by Web Posts | Aug 18, 2026 | Activity, Adult Spiritual Education, Bible Study, Current, Reading between the Lines
The Adult Spiritual Education committee will host a one-hour Reading Between the Lines (Bible Workbench) on First Day, September 6, from 9-10 am, through Zoom. We’ll discuss both Romans 12: 19-21 (“When you are wronged, do not seek revenge. Instead, leave room for the judgement of God…”) and Matthew 18, 15-20: What is a respectful way to handle conflict between two people in a community? How do we resist the temptation of making false assumptions? The facilitator will send the zoom link through the Newslist several days before our meeting.
by Diane Bowden | Jul 23, 2026 | Activity, Adult Spiritual Education, Bible Study, Reading between the Lines
The Adult Spiritual Education committee will host a one hour Reading Between the Lines (formerly Bible Workbench) on First Day, August 2, from 9-10 am on Zoom. We’ll discuss the endings of two stories—Matthew 14:1-12 (the murder of Jesus’s cousin John the Baptist: “His disciples came and took the body and buried it; then they went and told Jesus”) and Matthew 14: 13-21: potential scarcity ending in overflow: “And all ate and were filled; and they took up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full”). The facilitator will send the zoom link through the Newslist a few days before the session.
by Diane Bowden | Jun 23, 2026 | Activity, Adult Spiritual Education, Bible Study, Reading between the Lines
The Adult Spiritual Education committee will host a one-hour Reading Between the Lines (Bible Workbench) on Sunday, July 5, from 9-10 a.m. on Zoom. We’ll discuss Matthew 11: 25-30: what does it take to be free of burdens imposed on us by someone else’s inaccurate perceptions, unjust systems, our own unhealed wounds? What is it to rest from burdens we consciously say “yes” to, and want to keep committing to? What about burdens caused by illness, natural disaster, things that happen to people we love? How do we start to become aware of unnecessary burdens we place on others? . . . The facilitator will send the Zoom link through the Newslist a few days before the meeting.
by Diane Bowden | May 19, 2026 | Adult Spiritual Education, Bible Study, Reading between the Lines
Reading Between the Lines (Bible Workbench) will not meet in June.
by Diane Bowden | Apr 20, 2026 | Activity, Adult Spiritual Education, Bible Study, Reading between the Lines
The Adult Spiritual Education committee will host a one-hour Reading Between the Lines (Bible Workbench) on Sunday, May 3, from 9-10 am through Zoom. We’ll discuss John 14:1-14: A few chapters before Jesus tells his friends and disciples “Do not let your hearts be troubled,” he says, “Now my heart is troubled.” What happened—between his own acknowledgement of feeling troubled and his being able to say, in soundness and clarity to others, “Do not let your hearts be troubled?” What internal work did he do? How was that enacted in his life? The facilitator will send the Zoom link through the Newslist a few days before the meeting.
by Diane Bowden | Mar 16, 2026 | Activity, Adult Spiritual Education, Bible Study, Reading between the Lines
The Adult Spiritual Education committee will host a one-hour Reading Between the Lines (formerly Bible Workbench) 9-10 am (through Zoom) on First Day, April 5. We’ll discuss a few different accounts of the stories of Easter morning: who showed up at Jesus’s tomb, what they found, who they told, who they touched—or didn’t touch, how each of them was recognized—“met” in their grief. We’ll continue discussion on what it is to “enter” into different kinds of darkness—including darkness that is “nourishing” (Hirsh). The facilitator will screen-share the texts and send the zoom link through the Newslist (as well as the contact list for “regulars”) a few days before our session.
by Diane Bowden | Feb 15, 2026 | Activity, Adult Spiritual Education, Reading between the Lines
The Adult Spiritual Education Committee is hosting an in-person introduction to the ongoing Reading Between the Lines scripture study from 9:15 to 10:30 am on Sunday, March 1, in the community room. Facilitator Leslie Shiel will give a short introduction and explanation; then participants will discuss John 3:1-17 (the story of Nicodemus visiting Jesus in the night).
You do not have to be Christian to appreciate and be moved by these (often) subversive and wildly shaped texts; this method of study uses metaphor and story to explore scripture. Leslie will provide print copies of the text, including parts from the original Aramaic (from Neil Doublas-Klotz’s book Revelations of the Aramaic Jesus). Newcomers who are curious and regulars who want a refresher - all are welcome. Nursery care will be provided.
by Diane Bowden | Jan 18, 2026 | Activity, Adult Spiritual Education, Bible Study, Reading between the Lines
The Adult Spiritual Education Committee will host a one-hour Reading Between the Lines—through Zoom—on First Day, Feb. 1, from 9-10 am. We will discuss—along with single lines from Micah, Psalm 15, and 1 Corinthians 1, the Beatitudes—found In Matthew 5:1-12. As part of our conversation, we’ll see the translation offered by Neil Douglas-Klotz in his book Revelations of the Aramaic Jesus. Words like “ripening,” “dissolving,” “extra unhealthy holdings,” going beyond who we thought we were, “darkness” as meaning “what’s unknown,” and more—will help us as we consider—with new eyes and ears—a text that may now seem too familiar to us. We’ll consider a progression of steps rather than a set of formulas. The facilitator will send the Zoom link through the Newslist a few days before the discussion.
by Diane Bowden | Dec 21, 2025 | Activity, Adult Spiritual Education, Reading between the Lines
Reading Between the Lines will return on February 1 after taking a break in January.
by Diane Bowden | Apr 20, 2025 | Adult Spiritual Education, Bible Study, Reading between the Lines
The Adult Spiritual Education Committee will host a one-hour Reading Between the Lines (formerly known as Bible Workbench) on May 4, 2025, from 9-10 am through Zoom. We will discuss John 19: 1-14: moorings during mourning; eventual recognitions of new forms; casting nets in new directions; unforeseen abundances; the intimacy and tenderness of sharing a meal, especially after great change. The facilitator will send the Zoom link through the Newslist a couple of days before our conversation.
by Diane Bowden | Mar 18, 2025 | Activity, Adult Spiritual Education, Bible Study, Reading between the Lines
The Adult Spiritual Education committee will host a one-hour Reading Between the Lines (formerly called Bible Workbench) on Sunday, April 6, from 9-10 a.m. on Zoom. We will discuss John 12:20-33: A troubled soul. The meaning of “glory.” What is required in times when we are aware “this hour has come.” What choices may be available during “this hour.” What to let go of, what to hold onto. How to hear possible affirmation. The facilitator will send the zoom link through the news list a few days
before the session.
by Diane Bowden | Feb 17, 2025 | Adult Spiritual Education, Bible Study, Reading between the Lines
The Adult Spiritual Education committee will host a one-hour Reading Between the Lines (formerly Bible Workbench) on First Day (Sunday), March 2, through Zoom, from 9-10 am. We will discuss Mark 9: 2-9: when what we think we know becomes a question; when our perceptions are challenged; when what we have now experienced has to make a difference; when we try to “pin down”—too early—new vision; when we try to make “small dwellings” for a “larger life” (paraphrased from The Education Center, Charlotte, NC). The facilitator will send the Zoom link through the Newslist several days before the meeting.
by Diane Bowden | Jan 19, 2025 | Adult Spiritual Education, Bible Study, Reading between the Lines
The Adult Spiritual Education committee will host a one-hour Reading Between the Lines, on
Zoom, starting at 9 am, on Feb. 2, 2025. We will discuss John 1: 43-51: recognitions beyond
surfaces; the witness of one person leading to another “unlikely” person; the unlikely parts of us
that have something valuable to say… The facilitator will send out the zoom link through the
Newlist a few days before the meeting.