that is harmful, and what we can do to “interrupt” racism in our families, communities and nation. Reading White Fragility is strongly recommended but not required prior to attending this class. White Fragility is in Covenant’s library and copies will be available for purchase in the church office for about $13.00; sign up on the bulletin board or let Mary Kieta know if you would like a copy. (Eugenia, Jenny and Dick also recommend the book The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson as a great background read on life for people of color in 20th Century America. This book is also available in Covenant’s library.)

“Total Christmas Makeover” (November 24, December 1)
In the bustle of the Christmas season, it can be easy to get swept up in all of the things to do. Christmas is meant to be cherished and celebrated, not barely survived due to stress. Join us for the two Sundays leading up to Advent to prepare ourselves to intentionally slow down and turn our attention to prepare ourselves for the Christmas season. We will use the book Total Christmas Makeover by Melissa Spoelstra to refocus on the reason for the season.