Date/Time
Date(s) - 01/12/2018 - 01/13/2018All Day
Primary Contact
Jill Schantz
475 E. Lockwood
Webster Groves, MO 63119
314-918-2554
[email protected]
The LIFE (Lifelong Learner Institute of Faith Exploration) program will kick off the new year with a weekend retreat to be held on January 12-13, 2018 on the Eden Campus. The LIFE program welcomes laity and clergy seeking to explore their Christian faith. Participants spend Friday evening and Saturday on campus in fellowship with others, taking either a certificate or an elective course, worshiping and eating together.
Certificate Class
“Caring in Community: Pastoral Care” with Rev. Amy Bertschausen
The Sacred, The Spiritual and The Struggle. In times of suffering—whatever the cause—it is not uncommon to experience spiritual struggle. This course will explore the search for the sacred, the role spirituality plays in that search and the impact of suffering on our spirits. We will explore a variety of understandings of the sacred as the center of “meaning making” and how threats to that meaning can be an opportunity for spiritual and personal growth. We’ll learn how to watch for signs and symptoms of spiritual struggle as well as ways to help ourselves and others.
Recommended reading: Riding the Dragon by Robert J. Wicks
Rev. Amy Bertschausen is the Executive Director of Care and Counseling. Bertschausen received a Master of Divinity degree from the University of Chicago Divinity School in Chicago, Ill. Bertschausen completed a four-unit residency in clinical pastoral education at Rush-Presbyterian St. Luke’s Medical Center in Chicago, Ill.
Elective Class
“Scriptural Studies, Genders in the World of the Bible,” with Rev. Dr. Laurel Koepf-Taylor
Science, theory and experience tell us that gender is complicated in our lives today, but what about the Bible? This course explores the complexities of gender in the Bible and the ancient world that is its context. This weekend, we will question modern and ancient gender norms by noting the ways biblical texts challenge our assumptions about what it means to be a gendered person.
Recommended Reading: The Erotic Word by David M. Carr
Rev. Dr. Koepf Taylor, Eden Faculty, Assistant Professor of Old Testament is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ. She and her spouse, Julie Taylor, have two sons, Gordy and Kai.
Join us at LIFE!
