January 4: Christian Formation Jigsaw Puzzle Competition
Celebrate both Epiphany and National Puzzle Month by entering the Christian Formation Jigsaw Puzzle Competition. All teams (up to 8 per team) will compete to finish the same 500 piece jigsaw puzzle in 60 minutes. The first team to complete the puzzle wins! We will have additional Epiphany themed snacks and activities for everyone not competing. Feel free to register a team or come and cheer on your friends.

January 11: "Proximity to Power: Rethinking Race and Place in Alexandria, Virginia" with Dr. Krystyn R. Moon
Professor of History and American Studies at the University of Mary Washington, Dr. Moon discusses her most recent book, which focuses on the history of Alexandria’s African American community from the mid-nineteenth century to the twenty-first century, focusing on its dynamic relationship with the federal government before, during, and after the Civil War. Alexandria has long held a unique sociopolitical position due to its proximity to the nation’s capital. Dr. Moon will discuss this previously unexplored relationship which had such a profound impact on African Americans' access to schools, transportation, and other resources in comparison to other southern towns and cities.

January 18: "A Task of Greater Magnitude" with Rev. Scott Planting
Rev. Scott Planting, Director of Adult Formation, will talk about his 50 years as a parish minister. In 1975, Scott was installed as the minister of a three-church parish in the foothills of Western Maine. The parish was part of a cooperative ministry called Mission at the Eastward which supported small rural churches and offered a range of community services. After 35 years he was called to serve as president of the Maine Seacoast Mission located on the Downeast coast of Maine. The Seacoast Mission provides healthcare, pastoral care and social services to coastal villages and outer islands. Scott will talk about lessons learned along the way.

January 25: "Ask Me Anything" with Rev. Olivia Patterson
Join Pastor Olivia to hear her perspective as newly ordained clergy, about her 15 years of ministry, what youth and young adults are sharing about church or theology, and more. Bring your questions! Canceled due to inclement weather.

February 1 & 15: "After Ten Years: on Dietrich Bonhoeffer" with Rev. Dr. Victoria Barnett
Rev. Dr. Victoria Barnett returns for a two-part series on Dietrich Bonhoeffer's "After Ten Years: A Reckoning," written in December 1942. It is an extended reflection on what had happened to Germans and their country during ten years of National Socialism. The Bonhoeffer family read it aloud to each other and discussed it during that Christmas week. By turns theological, cultural, and psychological, Bonhoeffer's text offers many insights into the failures of German institutions and values. He also ponders the future that they hope to pass on to coming generations. Dr. Barnett's book After Ten Years: Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Our Times is available for purchase online.

February 8: "Report on the WPC Mission Strategy" with Rev. Patrick Hunnicutt
Pastor Patrick and the Missions Moving Forward Task Force share the Session-approved recommendations for our next chapter in mission, including the application of Capital Campaign funds locally, nationally and internationally. 

February 22: "Ecumenical AND Inter-Religious?" with Rev. Dr. Jacob Bolton
Pastor Jacob explores the history of the ecumenical and inter-religious movement in the PCUSA and shares his experience of serving a four year term on the General Assembly Committee for Ecumenical and Inter-Religious Relations.

March 1: "A Goodly Heritage" with Rev. Maggie Hayward
What have we inherited from missionaries of the past and present that contributes to the health and goodness of our nation and our role in the world?

March 8: "Beautiful Souls: Grace in the Stories of Flannery O'Connor and Novels of Marilynne Robinson" with Rev. Scott Planting
Join Scott to explore the meaning of "grace" in two markedly different American authors: Flannery O'Connor and Marilynne Robinson. We will discuss O'Connor's story "Revelation" and excerpts from Robinson's novel Gilead (paper copies of the readings are also available in the church lobby).

March 15-22: "AI, Migration, and the Book of Genesis" with Dr. Paul Cho
Revisit the book of Genesis with Dr. Paul Cho, professor at Wesley Theological Seminary, through the lens of two contemporary issues: generative artificial intelligence (AI) (in particular, AI trained on large language models (LLM)) and migration. In the first week, “Language in Genesis: From Creation to Deception,” we will examine the power and function of language in the book of Genesis in key texts, including the stories of creation, Babel, and Joseph. In the second week, “Migration in Genesis: From Eden to Egypt,” we examine the centrality of migration in Genesis. Please come ready to discuss the questions Genesis raises about language and migration and how Genesis might help us think about our contemporary world.

Spring Break - no Christian Formation classes on March 29 or April 5.

April 12: "Beautiful Souls" Part 2 with Rev. Scott Planting
A continuation of the March 8, 2026 discussion comparing the writing of Flannery O'Connor and Marilynne Robinson, with a focus on Robinson's 2004 novel Gilead.

April 19: "The Reformed Tradition and the American Revolution" with Dr. Bruce Douglass
Reformed Protestants (both Congregationalists and Presbyterians) played a major role in the struggle of the British colonies in North America for independence. They did so in part because of ideas they had inherited from previous generations of Reformed Protestants. But as they participated in that struggle they also created new ideas that contributed significantly to the development of the Reformed political tradition. This presentation will take up both sides of the story.