Tours

Christ Church is open for free docent-led tours on the second Sunday of the month. Regular Sunday morning worship begins at 9:30 am (see below). Tours start in the courtyard at 11:00 am. The proceeds from all tours benefit the Friends of Christ Church Lutheran, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of the building.

Upcoming Adult Forums in 2012

Our focus this winter and into the spring is on reading and interpreting the Bible. God’s word challenges and comforts us and holds our community together. We hope to grow in Christian faith and community through our learning and reflection in these sessions.

February 5. We conclude our work on the Book of Faith materials with guest speaker Diane Jacobson of Luther Seminary. She will help us understand how Lutheran readings of scripture situate us precariously but faithfully between fundamentalism and secularism.
Pre-Reading
Chapter 2 of Opening the Book of Faith (free copies available at church)
After today's forum:
The beer brewers will be bottling our first batch of beer, and we need your help. Please join us in the main kitchen to learn about the process and to help out as you are able. Call for Bottles: We need bottles for our beer. Any brown, glass bottle with a pop top (not screw top) works. Twelve-ounce bottles are ideal, but slightly larger or smaller works too. Bring clean bottles (please soak off labels and scrub off glue residue) to church this Sunday. Thanks!

February 12. DeAne Lagerquist, Professor of Religion at Saint Olaf College, teaches us about the variety of Christian interpretations around the world. Familiar stories from scripture gain new depths and complexities when we listen to interpreters from the global south.
Pre-Reading
1. “Rereading the Bible,” Erbele-Küster
2. “Reading the Bible in Contemporary Africa,” Mwombeki
3. “The Book of Revelation in Africa,” Mwombeki
Handout (click here)

February 19. Our annual congregational meeting is from 11:10 to noon, followed by a Fat Tuesday lunch in the basement. After the meal Chris Holtkamp, organ builder and friend of our congregation, will give an organ presentation.

February 26. Curtiss DeYoung, Professor of Reconciliation Studies at Bethel University, helps us examine how our social location informs our reading of scripture. Culture, gender, class, race, and other social realities affect our interpretation more than we know.
Pre-Reading
1. “Culture and Identity,” in The Peoples’ Bible, 3–12.
2. “Jesus and Cultures,” in The Peoples’ Bible, 65–76.
3. “The Bible as an Instrument of Reconciliation,” in The Peoples’ Bible, 77–84.

MARCH

March 4. Pastor Carlson helps us sink deeply in the Passion narrative in the Gospel of John as we prepare to hear this story in worship and as we prepare to hear a local performance of Bach’s Saint John Passion.
Pre-Reading
Chapters 18 and 19 from the Gospel of John

March 11. Paul Westermeyer, Professor of Church Music and Cantor at Luther Seminary, leads a discussion of J. S. Bach’s life, vocation, and cultural context with reflections on Bach’s musical and theological importance and the significance of his cantatas.
Pre-Reading
1. “Helmut Rilling, in His Own Words,” Messner
2. Forthcoming

March 18. Paul Westermeyer returns to help us hear and understand Bach’s music in new ways. Bach’s Saint John Passion serves as a central part of the discussion.
Pre-Reading
1. Forthcoming
2. Forthcoming

March 24. Please join us on this Saturday evening for a performance of Bach’s monumental Saint John Passion. A group of Christ Church members and friends are planning to attend this performance together. All are welcome, and the tickets are discounted. Please see Josh Messner for more information, or see the display on the back table.
Bach’s Saint John Passion  |  Bach Society of Minnesota  |  Saint Mary‘s Chapel  |  Saint Paul Seminary, Saint Paul  |  7:30 pm

March 25. The Visioning Committee will give us an update on how we are implementing our vision for Christ Church.