For Adults

Classes meet the first Sunday after Labor Day through the second Sunday in May from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m. 

Opening Doors: This class welcomes all adults, especially those with disabilities. This year’s curriculum includes exploration of stories in the Hebrew Bible. Fellowship, singing, prayer and snacks are also important segments of participants' time together. (Room 209)

An Encouraging Word: Need an encouraging word during these chaotic times?  This Sunday class provides an opportunity to gather with others and to reflect on the lectionary/sermon text of the day. The emphasis will not be on what scholars say about the text, but on how the text speaks to participants personally in the context of our daily lives.  We hope that you will find encouragement from the words of your friends in faith, that the Word itself will empower you, and that you will come away each time with renewed courage and confidence for living fully in the coming week. (Room 208)

Faith and Family: All are invited to this Sunday morning class to discuss the joys, challenges, and wonders of parenting, grand-parenting, and being an adult in the lives of young people through the lens of faith. Coffee and homemade baked goods provided! Topics this year include: Tips for Teaching Finance to Kids, Choosing Schools from Daycare to College, Faith vs. Anxiety, and Managing Extended Family Conflict. (Upper Lounge)

Library Class

Telling the Truth About History

9 a.m. February 8

  • “Until we reckon with our compounding moral debts, America will never be whole,”

    TaNahesi Coates, “The Case for Reparations”

    How can we honestly face the painful truths of our own community’s history of white supremacy, recognize its destructive legacy in the burdened lives of our neighbors, and take responsibility for what we can do to repair historic harms?

    February 1 - Honoring Legacies and Uplighting Narratives

    Jessica Harris As President of the The Descendants of Enslaved Communities of UVA, Jessica Harris leads the organization in its dedication to honoring the lives, labor, and legacies of the people whose work built and sustained the University of Virginia. DEC focuses on a collaborative model of descendant engagement that brings together families, scholars, students, and community partners to advance historical truth, restorative memory, and opportunities for ongoing dialogue. In this session, DEC leadership will share the process of creating a Memorial to the Enslaved Laborers at UVA, and how further efforts around historical education and descendant engagement can be fostered in our communities. 

    February 8 - Telling the Truth about Charlottesville

    Deborah Baker is a distinguished writer, born in Charlottesville, educated at the University of Virginia and Cambridge. Her previous works include In Extremis: The Life of Laura Riding (a Pulitzer Prize finalist), The Convert: A Tale of Exile and Extremism (a National Book Award finalist), A Blue Hand: The Beats in India, and The Last Englishmen: Love, War, and the End of Empire. 

    Her most recent book, Charlottesville: An American Story, explores in powerful, deeply researched detail the events and long histories behind the 2017 “Unite the Right” rally — the torch-lit campus march, the street violence, and the tragic murder of counter-protester Heather Heyer — situating them in a broader context of American history, local memory, and civic identity. 

    She will lead a discussion about how memory, place, and moral witness — themes dear to Christian communities — shape our understanding of justice, reconciliation, and hope today.

    February  15 - Telling the Truth to our Youth and Children - Sara Dorrien-Christians

    Sara will discuss anti-racist parenting, grandparenting, and accompaniment of our children and youth. This is a joint offering with the Faith and Family class. 

  • Looking for a Bible study beyond Sundays? The Tuesday Afternoon Bible Study meets on the third Tuesday of each month from 4:00–5:00+ pm in the Lower Lounge. This year the group is exploring Liturgy of the Ordinary by Tish Harrison Warren, discovering how God is present in everyday life and how the sacred meets the ordinary. Each gathering includes fellowship, refreshments, and member-led discussion.