Adult Education Brochure Spring 2012

FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
Exploring
Our
Faith
SPRING-SUMMER
2012
Learning Opportunities for Seekers,
Questioners and Everyone in Between
Table of Contents
Celebration of the Fool…. ……...…………………………………..…3
Creation Theology………………………………....……………………3
Love Free or Die…………..…………………………………….………4
The Science of Reason…………......................................................5
Reading the Qur’an for Christians…………………………………....6
Tantalizing Bible Stories………………………………………………..7
Lunch ‘n Learn: Pema Chodron on Faith & Reason…………….…..8
The Politics of Marriage…………………….……………….….……..9
60+ Wednesday Circle ....................................................................9
Marie Sibilla “Aging Well” Lecture Series..................................... 10
Our Program Leaders ............................................................ …..11
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IN CELEBRATION OF THE FOOL
Sunday, April 1 starting at 2:30 p.m.
Thomas Moore, author
The Rev. Barbara E. Senecal-Davis, moderator
Katherine Gotshall English, creative director
Join us for this special program (2:30-4:30 p.m.) followed by a tea reception/book signing (4:30-5:30 p.m.) featuring guest speaker Thomas Moore, author of Care of the Soul.
$20 registration fee. Make checks payable to First Presbyterian Church (memo “Thomas
Moore”).
CREATION THEOLOGY
BIG IDEAS FROM THE BEGINNING
Sundays, 9:45 a.m.
April 22 and 29
The Rev. Barbara E. Senecal-Davis
and Ms. Sarah Cairatti
The creation stories in Genesis 1-3 are rich with theological ideas that have been interpreted through the centuries. What does it mean to say God makes order out of chaos?
How does our reading of the creation stories influence our understanding of our relationship to our environment and current ecological issues? Join us as we explore these
fascinating ideas in ancient and modern thinking.
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THE FUTURE OF FAITH:
LOVE FREE OR DIE
FILM SCREENING AND CONVERSATION
Tuesday, April 17 at 6:30 p.m.
Bishop Gene Robinson
and filmmaker Macky Alston
Join us as filmmaker Macky Alston premieres a clip from his
upcoming Sundance Film Festival-nominated film. Love Free or
Die follows the personal story of Bishop Gene Robinson, a man whose two defining passions—his love for God and his love for his partner Mark—come into conflict as American churches debate whether or not lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people are
equal to heterosexuals in the eyes of God. Visit http://lovefreeordiemovie.com for more
information about the film.
Please RSVP directly to Auburn Media
at http://www.auburnseminary.org/future-of-faith to attend this event!
V. Gene Robinson, the ninth bishop of the Diocese of New Hampshire in the Episcopal
Church in the U.S., has been honored by the Human Rights Campaign, the National
Gay & Lesbian Task Force, Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund and many other
organizations for his civil-rights work for gay, lesbian, bisexual and trans-gender people.
Bishop Robinson will be publishing his next book, God Believes in Love: Straight Talk about
Gay Marriage, with Alfred Knopf in the fall of 2012.
Macky Alston’s first film, Family Name, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 1997,
where it won the Freedom of Expression Award, and later aired on PBS’ POV. Since then
he has directed Questioning Faith (2002), The Killer Within (2006), and Hard Road Home
(2007). Alston is a partner with Sandra Itkoff and Christopher White in Reveal Productions. His honors include the Gotham Open Palm Award, Emmy nominations for three
of his films and press appearances around the world, including The Oprah Winfrey Show,
The Today Show and The New York Times.
This is the final session of THE FUTURE OF FAITH Film and Speaker series,
presented by Auburn Media in partnership with Brick Presbyterian Church,
First Presbyterian Church in the City of New York and Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church.
About Auburn Media: In 2002, Auburn Media was launched by the Auburn Theological Seminary to give religious leaders the resources and skills to use media in their
work. To learn more, visit www.auburnseminary.org/religion-and-media.
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THE SCIENCE OF MEMORY
HOW OUR MEMORIES DEFINE OUR IDENTITY
Sunday, April 22 at 12:30 p.m.
Rabbi Geoffrey Mitelman
As religious people, we constantly recall the past and seek to bring it into the present. So what do current scientific findings say about how our memories define
our identity? Why do we remember some things and not others? Is memory an
accurate record of the past—and how does that question shape who we
are?
