Christian Education for Adults
Summer Speaker Series to begin June 7!
Our theme for Spring continues to be “Telling the Story.” Spring semester classes will start on Sunday, April 19, and continue through Sunday, May 24, and run from 9:20 to 10:15 am.
Listening for God
This popular book study course will continue after Easter for six consecutive Sundays. On April 19, participants will discuss the last story in Listening for God, Volume 1. For the next five weeks, participants will read and discuss selected pieces from the anthology God Stories, a collection of short stories by contemporary writers that provide unique views of the presence of God in our lives. This book will be available to participants who need it at a subsidized price. This course meets in the Peete Room. Please sign up in advance for this course so we can order the appropriate number of books.
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SUMMER SPEAKER SERIES
For the fourth year in a row, Grace-St. Luke’s is pleased to offer a Summer Speaker Series during the Adult Christian Education period. This year’s program extends for eight Sundays. We will continue the theme of “Telling the Story,” which we started with the Fall 2008 Adult Christian Education semester. Each of our speakers this year has an interesting story to tell, whether about an individual faith journey or about a major institution in Memphis. Our speakers representing institutions will help us understand how their institutions are coping with the current economic downturn, and what the future might hold.
All series sessions will take place in McClure Hall, starting at 9:20 and ending at 10:15. The eight consecutive sessions will begin on Sunday, June 7, but there will be no session over the Independence Day weekend (Sunday, July 5).
Child care is available in the nursery for infants up to 3 years old. Alice Crow will be leading story-telling sessions for kids 4 through 10 in Room 212 (just across the hall from McClure). Kids 11 through 18 are cordially invited to join their parents/guardians and attend the series sessions.
Here is the schedule.
Sunday, June 7
Ann Langston of the Church Health Center
Ann W. Langston is Director of the Church Health Center, a position she has held since April 1999. Ann has been involved with the Church Health Center since Scott Morris, M.D., M.Div., its founder and Executive Director, arrived in Memphis with the vision to create a health care ministry of the faith community. Prior to coming on staff, Ann served as volunteer legal counsel to the CHC and was Chair of the Board of Directors. Ann is also serving as Board Chair of the Samaritan Counseling Center. She is a member of St. John’s United Methodist Church. Ann will help us understand the challenges and prospects in the health care area in Memphis.
Sunday, June 14
The Rev. Susan McCulloch
The Rev. Sue McCullough is an ordained priest in the Anglican Church of Canada. She led the “Ash Wednesday in Israel 2009” pilgrimage, an experience she has found to be transformative in her ministry and in her journey as a Christian. In “telling her story,” Rev. McCullough will share some thoughts and pictures of the Holy Land during our session.
Sunday, June 21
Chris Peck, Editor, The Commercial Appeal
Chris Peck joined The Commercial Appeal as editor in December 2002. Founded in 1841, the newspaper is the oldest continuously operated business in Memphis. As editor, Chris oversees the work of 150 journalists who write for print and online. Under his tenure, The Commercial Appeal has been named the best newspaper in Tennessee. Chris came to Memphis after serving as the first Belo Distinguished Chair of Journalism at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. Before that, he was editor of The Spokesman-Review, in Spokane, Washington. He is past president of the Associated Press Managing Editors and currently is serving a second term on the board of the American Society of Newspaper Editors. In the midst of major changes in the world of print media, Chris will give us the inside perspective on the prospects for our hometown newspaper.
Sunday, June 28
Dr. Shirley Raines, President, University of Memphis
Dr. Shirley C. Raines became the 11th president of the University of Memphis on July 1, 2001. She is the first woman to hold this position. Described in The Commercial Appeal as “powerful, prepared and personable,” she has become known for her effective work in building productive partnerships on and off the campus. As a community leader, she serves as the past chair of the Memphis Regional Chamber of Commerce and on the boards of several non-profit organizations, including Memphis Tomorrow, WKNO, and the Higher Education Division of United Way. She has authored 14 books and numerous articles, and is widely regarded as an expert in teacher education and early childhood education. In times of decreased governmental support for state sponsored institutions of higher learning, Dr. Raines will comment on the current challenges facing our hometown university and its future prospects. Note to audience: Questions relating to “Life after Cal” are allowed.
Sunday, July 12
The Rev. Gayle McCarty, GSL Deacon for Pastoral Care and Outreach
Gayle McCarty will be ordained on June 7, 2009, and begin her Eucharistic work at Grace-St. Luke’s on June 21. As a Deacon on staff, Gayle will focus on pastoral care and outreach. A cradle Episcopalian, Gayle is a graduate of UT-Knoxville and received her law degree from the University of Memphis. After serving for 12 years in the state Attorney General’s office, Gayle joined the Church Health Center staff and was a parishioner at St. Mary’s Cathedral where she served on the vestry and a search committee and did outreach and pastoral care work. Gayle is going to talk to us about the steps along her faith journey leading to her ordination. For those who have not yet met Gayle, this is your chance.
Sunday, July 19
Joann Self Selvidge
Memphis filmmaker, documentarian and cultural historian Joann Self Selvidge has a kind of motto when it comes to her work. “Everybody’s got a story,” says Joann, “and in a lot of cases, you don’t have to dig to find it. It’s right there, and most people are willing to share that with you.” On this Sunday, we at GSL will hear some of these stories firsthand, and also hear Joann tell us about how “most nonprofits are feeling the squeeze. Some are cutting back; some are being forced to shut down entirely.” In running the board-supervised True Story as a one-woman operation, Joann has said, “We’ve had to adjust and scale back our projects as well.” --Quotes from GO MEMPHIS magazine, April 16, 2009.
Sunday, July 26
Susan Schadt and Tania Moskalenka, The Arts in Memphis
Tania Moskalenko has been at the reins of the Germantown Performing Arts Centre since August 2005. She oversees the booking of performers and operation of the organization. And she says GPAC has expanded its educational programming by 155 percent in the past three years. “We bring artists from all over the world,” Tania says. “For me, it’s important to introduce artists from different cultures to our community.” Susan Schadt has served as President and CEO of ArtsMemphis since January 2002. A native Memphian, her most significant accomplishment is the historic Memphis for the Arts campaign that raised $27.6 million. Earlier, Susan launched an audience development initiative with the Assisi Foundation for some forty nonprofit cultural organizations, culminating in the community-wide interactive arts calendar. Susan currently serves on the Riverfront Development Corporation Board and recently completed a six-year board position on the Americans for the Arts Leadership Council. These two speakers will talk about the promises and challenges facing the arts in our community.
Sunday, August 2
Beverly Robertson, President, The National Civil Rights Museum
Beverly C. Robertson is currently President of the National Civil Rights Museum and principal of TRUST Marketing and Communications Consortium, having amassed over 25 years of experience in public/community relations, communications, strategic planning and research. With a solid reputation as a focus group facilitator, having managed numerous groups for Fortune 500 companies, Beverly is respected for her common sense approach to complex business and communications solutions, no matter what the challenge — financial or otherwise. And as we all know from reading the news, her challenges at the National Civil Rights Museum are significant. We’ll hear the inside story on how she plans to tackle them.
