We have an exciting Fall Sunday Morning Adult Ed Planned! Join for any or all sessions. The first sessions will be the first of two sessions focussing on worship music, then we'll explore the history of churches in Clarendon Hills, Abolition and the Underground Railroad in Illinois and housing in DuPage County. Four weeks of Advent study will start on November 26.

 

September 17           

Glory to God -- Design and African music  (Lorraine Brugh)

Our first two classes will delve into our hymnal, Glory to God. We’ll explore the process that the compilers used to select the hymns. Then we’ll do a deeper dive into the global selections, focusing this week on African Song. 

Our instructor is Dr. Lorraine Brugh, a colleague of our Director of Music, Christopher Cock. She is Senior Research Professor at Valparaiso University. A member of the North American Academy of Liturgy and the American Guild of Organists, she currently resides in Peoria, Arizona. She recently served as Artist in Residence at Pinnacle Presbyterian Church in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Dr. Brugh is very familiar with the Glory to God hymnal, with a particular interest in the global music selections.

• PDF  Resources

• Hymnal Resources

• Glory to God Hymnal Session 1 Vimeo recording (9/17/23)

 

September 24           

Glory to God -- Pacific Rim music  (Lorraine Brugh)

More Hymns with Dr. Lorraine Brugh at Adult class this Sunday

Last week, we learned more about our hymnal, Glory to God. And we had fun working on a few of the hymns from Africa. This week, the focus will be on hymns from the Pacific Rim (Asia).

Our instructor, Dr. Lorraine Brugh, is a colleague of our Director of Music, Christopher Cock. She has lots of credentials, as you can read in last week’s announcement. What we didn’t know then is what a great teacher she is! And Pacific Rim music is her specialty.

• PDF  Resources

• Hymnal Resources

• Glory to God Hymnal Session 2 Vimeo recording (9/24/23)

 

October 1                 

Clarendon Hills Church history: CPC (Ann Hamman, Ann Schenck)

• CPC Church History Vimeo recording

 

October 8                 

Clarendon Hills Church history: other churches (Jan Cummings (CHHS))

We know a lot about CPC history, but what about those other churches in Clarendon Hills? This week, Jan Cummings will talk to us about them. 

A long-time friend of Ann Hamman, Jan is the Vice President of the Clarendon Hills Historical Society. She was librarian at Notre Dame School for 30 years and wrote local news for the Doings for 16 years. She volunteers at the Notre Dame Parish food pantry and is a member of both the Clarendon Hills Woman’s Club and the Friends of the Library. A resident of Clarendon Hills for 50 years, Jan clearly has a lot of local knowledge of the Village.

• Jan Cummings Vimeo recording

 

October 15               

Planning a worship service (Jason Hill)

We will look at how we build a worship service that is thematic and has a coherent arc, leading you to go out into the world each week. Building from key themes, words, and imagery, we will talk about the styles of music and resources from which we find this music. In this highly interactive session, we will discuss and select all the music and spoken liturgy in a worship service. 

Our own church musician, Jason Hill, will facilitate this session on site. Jason has training and skills that we have not yet experienced, and he will be sharing some of them with us this week and next.

• PDF Resources

• Jason Hill Session Vimeo recording

 

October 22               

Why and how our worship music matters  (Jason Hill)​

• Jason Hill Session 2 Vimeo Recording

 

October 29                Abolition and the Underground Railroad  (Owen Muelder)

We are fortunate to be able to host a presentation on Sunday by the director of the Knox College Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Galesburg. Owen Muelder is nationally recognized as an expert on abolition and the Underground Railroad. He has written two acclaimed books on the subject: The Underground Railroad in Western Illinois  and Theodore Dwight Weld and the American Anti-slavery Society.

He will begin his presentation with brief remarks about the era in which the abolitionist movement became well organized. The second phase of his talk will discuss the Underground Railroad nationally, and then move to a discussion of the UGRR in the state of Illinois, where Galesburg was a key center of activism. He will end his remarks with a brief discussion of the movement in the Chicago area. Bring your curiosity and learn with us.

