VILLAGE U CLASSES

Come grow with us! Registration is now open for all Village U courses for fall 2020.

Village U is the broad collection of adult learning courses through Village Presbyterian Church. While our offerings are reduced this fall due to the current global pandemic, we are excited to offer a wide range of classes on a variety of topics led by excellent instructors. Nearly all of the classes will take place online via Zoom. For more information about Zoom, please click the button below. 
For any questions about these courses and adult faith formation at Village Church, please contact Laura Hobbs, coordinator for Adult Faith Formation at laura.hobbs@villagepres.org.

Village Connect Conversation Groups

Village Connect is a way to strengthen faith through conversations, while making and deepening friendships. Click here for more details.

FALL 2020 VILLAGE U COURSES 

SEMESTER-LONG COURSES

​*Register for these classes by contacting the facilitator directly.

Continuing Watercolor 
Bill Yates
Year-Round, via Email Instruction

We will select subjects from nature and life to demonstrate techniques for paintings of your choice. A copy of the drawing with some directions, the painting at various stages of completion, and a finished view will be emailed to classmates who will do the painting at their own pace at home. Some videos may be available. There will be a minimum of six sessions. To register, email Bill Yates at wyates66@gmail.com.

Boomerangs 
Judy Bliss 
10 a.m.-noon Tuesdays, Year-Round, Village on MIssion South Parking Lot (weather permitting) or via Zoom

The Boomerangs welcome women to join them in fellowship and fun as they work on a range of projects from knitting, rug hooking and needle pointing, to balancing a checkbook. This group is designed for Baby Boomers and older. This fall they will be meeting in the south parking lot of the church if the weather permits and may also meet via Zoom. For more information or to register, email Judy Bliss at jbbliss53@aol.com.​

Fellowship of Christian Athletes Bible Study 
Newton Graves & Reggie Marselus
7:30-8:30 a.m. Wednesdays, Year-round, via Zoom 

The Fellowship of Christian Athletes Bible Study will be meeting every other week on Wednesday morning via Zoom. We will do this until this crisis has passed. Zoom meetings have been enjoyable and great for our social interaction. We are open to new attendees. For more information or to register, contact Reggie Marselus at 913-302-2576 or reggiemarselus@gmail.com.

Beginner Hula Hooping & Hoop Dancing 
Sirenna Beyer 
5:45-6:45 p.m. Wednesdays, Year-Round at 2608 W. 70th St., Prairie Village, Kansas

This upbeat fitness class includes a stretch, a warm-up and basic hula hooping instruction to popular music. Easy hoop dancing routines, fun games and challenges are included that do not require any hula hooping skills. Custom beginner hula hoops will be provided. There is no cost for the class, but a $10 donation per class is appreciated. Hula Hoop classes can also be viewed on YouTube under via KC Hoop Girl. For more information or to register, email Sirenna Beyer at kchoopgirl@gmail.com. ​

Especially for Women
Rev. Diane Quaintance, retired pastor of Village Church 
9:30-11 a.m. Fridays, Sept. 25-Dec. 18, via Zoom

Especially for Women welcomes women of all ages who enjoy lively, thoughtful conversation about issues of faith and life in today’s world. We engage the wisdom of biblical scholars, theologians and leading thinkers as well as our own experience to shed light on our questions and wonderings. Register with Rev. Diane Quaintance at hqdqfarm@gmail.com or 913-850-8647

Tech Talk with Tony
7-8 p.m. Tuesdays, Sept. 1, Oct. 6, Nov. 3 and Dec. 1, via Zoom

Tony Liu will lead a discussion of ways to use technology solutions. We will discuss a particular topic of interest.  On Tuesday, Sept. 1, we will discuss how Zoom meetings provide convenient and safe technology to connect while social distancing. Tony Liu will discuss various ways to join a Zoom meeting using a smartphone, tablet, laptop or desktop computer. For more information or to register, contact Tony Liu at Anthony Liu at anthonygreeneliu@gmail.com.

