THE SEED NEWSLETTER
JULY 16 , 2023
Dear Christian Temple family,
When I was growing up, I’d often hear stories of my dad’s misadventures riding his bike all around his home state of Iowa. For some time, his family didn’t have access to a car, but he did have a bike! His best stories would often involve his bike, out-of-nowhere storms, and sometimes even rogue animals. Early on, I learned about a ragtag bunch of people who rode their bikes across Iowa and swore I’d one day do it.
Fast forward to 2016, the year of my golden birthday, I wanted to do something special for myself. So, I treated myself to RAGBRAI, the world’s largest, longest, and oldest bicycling event. I ventured out by myself—with the other 20,000 riders—to have my own Iowa misadventures. From the moment I dipped my tire in the Mississippi at the end of the 480 mile trek across fields of corn (not flat, by the way), I was determined to make it back to RAGBRAI.
After church this week, we will set out for a family adventure—first to Oklahoma, then RAGBRAI, then General Assembly—where we will get to be together, see the country, and ride a few (500) miles on our bikes. It’s an odd type of vacation, but we’re a little bit of an odd family.
You will be in good hands in our absence. My dear friend Renee Bland will be filling the pulpit both Sundays. Renee is in my Creative Writing cohort, is Disciples of Christ, and lives in DC. What more could you want?! When we get home, we will have miles of stories for you!
Take good care,
Katie
VOLUNTEER WITH THE KIDS!
Our children's ministry can't run without volunteers. Please consider volunteering with our children during Children at Worship/Transformers in August or September as we begin sharing Godly Play with them! https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C084CACA928ABF5C34-christian
KIDS ACTIVITIES DURING JULY
During the month of July while Transformers is taking a break, we will offer an activity for children 3rd grade and below in the prayground! We do ask for a parent or guardian to be with their child in the prayground, if possible.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
The new church fiscal year has begun, and your generous pledges are a blessing to us all! AN IMPORTANT REMINDER FOR THOSE WHO GIVE AUTOMATICALLY VIA THE WEBSITE:
IF YOU HAVE CHANGED YOUR PLEDGE FOR ’23-‘24, please update it online, and be sure to cancel any pending withdrawals that reflect your commitment from last year. We don’t want you getting double deducted; no need to be that generous!
NEW SUNDAY FORUM STUDY
Join the Forum this Sunday for a new study of Diana Butler Bass' Freeing Jesus. We will discuss one chapter a week, but don't let the book be a barrier to joining us! It will be a stimulating discussion.
WEDNESDAY BIBLE STUDY- SUMMER NEWS! ~ A Note from Vaughn Ouellette
Last Wednesday we concluded our most current lecture series, "Understanding the New Testament." It seems to be a logical place to pause for the summer and enjoy the outdoors, the beach, family and friends. We will resume Wednesday Bible Study on the first Wednesday after Labor Day, September 6th, when we will begin a new lecture series entitled, "Skeptics and Believers: Religious Debate in the Western Intellectual Tradition." Our lector is Professor Tyler Roberts, a professor of Religious Studies at Grinnell College. This is a 36-week lecture series beginning at 9:30 to 11:00 a.m. every Wednesday.
The scope of the lecture is, "to ask questions, such as, what are we doing when we profess belief in God? When we pray? When we join with others in church in rituals of worship? Western philosophers and religious thinkers have asked and answered these questions for centuries. But in the 17th century, with the advent of modernity, the nature of these inquiries changed. "Modernity" names a historical period characterized by advances in science and new models of reason and politics. It also marks a new attitude toward the world and our place in it, where intellectual and cultural authority is no longer located in past traditions or in divine revelation but in our exercise of reason in the present and where our sense of indebtedness to the past is replaced by confidence in our ability to shape our world for the future. In this context, Western intellectuals began to ask new questions about God, faith, and religion. How do we know that God exists? Can reason defend any of the assertions about God and the world claimed by our religious traditions? Is religion a force for good in human life, or is it something that belongs to a past age, a symptom of the childhood of humanity?"
I hope you will join us in this new and exciting way to better understand our faith in God and our religious traditions in the modern world.
Enjoy your summer!
BIBLE STUDY ZOOM LINKS!
Lectio at Lunch (12 PM Noon) - Zoom Sessions Only
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86986398860?pwd=Ync1V0MwQ3hNNkV0MmFSV3dvcExPUT09
Nine O' Clock Forum, Sundays (9 AM), Zoom Sessions Only