• Owen Muelder Vimeo Recording

 

November 5             

Habitat for Humanity  (Kelly Bufton)

Our adult education class this Sunday will be led by Kelly Bufton, a CPC member and elder. Kelly is also on the Chicagoland Habitat for Humanity Board of Directors. He will explain what Habitat for Humanity does, and how it helps deal with the shortage of affordable housing. This class is the first in a series of three, looking at the work of different agencies.

• Kelly Bufton Vimeo Recording

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November 12           

PADS  (Marlene Ceja)

This week, Adult Ed continues its series on the housing crisis in DuPage County with a presentation by Marlene Ceja, Director of Corporate and Community Engagement for PADS. Marlene will talk about how PADS is coping with the homelessness in DuPage and the difficulties that PADS has encountered due to the COVID 19 pandemic and its aftermath; and how PADS has changed in response. Finally, she will address what you can do to help PADS going forward.

• PADS Vimeo Recording

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November 19           

Bridge Community

We started this series two weeks ago with a presentation about Habitat for Humanity. Last week, we learned about changes that PADS has made to meet the needs of unhoused clients. This week, we will complete the series with a presentation by Jenifer Bystry, director of community engagement of Bridge Communities. Jen will talk about Bridge’s mission to help those with housing issues to establish themselves in stable situations. Just as its name implies, Bridge works in the area between PADS and Habitat—mostly rental housing situations. Jen will also address what you can do to help Bridge going forward.

• Bridges Vimeo Recording

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Resources:

• 2022 annual report featuring inspiring stories and impressive outcomes:https://heyzine.com/flip-book/d4ed69e342.html

• Overview of Bridge Communities within the context of homelessness in DuPage County: flyer attached.

• One Sheet overview of Bridge Communities’ mission and footprint: flyer attached.

• Fall 2023 newsletter featuring Bridgette’s story and other interesting information:https://heyzine.com/flip-book/167d1d1089.html

• Bridge Communities’ Get Involved Guide, which provides many ideas for supporting Bridge and families transitioning from homelessness to self-sufficiency: https://www.bridgecommunities.org/Content/documents/Get%20Involved%20Guide%20one%20sheet%20May26_2023.pdf

• Bridge Communities 2024 event information: flyer attached. Also, more here on our website: https://www.bridgecommunities.org/news-events. Here’s the landing page for our February 24, 2024 Wine Women & Shoes, specifically:https://www.bridgecommunities.org/news-events/events/wine-women-shoes.

• Bridge Communities 35 Years of Homes & Hope book featuring stories of individuals who were in our program as children and are now thriving adults, demonstrating the generational impact of Bridge’s mission: https://heyzine.com/flip-book/353d09eb32.html.

 

PDF Resources: 

• Overview -- Bridge Communities and Homelessness in DuPage

• Bridge Communities 2024 Event Lineup and Sponsorship Opportunities

• Bridge Communities Overview 2023​​

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November 26 - December 17         

Advent Study: An Unlikely Advent by Rachel Billups

This Sunday, November 26, we will be anticipating Advent, which technically starts December 3. We will begin a study of An Unlikely Advent, written by Rachel Billups. “This Advent study focuses on the experiences of often overlooked characters in the Nativity story. Rachel Billups guides readers through the themes of hope, love, joy, and peace by sharing the stories of Elizabeth and Zechariah, Herod, the Magi, and the shepherds. Each set of unexpected characters has something to teach about living faithfully on the journey to Christmas.”

For this week, Robin Randall will be our leader. Together, we will explore Hope and the characters of Elizabeth and Zechariah. Rachel Billups says, “Advent is a season of audacious hope.”

Rachel will join us via video, providing an excellent overview and a stimulus for the discussion that we will have.

Join us in the chapel at 10:45, or join us online via Zoom.

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Zoom link available from the office.

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Up-to-date Adult Ed information can be found on the EVENT page