SEPTEMBER:​

*To register for the classes below,  CLICK HERE

Black Music Matters: Scriptures and Music of Slavery and Freedom
Will Breytspraak, director of music ministry, and Rev. Dr. Rodger Nishioka, senior associate pastor
6:30-8 p.m. Wednesdays, Sept. 9-30, via Zoom

African American Theologian Howard Thurman in his extraordinary book, Jesus and the Disinherited, writes about his grandmother who was born a slave. During worship every Sunday, she was forced to listen to the white preacher and sing white hymns. Later that night among the slave quarters, she recalled they would sing their own songs and study their own scriptures. Join Rodger, Will, and several black musicians as we explore the scriptures and music of slavery and freedom. Share in interesting discussions about what these scriptures and songs mean in your life, learn more about the African American experience, and learn to sing or hear this music in a deeper, more faithful way.​

Worship Reflections
Rev. Dr. Rodger Nishioka, senior associate pastor
7-8 p.m. Tuesdays, Sept. 15, 29, Oct. 13, 27, and Nov. 10, 24, via Zoom

During this time of worshipping online only, we so miss the opportunity to be together and to engage one another in conversation and reflection. For two Tuesdays each month this fall, we will gather as preachers, liturgists, and musicians for an interactive conversation about the previous worship services. We will hear about the sermon, the call to worship and prayers, and our music including hymns, anthems, and prelude and postlude. Join us and ask questions and share your thoughts and insights as we gather together to discover more about our worship.​

Caring for Self and Others in a Pandemic
Rev. Melanie Hardison, associate pastor for pastoral care
6:30-8 p.m. Wednesdays, Sept. 16-30, via Zoom - POSTPONED. NEW DATE TO BE DETERMINED.

For so many of us, navigating our lives during this pandemic has become exhausting. Changing how we work and go to school, relate to parents and spouses, children and grandchildren, and friends and coworkers, drains us of our energy and hope. Evidence is emerging about the toll this is taking on us individually and communally. The toll is emotional, physical and spiritual. As this pandemic stretches from days, to weeks, to months, it is essential that we discover new ways to care for ourselves and others. Participants in this course will explore how we can give and receive care so that we are able to do more than survive day-to-day. God’s intent for God’s children is life abundant, even in the midst of a global pandemic. Join us to discover what that means for us all!​

Discover Your Child’s Natural Instincts
E3 Academy
6-8 p.m. Tuesdays, Sept. 22, 29, and Nov. 3, 10 (Introductory Class options), Oct. 6, 13, 20, 27 (Workshop options 1) and Nov. 17, 24, and Dec. 1, 8 (Workshop options 2), via Zoom​

Do you know your child's natural God-given talents? Take advantage of time with the E3 Academy certified Kolbe consultant! We will explore how the E3 Academy Method (Kolbe Conative Concept) helps you learn to identify and develop your child’s natural way of doing, also known as their mode of operation. E3 Academy assessments help measure the conative faculty of the mind – the instinctive talents that drive the way a person takes action. Why is this important? It will help your child to discover his/her strengths and solve problems instinctively, reduce stress at home and school, enhance self-esteem, improve communication with your child and transform family dynamics by nurturing each individual’s way of doing. After the first class, you will walk away with an understanding of the four Conative Action Modes and how they can have a profound impact on one’s life. Each of the Action Modes have distinct characteristics that we will discuss. If you are interested, you will have the option to purchase an E3 Academy Assessment after the first class. After electing to take the E3 Academy assessment, the next step will be to participate in the workshop session dates. We will discuss the results for the individual E3 Academy Assessments during the workshops, providing personalized interpretations of your results. Learn how to turn everyday battles into positive outcomes! Learn how the E3 Academy encourages parents to embrace their child’s natural way of communicating, leading and developing relationships. The minimum age recommendation is 3 years old through adulthood. Please register for one of the four Introductory Class options and at least one of the Workshop dates (may register for more than one workshop date). Contact Mary Lemon at marylemon@e3sf.org with questions.
​

Anton Chekov: The Essential Stories
Kelly Fast, language arts teacher at St. Teresa’s Academy 
6:30-8 p.m. Thursdays, Sept. 24, Oct. 1, 8, 15, 22 and 29, via Zoom