Rabbi Geoffrey A. Mitelman is the Associate Rabbi of Temple Beth El
of Northern Westchester, and is the creator of the blog “Sinai and Synapses––Judaism and a Closer Look at Human Nature.” He also blogs
for the Huffington Post, Science and Religion Today and My Jewish
Learning, particularly on the interaction of religion and science. He was selected
by CLAL, the National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership, to be one of
twenty “Rabbis Without Borders,” a national program that seeks to position rabbis
as American religious leaders and spiritual innovators who contribute Jewish wisdom to the American spiritual landscape.
He was ordained by the Hebrew Union College—Jewish Institute of Religion in
2007, where he received the Cora Kahn Prize for the most outstanding sermon
delivery and oratory, and graduated from Princeton University with degrees in
Religion and Jewish Studies, with multiple prizes for scholarship in Judaic and
Biblical Studies.
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READING THE QUR’AN FOR CHRISTIANS
THEOLOGY OF THE QUR’AN
Sundays, April 29 and May 6 at 12:30 p.m.
Imam Khalil Abdur-Rashid
This spring we conclude our six-week course on the six essential pillars of faith in Islam—belief in God, His angels, His books, His messengers, the Day of Judgment and Divine Destiny—as explained in the Qur’an. Each class session will be devoted to an examination of one of the pillars of the Qur’anic theology. Students will learn what it means to
believe in each pillar, why such a belief is necessary, the benefit of having such a belief
and how maintaining such a belief is relevant to being a believer in the Qur’anic sense.
The content of this course will consist of readings from several verses from the Qur’an,
occasionally excerpts from Qur’anic commentary, and class discussions.
Recommended Text: The Meaning of the Holy Qur’an (Amana Publications), translated by
Abdullah Yusuf Ali—available online at Amazon.com as well as in major bookstores such
as the Strand and Barnes & Noble.
Khalil Abdur-Rashid serves as Imam and Executive Director of Iqra
Mosque in Brooklyn, New York and as Columbia University’s Muslim
Religious Life Advisor. A native of Atlanta, Georgia, Imam Khalil received his BSW degree in social work from Georgia State University;
completed a specialization program in Islamic Law at the Dar al-Mustafa
Institute in Yemen; and earned an MA in Islamic law at Marmara University and a doctorate in Islamic law from the Mirani Seminary, both in
Turkey. He is currently a PhD student at Columbia University, specializing in Islamic Law and Bioethics; and an adjunct assistant professor at
NYU’s Wagner School of Public Service.
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BORING NO MORE
TANTILIZING BIBLE STORIES EVERYONE SHOULD KNOW
Sundays at 9:45 am
May 6, 13, 20
You voted…and the results are in! This Bible study will focus on the three stories that
you, the congregation, most wanted to read and ask questions about. Who says the Bible
is a boring book? The passages have shouting, over-confident assertions, along with otherworldly visions fit for their own prime-time drama or reality show.
Join us for this exciting look at three Bible passages:
May 6: DOUBTING THOMAS
John 20:24-29
The Rev. Barbara E. Senecal-Davis
May 13: JESUS AND THE CANAANITE WOMAN
Matthew 15:21-28
Elder Tom Cathcart
May 20: THE WOMAN THE DRAGON
Revelation 12
The Rev. Dr. Mark D. Hostetter
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LUNCH ‘N LEARN: BILL MOYERS ON FAITH AND REASON
VIDEO INTERVIEW WITH PEMA CHODRON
Friday, May 18 at 12:00 p.m.
The Rev. Barbara E. Senecal-Davis
In 2006, Bill Moyers talked with some of the voices at the PEN World
Voices Festival about their struggles with faith and reason. While much
has transpired in the public conversation about faith and reason in the
last five years, the writers Mr. Moyers talked to then continue to write and
wrestle with these issues. During this lunchtime series, participants will
watch one of Bill Moyer’s interviews with a selected writer and then discuss the issues of faith and reason raised in the interview. Please bring
your own lunch. The group meets in the library for these adventurous discussions.
