Sharing Our Story, the Christian Formation theme for the 2024-25 program year, connects the Resurrected Christ's call to share the good news and the sacred work of living our own faith story in the world. United in the love of God, we have an incredible story to share.

Classes are typically led by Director of Adult Formation Scott Planting and/or Associate Pastor for Christian Formation Jacob Bolton, unless otherwise specified. Join us every Sunday morning at 9:45 AM in the Haverkamp Room or on Zoom.

Miss a class? Most Adult Christian Formation classes are recorded and available to watch on YouTube by clicking below.

September 8: "The Council of Haverkamp"
On Homecoming Sunday, all ages will join together to write our own confession of faith, led by Pastor Jacob and Director of Adult Formation Scott Planting. This class is part of a mini-series on "Confessing Our Faith."

September 15: "Christian Nationalism" with Frank Wade
Rev. Dr. Frank Wade joins us to talk about "Christian Nationalism," the belief that the American nation is defined by Christianity, and that the government should take active steps to keep it that way. Viewed from a distance it is a topic which has a certain amount of clarity, but the closer you get the fuzzier it is. Dr. Wade is a professor at Virginia Theological Seminary, rector emeritus of St. Alban's Episcopal Church, and author of "The Art of Being Together: Common Sense About Life Long Relationships" and "Biblical Fracking: Midrash for the Modern Christian."

September 22-29: "Why and How to Read the Prophets" with Paul Cho
Join Paul Cho, Professor of Hebrew Bible at Wesley Theological Seminary for a two-part series: "Why Were the Prophetic Books Written?" on September 22 and "Learn to See as the Prophets See" on September 29.

October 6-13: "Mission of the Church" with Philip Wingeier-Rayo
Join Philip Wingeier-Rayo, Professor of Mission and World Christianity at Wesley Theological Seminary for a two-part series: "A Missional God: Biblical Images" on October 6 and "Toward a Missional Church Model" on October 13.

October 20: "Christian Nationalism and the Theological Declaration of Barmen"
This class is part of a mini-series on "Confessing Our Faith."

October 27: "Beyond Horror and Shame: Legacies of the Holocaust for Faith Communities and the Future" with Betsy Preston
This class is part of a mini-series on "Confessing Our Faith."

November 3: "A Pastor Looks at the Election" with Rev. Dr. Larry Hayward
As we face the upcoming national election, Pastor Larry Hayward looks forward to sharing personal reflections from "elections past" and some of the Biblical and theological insights that have marinated within him over the years of watching and participating in elections in our country.

November 10: "Improbable Conversations" with Jim Muyskens
Political campaigns promote and reinforce the widely held conviction that the Blue Team and Red Team can never come together in common purpose. This will be a session designed to build as strong a case as we can as members of Westminster Presbyterian Church for an alternative view, namely, that there is far more that unites us than divides us. Click here to view the slides from this presentation.

November 17: "Faith and Practice"
This class is part of a mini-series on "Confessing Our Faith."

November 24: "Generations" with Rev. Olivia Patterson
What do you know about your elders, or about the youngest members of our church? Boomers, zoomers, and all -- youth and adults will meet together to learn about different generations, compete in generational trivia, and share stories around tables about growing up in the church and the world during different decades.

December 1: "The Spiritual Discipline of Prayer" with Christine Hershey
Please join Director of Seniors Ministries Christine Hersey as we dive into the spiritual discipline of prayer. What that means, how that looks and how prayer can impact our day to day living! This will be an opportunity to share and engage with one another, as well as with the Holy.

December 8: "The Council of Haverkamp" Continued
The Council of Haverkamp will study ‘The Brief Statement of Faith’ added to the Presbyterian Book of Confessions in 1991. The occasion for writing the 'Brief Statement', the most recent confession of the church, was the vote in 1983 to reunify the Southern and Northern branches of the Presbyterian church, which had been separated since 1859. Based on our study of the Book of Confessions the Council of Haverkamp will continue its work of writing a Statement of Faith. This class is part of a mini-series on "Confessing Our Faith."

December 15: "The Council of Haverkamp" Concluded
Throughout the fall, the Westminster adult formation class has met from time to time as the Council of Haverkamp to study the Presbyterian Book of Confessions, to consider the "essential tenets of faith,” and to write our own Statement of Faith. Our goal in the study of Reformed Confessions of Faith has been to ‘equip the saints’ with tools to articulate our common faith in turbulent times. On Sunday, December 15, we meet as the Council of Haverkamp one last time to consider the journey we’ve been on together and affirm the Confession of Faith we’ve written together. This class is part of a mini-series on "Confessing Our Faith."

Christmas Break -- no Adult Formation classes on December 22 or 29. See you in the new year!