Anton Pavlovich Chekhov, Russian playwright and short-story writer, is considered to be among the greatest writers of short fiction in history. His career as a playwright produced four classics, and his best short stories are held in high esteem by writers and critics. While many people encountered Chekhov’s works in high school, the modern short-story writer, Richard Ford, notes that Chekhov is more suited for adults:

“For all their surface plainness, their apparent accessibility and clarity, Chekhov’s stories – especially the greatest ones – still do not seem so easily penetrable by the unexceptional young. Rather, Chekhov seems to me a writer for adults, his work becoming useful and also beautiful by attracting attention to mature feelings, to complicated human responses and small issues of moral choice within large, overarching dilemmas, any part of which, were we to encounter them in our complex, headlong life with others, might evade even sophisticated notice. Chekhov’s wish is to complicate and compromise our view of characters we might mistakenly suppose we could understand only with a glance.”

In this course, we will read and discuss the more notable of Chekhov’s voluminous 201 short stories. Since we will read these stories in translation, it helpful for students to use the same text. We will use the following text: “Forty Stories” (Vintage Classics): ISBN-10: 0679733752. For more information, email kellyfastkc@gmail.com.

OCTOBER:​

*To register for the classes below,  CLICK HERE    

Myth, Memory, Monks and the Middle Ages
Trenton Smith, Ph.D., Village Church member and Medieval historian
6:30-8 p.m. Wednesdays, Oct. 7-28, Nov.4, via Zoom

In ancient days, it was thought that the world ended out beyond the Pillars of Heracles—in that fearsome ocean of storms and gale that bears the name of the mythical city which, if Plato is to be believed, rests just beneath her roaring waves. However, Atlantis existed as if real and tangible to the people of the ancient and medieval worlds. In this five-week class, we will explore how the Cause célèbre of Middle Age European culture—the quest for a common mythology and memory that lies sunken just out of reach—gave rise to modern Europe and continues to shape our world today. We will study everything from Platonic myth to Arthurian literature to stained glass to medieval theology to the Crusades, to try and understand what it meant to be European in the Middle Ages. Join us as we take a page from Saint Brendan and “…journey beyond the familiar into the unknown.”​

Called to Lead: Shaping the Present and Future
Barb Brown, Charlotte Davis & Rev. Dr. Rodger Nishioka, senior associate pastor
6:30-8 p.m. Wednesdays, Oct. 7-28, via Zoom

​Leadership comes in many forms. There are upfront leaders and behind-the-scenes leaders. There are leaders who are visionaries and leaders who are excellent at the details. As followers of Jesus, we believe every one of us is called to share our gifts as leaders in the church, the body of Christ. One of the emphases in Village Church’s Strategic Framework is to continue to develop and grow leaders who will shape our present and future. Participants in this class will learn about the different types of leaders and leadership styles and will discern how God is calling each of us to greater faithfulness and courage. John Quincy Adams is quoted as saying, “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, then you are a leader.” Together, we hope to inspire ourselves and those around us to dream, learn, do, and become all that God intends us to be!

Income Disparity 
Charles “Chick” Keller    
6:30-8 p.m. Monday, Oct. 12, via Zoom

It is bad. It is growing. And it is global. Simply put, the upper 10% of Americans are getting richer while the lower 50% are struggling. Lower taxes help the rich while inflating health care, education, and child care costs leave the lower half with less hope of breaking out from their financial woes. How did we get here? How do we fix it? For more information, email kellerchick@gmail.com. 

Gospel Boot Camp: To See Jesus More Clearly
Dr. Gus Breytspraak, Village church member and emeritus professor of religion and culture at Ottawa University
11 a.m.-noon Thursdays, Oct. 15, 22, 29, Nov. 5, 12, 19, via Zoom

The four gospels that tell the story of Jesus Christ have been compared to seeing Jesus from four different perspectives. Each gospel has distinctive characteristics and major themes and together, they offer the most complete picture of who Jesus was, the essence of his message and the power of his ministry. Dr. Gus Breytspraak will lead a six session Thursday morning course to help the participants gain a clearer understanding of Jesus Christ through the gospels. Each person will need to purchase a copy of Introduction to the Gospels, 2nd ed. by Mark Allen Powell published by Fortress Press (October 2019). This remarkably clear and readable text introduces the political, religious and social world of the gospel writers then compares and contrasts each of the four gospels. Reading will be required for each class session.

