This year, the adult education programs will focus on the Christian virtue of hospitality. The virtue of hospitality includes the concepts of agape (the love for all people as creatures of God) and “welcoming the stranger,” but it also goes beyond merely these things, since it requires a proactive care and concern for all, both within and outside the Christian community. Thus, the virtue of hospitality governs the way we care for our family and friends, as well as the way we interact in society.    
   
To help begin our discussion, the Adult Forums throughout September and October will be a discussion of Christine Pohl’s Making Room: Recovering Hospitality as a Christian Tradition (Eerdmans Press, 1999; ISBN: 0-8028-4431-6).
   

One reviewer states “[Pohl] effectively weaves biblical insight, historical precedent, and practical wisdom, exploring how concern for strangers has been normative from ancient times. To revitalize this ‘moral dimension,’ Pohl challenges readers to move beyond their safety of hosting people within their familiar social or economic world. . . .
Ultimately, readers from any church background will learn that as they make room for others in their homes, more room will become available to them to receive God’s blessings.”
   

Dr. H. Ashley Hall, our new Vicar, will help lead the presentation and discussion through the book’s nine chapters. The themes for September are:
   

Sept. 12:  A New Look at an Old Theme   
Sept. 19:  Ancient and Biblical Sources
Sept. 26:  A Short History of Christian Hospitality
    

Subsequent weeks will cover other topics, such as: The Stranger in Our Midst; Hospitality from the Margins; The Limits, Boundaries and Temptations of Hospitality; and The Spiritual Rhythms of Hospitality. We’ll be invited to reflect on the strengths of our hospitality efforts as individuals and as a congregation and challenged to consider where we might improve.
   

It is not necessary to purchase the book in order to participate; however, we will have some copies of the book and study guide available. The book is $17, and the study guide is $6. Call the church office at (402) 341-7761 if you would like the book and/or the study guide.