Presbytery of East Tennessee School of the Laity

Summer 2013

Interested in learning more about your faith?  Curious about Reformed Theology or our Presbyterian heritage?   Thinking about accepting a leadership opportunity?  Then we have an innovative program just for you.

Since the fall of 2010, our presbytery has offered a School of the Laity three times a year.  Each class is held on two Saturdays, with optional reading to be done before each session.  The cost for each class is $65, which includes lunch both days.

(Please note that the School of the Laity is available to all laypeople, not just to ordained elders.  Unlike the Commissioned Ruling Elder classes, these classes have no required homework or long-term commitment.  Each course (of two days) stands alone, so they can be taken in any order.)

Summer 2013 Class

This summer, the PET School of the Laity is offering Bible Study for Interpretation and Application, taught by  the Rev. Les Rust.  It will meet at Mars Hill Presbyterian Church in Athens on July 13 and 27, from 9:30am to 3:30pm, with lunch provided.  Suggested readings will be posted on the School of the Laity page of the PET website (under News & Events). The cost for this course is $65, and registration is due by July 8.

Class Description:

Bible Study is considered one of the essential spiritual disciplines for all Christians.  Whether it is called “Quiet Time” or “Time in the Word” or “My Devotional” or any other name, we expect that dedicated disciples will be spending time in the scriptures.  But how does one approach this time?  What methods or means are to be employed?  What guidelines do we have for exploring the Bible?  This course will explore a variety of approaches used in a two-step process.   First, we will examine several interpretative approaches and our own interpretative lenses; what models do we bring to the Bible from the beginning.  Second, we will explore ways to take what we have learned and express it within the context of our congregation, class, or fellowship group; what methods do we use to communicate what we have heard to others.    

Prior to class, students should read either one of these two books:

Life with God: Reading the Bible for Spiritual Transformation by Richard Foster, or

Eat This Book: A Conversation in the art of Spiritual Reading by Eugene Peterson.

We look forward to a time of lively conversation, interesting insights, delicious food, and fun fellowship together.  We hope you will join us.   

For more information, contact:

Corita Swanson: corita@chartertn.net