Adult Forum schedule
These hour-long sessions, 9:45-10:45 a.m. each Sunday morning, are set aside as time for the adults of our faith community to gather, learn and grow together. The Adult Forum schedule will be updated regularly.

 

Photos of Adult Forum presentations are online [here]

Videos and photos of Tom Long's presentations Sept. 26, 2010 [here]

Book of Faith 2010-11 Lecture Series schedule [here])

 

Upcoming Adult Forum presentations:

Feb. 5 – The Benedict Center
The Benedict Center is an interfaith, nonprofit criminal justice agency working with victims, offenders and the community to achieve a system of justice that is fair and treats everyone with dignity and respect. Jeanne Geraci, Executive Director, will discuss the Center’s mission to assist women who are subjected to a cycle of violence, trauma, poverty and addiction and eventually end up in the criminal justice system. Ms. Geraci will also discuss the “Deferred Prosecution Program,” in which women who are convicted of non-violent crimes participate in treatment programs as an alternative to incarceration and the Sister Project at Reformation Lutheran, an outreach program for women engaged in street prostitution. Women participating in the Center’s programs receive education and work skills. In addition, the Center provides living assistance for the women and children affected by crime and poverty. Join Ms. Geraci to learn more about the Benedict Center and how you can help.

 

Feb. 12 and 19 – The Laborers in the Vineyard: A Book of Faith Interpretation
Carl and Petey Lund will facilitate a two-session study of the troublesome parable of The Laborers in the Vineyard (Matthew 20: 1-16). Using the Book of Faith methodology, they will examine the devotional and literary aspects of the scripture the first week and look at the historical and Lutheran theological strands during the second session. Participants will consider such questions as: How does my experience relate to that of the workers in the story? What special meaning does the historical context of the story provide? What are the central themes of this parable? How can this story better equip us to live as God’s children?

 

Feb. 26 – MET Team Community Conversation
Come to give your thoughts and insights toward the future direction of St. Matthew’s. Another opportunity is available March 18. Read more [here]

 

March 4 – Guest Speaker: Venice Williams
Join us to hear Venice Williams, an inspirational central city leader who has had great success with Alice’s Garden and is now partnering with Fondy Food Market to grow more products in the Port Washington area. Alice’s Garden is an urban agricultural project located in Johnson’s Park, a 2 acre community garden located on a parcel of land that was once part of abolitionist Samuel Brown’s farm, the first farmer to provide safe passage to Caroline Quarlls, an escaped slave from St. Louis. Hear about the rich and interesting history of Alice’s Garden and the powerful work that Venice Williams is doing in our community.

 

March 11 – Guest Speaker: David Reimer, Director of Community Advocates Public Policy Institute in Milwaukee and Conor Williams; Economic Analyst for the Institute and St. Matthew’s Church Member
David Reimer’s Institute is the public policy research and advocacy arm of Community Advocates, a group that for years has served the homeless and other poor people. He has worked on his plan for 3 years with the help of St. Matthew’s member, Conor Williams. Learn about their proposed changes to government policy and how they feel this will affect the state’s poverty rate. With a long history in pushing innovation in government policy, this will be a speaker you will want to hear!

 

March 18 – MET Team Community Conversation
Come to give your thoughts and insights toward the future direction of St. Matthew’s. Another opportunity is available Feb. 26. Read more [here]

 

March 25 – “Consider the Conversation” Documentary Film with Guest Speaker – Prue Smith; Luther Manor
View the documentary film entitled, “Consider the Conversation” with discussion and questions facilitated by Prue Smith after the film. “Consider the Conversation” sheds light on the 21st century American struggle with communication and preparation at the end-of-life care. The film examines multiple experiences on end-of-life care. The producers hope to change the current American attitude so that end-of-life can be seen as a normal process rich in opportunity for human development. They also hope to inspire dialogue and encourage medical professionals and faith leaders to take the lead in counseling others.