Ani Pema Chödrön is an American Buddhist nun and author whose teachings and writings
on meditation have helped make Buddhism accessible to a broad Western audience. She currently directs the Gampo Abbey in Nova Scotia, Canada, the first Tibetan monastery in North
America for Western monastics and lay practitioners. Born Deirdre Blomfield-Brown in New
York and raised in a Catholic family in New Jersey, Pema Chödrön discovered Tibetan Buddhism in 1972 while on a trip to the French Alps. In 1974, she began a 13-year tenure with
the meditation master Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, founder of the Shambhala school of
Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhism, and became one of his foremost students. She was ordained as
a nun in 1974, at the age of 38.
In addition to her work at the Gampo Abbey, Ani Pema (Ani being
the Tibetan honorific for nun) has served as director of the Karma
Dzong Shambhala Center in Boulder, Colorado, and has authored
several popular books on Buddhist practice, including Wisdom of No
Escape (1991), When Things Fall Apart (1996), The Places that Scare You
(2001) and Start Where You Are (2004). Chödrön has devoted much
of her writing and teaching to explaining how the basic tenets of
Buddhism can help people understand and cope with the pain and
disappointments of everyday life in the modern world. She is has just
finished a new book titled Practicing Peace in Times of War.
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THE POLITICS OF MARRIAGE
Sundays, 9:45 a.m.
June 3 and 10
Dr. Jenny Knust,
Ms. Thia Reggio
and guest
A year ago in June, the New York State Legislature passed the Marriage Equality Act,
making same-gender marriage legal in New York State. Religious voices across the debate
have been at the forefront of the conversation around this landmark decision. Going
beyond the rhetoric and back to our religious sources, what does the Bible and reformed
tradition have to say about how marriage is defined? Join us for this exciting series as we
consider the challenges and tools available to broadening our definition of marriage.
THE 60+ WEDNESDAY CIRCLE
WEEKLY LUNCH PROGRAM FOR SENIORS
April 4:
No lunch, no program
April 11:
Nutritionist Alice Kaufman
April 18:
Speaker to be announced
April 25:
FPC member David Wolfe on restoring and living in an old
beach-front home
PLACE: Mezzanine of the South Wing LUNCH ($5.00) at 12:15 p.m.
PROGRAM: 1:00 to 2:00 p.m.
ENTER through the main door of the church.
SIGN UP by the preceding Monday on poster in lobby of the Mellin-Macnab
Building
or by phoning the FPC receptionist at (212) 675-6150.
ORGAN RECITAL: If you arrive between noon and 12:15,
please sit and enjoy the organ recital by Dr. Entriken.
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THE MARIE SIBILLA “AGING WELL” LECTURE SERIES
Thursday, May 17 in the Mellin-Macnab Parlor, 2nd floor
Light Supper—6:00 p.m. ($5.00 charge)
Program and Discussion—6:45 to 8:15 p.m.
THE BENEFITS OF PSYCHOTHERAPY
FOR OLDER ADULTS
Patricia Tidwell, Ph.D., LCSW,
a psychotherapist who has been in practice
since 1996
Information & reservations at reception desk or by calling (212) 675-6150. If you plan to
eat with us, please make a reservation by Tuesday, May 15.
ALL AGES AND COMMUNITY WELCOME
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WHO ARE OUR PROGRAM LEADERS?
Khalil Abdur-Rashid serves as Imam and Executive Director of Iqra Mosque in Brooklyn, New
York and as Columbia University’s Muslim Religious Life Advisor. A native of Atlanta, Georgia,
Imam Khalil received his BSW degree in social work from Georgia State University; completed a
specialization program in Islamic Law at the Dar al-Mustafa Institute in Yemen; and earned an
MA in Islamic law at Marmara University and a doctorate in Islamic law from the Mirani Seminary, both in Turkey. He is currently a PhD student at Columbia University, specializing in Islamic Law and Bioethics; and an adjunct assistant professor at NYU’s Wagner School of Public
Service.
Macky Alston is an award-winning documentary filmmaker, an educator on issues of media and
religion, an organizer within the worlds of philanthropy and media-making and a regular writer
and reviewer on film and religion. A graduate of Union Theological Seminary (M. Div.), Alston is
a partner at River Films, a documentary film company in New York City. At Auburn Media, Alston
has developed and directs programs to support responsible, engaging religious voices and create
multifaith understanding. He has taught courses on documentary film at Union and Auburn
Theological Seminaries.
