Fall, 2005



American Religious History: Date: Begins September 25, 2005
Time: Sundays, 9:00 am to 9:45 am
Place: Youth Room, Cole Hall, First United Methodist Church
Instructor: John Holmes

Are you acquainted with the histories of the Puritans, the Congregationalists, the “Great Awakenings”, the impact of slavery on the American churches? The topic for the Adult Sunday School that has been chosen by the previous members of the classes will be “American Religious History”. The resource videos will be from the Teaching Company featuring Prof. Patrick Allitt of Emory University . John Holmes will be acting as facilitator.
The Pentateuch: Date: Begins September 29, 2005
Time: Thursdays, 7 to 8:30 PM
Place: Youth Room, Cole Hall, First United Methodist Church
Instructor: John Holmes; In addition a new mid-week Adult Bible Study will tentatively commence on Thursday evening, September 29th , from 7 to 8:30 PM, again in the Youth Room in Cole Hall. The subject will be the Pentateuch, the first five Books of the Old Testament. We will use a variety of sources to explore these important books that form the core of the Hebrew Bible, and are known as the Torah. The stories, are familiar to many, but contain many hidden truths as well. All are welcome to join in this exploration.

Local Instructors

John Holmes has been active in the adult Sunday morning classes at FUMC since he joined the congregation some 15 years ago. John recently took an early retirement from Stanford University where he taught physics and radiation biology courses to researchers and clinicians for more than 30 years. While in college, John took courses in biblical languages and the Bible.

DiAnn Perko is a certified Lay Speaker in the United Methodist Church. In 2001 she completed the Companions in Christ leadership orientation--which included training and experience leading spiritual formation groups especially in small-group settings within congregations. In 2002 she led the 28-week Companions in Christ experience at First Church. DiAnn likes leading small groups that meet evenings. By day she designs, builds and maintains custom business databases.