NOVEMBER:​

*To register for the classes below,  CLICK HERE

Solving Climate Change 
Charles “Chick” Keller
7-8:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 2, via Zoom

This class will review the cause of global warming and then move into discussion on how to solve global warming. Presentation and discussion will be organized around approaches to mitigating global warming (adaption, regulation and new technology), key factors to solving any problem (focus, measurement and passion) and where does global warming compare in importance with other issues the world and United States is facing? For more information, email kellerchick@gmail.com. 

Systemic Racism: Understanding Its Power and How We Can Dismantle It
Bob Krenzel, Village church member, veteran, author and trainer
6:30-8 p.m. Wednesdays, Nov. 4, 11, 18, via Zoom

For most Americans, it is easy to identify racist words and actions as racism. When a person uses a racial slur, tells a racist joke, or waves a flag with a swastika, it is clearly a racist action and therefore racism. We recoil at such actions. An emerging understanding about racism is that it is less an isolated incident or event; it consists of systems and structures that are virtually invisible, especially to most white people. Participants in this class will explore the definition and meaning of “systemic racism” and will discover practical, effective ways to combat and dismantle the oppression of racist structures.  

Book of Job
Rev. Dr. Rodger Nishioka, senior associate pastor
6:30-8 p.m. Wednesdays, Nov. 4-18, Dec. 2-16, via Zoom

​The “patience of Job” is a well-known phrase. One of the most recognized figures in the Bible, Job is often thought of as an innocent, long-suffering victim whose faithfulness endures every tragedy. Yet there is so much more to this cosmic battle between God and Satan. Over the course of six sessions, participants in this class will read the Book of Job and will explore the theological themes that emerge as we understand what the story of Job has to say to us today.

Huguenot-Anglican Movement in Colonial America
Rev. Dr. Lonnie Lee, retired Presbyterian pastor and scholar whose study focuses on the Reformation and Post-Reformation periods
6:30-8 p.m. Wednesdays, Nov. 11, 18, Dec. 2, 9, via Zoom

​A popular teacher at Village Church, this course builds on two previous studies Dr. Lee has led on the Calvinist movement in France and the 17th century diaspora of this persecuted minority to other parts of Europe and the Americas in one of the largest mass migrations of the early modern era. This class will explore little known but important features of the Huguenot migration to America, including the controversy among the refugees over their Protestant identity. Dr. Lee will be drawing from the extensive research he has done in France, England and Virginia for two published works. His latest book, “A Brief History of Belle Isle Plantation,” was published in April by Heritage Books.

MORE ADULT OPPORTUNITIES

There are many more opportunities for adults to learn and grow in faith through Village Presbyterian Church… 
 
Concerned about the environment and care for God’s creation? Visit the Environmental Action Committee web page at http://www.villagepres.org/environmental-action.html
 
Wondering about the myriad of music groups, choirs and ensembles and events? Find more information at
http://www.villagepres.org/music-ensembles.html
 
Seeking to participate in ministry with Presbyterian Women? Click this link http://www.villagepres.org/pw.html
 
Hoping to be involved in issues of social justice and action for God’s Kingdom? Contact the Social Witness and Advocacy Task Force here. http://www.villagepres.org/social-justice.html
 
Yearning to be a part of smaller group of adults for study and friendship? Seek out the Village Connect small group ministry here. http://www.villagepres.org/village-connect-small-group-ministries.html
CONTACT:
Rev. Dr. Rodger Nishioka
Director of Adult Faith Formation
Email
913-671-2323
CONTACT: 
Laura Hobbs
Coordinator for Adult Faith Formation
Email
913-671-2333