Sarah Cairatti is the Seminary Intern this year. She is in her final year at Union Theological Seminary earning a Master of Divinity degree. Sarah grew up in Franklin, TN, and graduated from
Presbyterian College in South Carolina. This past summer she worked as a chaplain at Vanderbilt
University Medical Center in Nashville.
Alice Kaufman, a nutrition and wellness specialist, is a member of the Speaker’s Bureau for the
American Heart Association and has taught food and nutrition education in New York City high
schools.
Jennifer Wright Knust is Assistant Professor of New Testament and Christian Origins at Boston
University. A graduate of the University of Illinois, Urbana, she earned her Master of Divinity
from Union Theological Seminary and her Master of Philosophy and Doctorate of Religion from
Columbia University. Her publications include a study of sexualized name-calling among ancient
writers (Abandoned to Lust: Sexual Slander and Ancient Christianity, Columbia University Press 2005)
and a forthcoming volume on sacrifice in the ancient Mediterranean world (Ancient Mediterranean
Sacrifice, edited with Zsuzsanna Varhélyi, Oxford University Press). Professor Knust has been the
recipient of fellowships from the Association of Theological Schools-Henry Luce III Foundation,
the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, the American Council of Learned Societies, the National Endowment for the Humanities and the American Association of University Women.
Geoff Mitelman is the Associate Rabbi at Temple Beth El of Northern Westchester. He was selected by Clal, the National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership, to be one of twenty
“Rabbis Without Borders” in a national program that positions rabbis as American religious leaders and spiritual innovators contributing Jewish wisdom to the American spiritual landscape. He
was also chosen to be one of twelve rabbis in the initial group of the Balfour Brickner Fellowship,
a joint program with Clal and the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism that integrates Jewish textual tradition with modern social and political issues. Before rabbinical school, Mitelman
worked at Facing History and Ourselves, a national non-profit educational consulting organization that aims to teach the Holocaust as a lesson in human behavior, linking history to moral
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choices today. Read more about Rabbi Mitelman at www.sinaiandsynapses.com.
Thomas Moore is the author of the bestselling book Care of the Soul and fifteen other books on
spirituality in everyday life. He lectures widely on holistic medicine, spirituality, psychotherapy,
and the arts. He writes regular columns for Resurgence, Spirituality & Health, and The Huffington
Post and has recently published Writing in the Sand: The Spirituality of Jesus and the Soul of the Gospels, Care of the Soul in Medicine and The Guru of Golf and Other Stories about the Game of Life. Much of
his recent work has focused on the world of medicine, speaking to nurses and doctors about the
soul and spirit of medical practice.
Thia Reggio is an M.Div. candidate at the Union Theological Seminary.
V. Gene Robinson, the ninth bishop of the Diocese of New Hampshire in the Episcopal Church
in the U.S., has been honored by the Human Rights Campaign, the National Gay & Lesbian Task
Force, Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund and many other organizations for his civilrights work for gay, lesbian, bisexual and trans-gender people. Bishop Robinson will be publishing
his next book, God Believes in Love: Straight Talk about Gay Marriage, with Alfred Knopf in the
fall of 2012.
Barbara E. Senecal-Davis currently serves First Presbyterian Church as the Minister of Christian
Education. She gives oversight to the educational programming for the children, youth, and
adults along with other pastoral responsibilities.
Patricia Tidwell is a psychotherapist and consultant in New York. She is currently faculty and clinical supervisor at the Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy Study Center in New York. In addition to postgraduate certificates from the Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy Study Center and the Organization
Program of the William Alanson White Institute, Dr. Tidwell has a BA from Smith College, an
MBA from Thunderbird School of Global Management, an MSW from New York University and a
PhD from International University of Graduate Studies.
EDUCATIONAL MINISTRIES COMMITTEE
Thomas Cathcart, Chair
Julia Glazer, Margo Lundell, Richard Marmet, Cynthia McCaffrey,
Patricia Nuñez, Mary Smith, David Wilson, Lisa Wolfe
The Rev. Barbara E. Senecal-Davis, Minister of Education
The First Presbyterian Church in the City of New York
12 West 12th Street New York, NY 10011
(212) 675-6150 www.fpcnyc.org education@fpcnyc.org