 

Past Adult Forum presentations:

Oct. 2, 16 and 23 - Life After This Life “The Afterlife”
Heaven, Hell, and Eternal Life are all a part of our faith and there are various faith filled ideas as well as conceptions and misunderstandings about “life after death.” On Oct. 2, Dan Bice introduced this series and addressed the topic of Hell.

Pastor Weiskotten continued the conversation on Oct. 16 as he discussed the Christian view of the afterlife, our Christian hope, life in the here and now and judgment.

Pastor Gary concluded the conversation on Oct. 23 sharing stories of how people respond to life after death, in both good and bad ways, with an emphasis on a healthy faith response.

Videos of the three-part series are online [here].

 

 

Photos of recent Adult Forum presentations are below

Oct. 9, 2011- Social Ministry Focus: Repairers of the Breach
At the Adult Forum, information was shared about the unique and needed homeless ministries of Repairers of the Breach Homeless Outreach Center, and also about the Women’s Respite room currently in the planning stages in coordination with St. Matthew’s women’s ministries. MacCanon Brown, Repairers Executive Director, led this education time and shared more about their ministry. The ROTB choir was with us in worship -- photos [here]. Photos of the Adult Forum Oct. 9 are below. (Click image to enlarge.)

A video of the Adult Forum Oct. 9 is online [here].

 

Sunday, May 15, 2011 - Fundacion Exodo orphanage
St. Matthew’s helps support this orphanage in El Salvador. Iris Duran, director of the orphanage, spoke about the ways that Fundacion Exodo brings hope, nurturing, and opportunity to children whose future might otherwise be bleak. Fundacion Exodo is one of several ministries that we support in El Salvador, including Feed My Starving Children, and our partner ministry, Casa Esperanza (a homeless shelter in San Salvador). Iris shared her story as well as the mission of Fundacion Exodo during our worship services and the Adult Forum. Facilitated by Iris Duran, director of Fundacion Exodo orphanage

Read more about Iris Duran's visit [here]

(Click image to enlarge.)

 

Adult Forum Feb. 6, 2011

Icons and Art in Religion - Facilitator: Pastor Margaret

(Click image to enlarge.)

 

Adult Forum Nov. 7, 2010

MICAH focus: Immigration -- Immigration is one of the issues that will continue to challenge them. Join us to learn the very clear position of the ELCA and to hear from immigrants in our community as to why the immigration issue is so important and what you can do about it.
Facilitator:  Sister Barbara Pfarr, Organizer, Civil Rights of Immigrants Initiative

(Click image to enlarge.)

Adult Forum Oct. 17, 2010

Repairers of the Breach(ROTB) is a nationally recognized grassroots organization for the homeless.  Their mission is as stated; “To bring forth homeless people to act collectively to change the present conditions under which they live, through advocacy/education and direct action. Each individual will have adequate food, a home, health care, a support system, literacy and an empowered voice.” We will have an open dialogue about the state of  the homeless in Milwaukee with the executive director and founder.
Facilitator:  MacCanon Brown, Executive Director of ROTB

(Click image to enlarge.)

 

 

=======ADULT FORUM PRESENTATIONS 2009-10==========

 

Photos: Adult Forum March 28, 2010
The second of two Adult forums: "Has God Forsaken Us? The Problem of Pain & Suffering" was presented March 28. Facilitators were Dan Bice & Britt Peterson. Photos of the Forum are in the online Photo Album [here].

 

Photos: Adult Forum March 21, 2010
The first of two Adult forums: "Has God Forsaken Us? The Problem of Pain & Suffering" was presented March 21. Facilitators were Dan Bice & Britt Peterson. Photos of the Forum are in the online Photo Album [here].

 

Photos: March 7 - Christianity and Pop Culture - Part 2: “Lights, Camera, Action!”
On Sunday, March 7, all of Hollywood gathered for the 82nd Annual Academy Awards. Ten movies were nominated for best picture this year. Some of these pictures have been part of a growing conversation in Christian circles. How are these films seen from the Christian perspective? Was your faith challenged or awakened as you viewed these movies? On Sunday, March 7 the Adult Forum was a lively conversation on Christian Faith and Film.
Guest Facilitator:  Pastor Jack Murtaugh. Photos of the Forum are in the online Photo Album [here].

