“What’s the Least I Can Believe and Still Be a Christian?”
February 5th through March 18th
What, when it comes right down to it, do Christians need to believe? Christians need to believe in Jesus—his life, teachings, example, death, and resurrection. These are to core of Christianity. A great benefit of these beliefs is that they provide answers to life’s most profound questions, including, What matters most? Am I accepted? Where is God? What brings fulfillment? What about suffering? And is there hope?
During this series we will also focus on some things Christians don’t need to believe. For example, Christians don’t need to believe that everything in the Bible should be taken literally, or that God causes cancer and car wrecks, or that God hates gay people.
| Date: | Sunday Worship Theme: |
|---|---|
| Feb. 5th | Some of what you think is Christianity is not Christianity; it is merely the accrued junk of misunderstanding. Prepare yourself for the real deal. |
| Feb. 12th | Jesus was not much of a theologian; in fact, he almost never references dogma. Nor does Jesus have much use for religious rituals. What did Jesus teach? That relationships, with God and others, is what matters most. |
| Feb. 19th | We are flawed, sinful people; just look at the world we have made! Yet God sees us as lovable, redeemable, and of infinite worth. He has acted on these beliefs by send us Jesus, his Son. There is a name for this; we call it ‘grace’. |
| Feb. 26th | How does God do his work in the world? Through us, in Jesus’ name, via the Holy Spirit. |
| Mar. 4th | Happiness—joy, really—comes for being God’s person in the world. How is one God’s person? By serving others in God’s name. |
| Mar. 11th | Jesus promised that those who followed him (believed and obeyed him) would suffer. Why? Because God enters into suffering and redeems that suffering. |
| Mar. 18th | Jesus’ resurrection gives us hope for life now and life eternal. |
You can help us prepare for this dynamic seven week experience in the following ways:
- Pray for this important event
- Attend worship every Sunday during the sermon and study series
- Purchase, from the church office, a copy of the book, “What’s the Least I Can Believe and Still be a Christian” and join in a study group (Dates and times to be announced)
- Invite family members, neighbors, friends, and coworkers to visit the church during this event.
One of the goals of this series is to help us reach out beyond our own congregation. Accordingly, the church has purchased, and makes available to you at no additional cost, copies of “What’s the Least I Can Believe and Still be a Christian” that you can give to others as an invitation to join us for this series.
I am looking forward to this series, and our time together. Please contact me if you have any questions about how you can make the most of this opportunity.
We’re offering Thanksgiving Dinner free of charge to members of the community. Everyone is welcome!
Sponsored and hosted by the First Congregational Church, First United Methodist Church, St. Joseph Catholic Church, Kiwanis Club of St Johns, the physicians and staff of Sparrow Clinton Hospital, St. Johns High School National Honors Society and Good Wins and the St. Johns Wilson Center Alternative School students.