Adult Forums are held Sunday mornings at 10 a.m. in the Fellowship Hall. Grab a cup of coffee from the Cornerstone and join us!
- January 5: Epipha-WHAT? A Brief Explanation of the Season of Epiphany – Dr. Jonathan Campbell, Zion Director of Music and Worship: In large parts of the Christian world, the season of Epiphany is HUGE observation and celebration. The word “epiphany” means “to have a sudden realization.” So beginning with the Day of Epiphany (always January 6), we hear the story from Matthew 2 of the Visitation of Magi, and with each weekly text, we are invited to ponder exactly WHO this Child born in Bethlehem really is! In addition, this identity of Jesus and its meaning also points us to the road Jesus will walk toward Jerusalem and his cross. Come join our own Dr. Jonathon Campbell—he’ll be talking about the season of Epiphany; how it fits into the liturgical year and the New year; and playing some examples of sacred choral music and hymns inspired by the season—a season of light and new beginnings.
- January 12: Islam 101 – Dr. Tam Saidi from the Islamic Resource Group, St. Paul, MN: This past fall, one of our Small Group Studies centered on a booklet produced by Lutheran Social Services of MN called My Neighbor is Muslim. The “bullseye” of this study for us was (a) to gain a basic understanding of Islam for the sake of, at the very least, offering a response of kindness and tolerance, and (b) to compare, contrast, and grow in our own self-understanding of followers of Jesus in the Lutheran Way. As a follow-up to that study, we are pleased to welcome Dr. Tamim Saidi, resident scholar for the Islamic Resource Group based in St. Paul.Dr. Saidi was born in Afghanistan and forced to leave his family behind and take refuge in Pakistan. He came to the U.S. in 1990 and has considered Minnesota his home. Dr. Saidi received his Doctor of Pharmacy from the U and holds a Master of Divinity from Chicago Theological Seminary and Bayan Islamic Graduate School. He has presented to thousands of Minnesotans about Islam and the culture of Muslims.
- January 19: Islam 101 Part Two
- January 26: The Art of Zion – Tim Sheie: Zion’s building is blessed with a whole host of pieces of art—wood carvings; paintings; sculpture; stained glass; and probably more. It’s possible these pieces have become so commonplace we hardly ever notice them. But art is intended to be noticed, to be thought about it, to make an impact on us in some way. Come join Tim Sheie–the creator of our beautiful woodcarvings throughout our building, who will take us on a “slideshow tour” of many of Zion’s art pieces and invite us to notice, to think about, and to be impacted by this art in the ways that perhaps only art can!