 

More about our Feb. 28 Forum - Christianity and Pop Culture -
Part 1: The Shack by William Paul Young
The fictional account of a broken man's encounter with God spent more than a year on the New York Times best seller list, obviously striking a cord with many readers. This session examined the book's theological premises and universal themes in an attempt to explain its popular appeal. Facilitators were Carl and Petey Lund.

The Lunds strongly recommended viewing some videos with author William Paul Young for those interested in this controversial and interesting book and author. They may be viewed online with the links below. (Note: These are external links -- not on the St. Matt's website -- that will open a new window.)

The presentations were made October 5 & 6, 2009, at Capital Christian Center, Sacramento, CA: Presentation 1 [here]      Presentation 2 [here]      Presentation 3 [here]

 

Feb. 14 - Book of Faith: Four Methods of Reading the Bible-Part 2
Due to popular demand, the Book of Faith "Introduction to Four Methods of Reading the Bible" (presented Jan. 17), continued with deeper exploration into how Scripture is to be read and interpreted using each of the four methods: Devotional (Doug Kreckling), Historical (Jason Roberts), Literary (Pastor Gary) and Lutheran Theological (Pastor Margaret). This session was a great starting point for anyone who has never picked a Bible and informative for the experienced reader as well. Come with your questions. The session was moderated by Dan Bice.

Handouts for the session are combined into one document to view, download or print [here].

A video of the Forum is [here].

There is also an audio recording [here].

Photos of the Adult Forum on the Book of Faith Feb. 14 are in the online photo album [here].

 

Feb. 7 - Social Ministry Focus: Affordable Dental Care
For the month of February 2010, our Social Ministry Focus was on the issue of the lack of access to dental care of the low income and people living in poverty. During our education hour, Feb. 7, we showed a video from the Wisconsin Dental Association’s Mission of Mercy event last summer in LaCrosse, where they provided free dental care for a weekend and saw over 1500 adults and children. After the video we had a panel discussion about this issue. We discussed how we are going to help Cross Lutheran and Reformation with dental supplies and education.

Our special guest was Gene Shoemaker, president-elect of the Wisconsin Dental Association. Information about the WDA Mission of Mercy event last summer and upcoming events is on the WDA website [here].

A few photos of the Adult Forum Feb. 7 are in the online photo album [here].

 

Jan. 17 - Book of Faith: Four Methods of Reading the Bible-Part 1
This lively panel discussion on four ways to approach reading the Bible was moderated by Dan Bice. Each approach has its strengths and will be beneficial to all readers of the Bible. The four methods explored were: Devotional (Doug Kreckling), Historical (Jason Roberts), Literary (Pastor Gary) and Lutheran Theological (Pastor Margaret). The handout for the session includes the scripture reading and outlines of the four approaches to Bible reading.

Handouts for the session are combined into one document to view, download or print [here].

A video of the Forum is [here].

There is also an audio recording [here].

Photos of the Adult Forum on the Book of Faith Jan. 17 are in the online photo album [here].

 

Photos all-congregation special learning event Jan. 3
Hunger Task Force led us through their Food For Today simulation on Sunday, Jan. 3, 2010. This unique and interactive simulation helped people understand what it’s like for food insecure families using food stamps in the Milwaukee area to put food on the table. During Food for Today, participants took on roles of Wisconsin residents in a fictional community. Information about the Hunger Task Force presentation and their work in Milwaukee is [here].

Photos of the event are in the online photo album [here].

 

El Salvador Global Mission Forum Dec. 6
A combined adult and youth forum was held Dec. 6 when we welcomed Dan Beirne, who has spent the past two years interpreting for partnership delegations visiting El Salvador.

Photos from the Youth and Adult Forum Dec. 6 are in the online photo album [here].

 

The St. John’s Bible visited St. Matts Nov. 22, 2009
More information about the St. John's Bible at St. Matt's and photos of the event are [here].

 

Additional 2009 Adult Forum photos are in the photo archive online [here].

 

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