G.I.F.T. (Growing in Faith Together)
What questions do you wrestle with in your faith? How can you deepen your relationship with God? What are we called to do in this world as Christians? This is a time when adults of all ages gather together to learn, share, and grow in their faith. A variety of different series and opportunities are planned throughout the year and are offered from different ministries within Southminster like Creation Care, Discipling, Mission & Social Justice.
G.I.F.T. Classes
Creation Care Movie
Sunday June 30, 2024 at 11:15 am
Past G.I.F.T. Series
Video Recordings
Men’s Breakfast
Saturday June 22nd
Thanks to the 35-38 men who turned out for breakfast and a very enlightening presentation by Mark Thompson on the history and constitutional aspects of our United States government. The food was outstanding and everyone learned aspects about our government that we weren’t aware of.
For those interested in listening to Mark’s presentation, the link is:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1b7xKqh-DBlgiwtkQ_u155J0wrIxX58iI/view?usp=sharing
Mark Thompson’s background:
Southminster member Mark Thompson has had a very interesting, varied career. He is a former Assistant State’s Attorney, former judge in the State’s administrative legal system, former Deputy Director in the enforcement division of the Illinois Secretary of State, former Legal Counsel to the Lt. Governor, and now Deputy General Counsel for Professional Regulation in the Illinois Dept. of Financial and Professional Regulation overseeing legal issues related to professional licensure. During his senior year of college, he was a Congressional intern in the House of Representatives in Washington. He also was an adjunct professor in the 1990s teaching government and the Constitution. He has a BA in history and political science from Augustana College and a Juris Doctor (JD) degree from IIT/Chicago-Kent College of Law. He has been a licensed attorney in the State of Illinois since 1980. In addition, he holds licenses to practice before the U.S. District Court and the U.S. Court of Appeals, and in March 2024, he was granted a license to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court.
June 2 part Series
2 part series Sundays June 2 & June 9
The Discipling Team will be hosting “What is the Soul?” over two after-worship discussions, June 2 and June 9. We would be very pleased if you would join us and share your ideas!
The current Christian understanding of an immortal soul, separable from the body, first came into existence as a result of the powerful influence of Greek thought in the early church. The early church came to believe God breathed the soul into the body at conception and then it separated again at death. Curiously, however, no one in the Bible spends much time discussing or opining on just how this all works and what a soul is.
We are going to spend some time discussing our own thoughts and beliefs about the soul, its origins, its existence and its fate. We will also venture into non-Christian and secular traditions and beliefs to inform parts of our conversation. We will discuss whether ‘soul’ is a universal attribute of living creatures, or unique to humanity.
Click Here for the video from June 2 and here for Questions to consider before June 9.
Click Here for the Video from June 9.
Lenten Series
We are basing our series on this Magrey deVega book that explores stories from the Gospels that deal with ‘uncertainty’. In our highly technological, sometimes violent and unpredictable world, there are few guarantees in life. As Christ-followers, we must learn how to embrace uncertainty and make the radical decision to follow Jesus despite the many unknowns we face.
- Sunday, Feb 11: Chapter 1: The Desperate Father & the Uncertainty of Faith. (Mark 9:14-29) Click for Video & Handout
- Sunday, Feb 18: Chapter 2: Peter and the Uncertainty of Forgiveness (Matthew 18:21-22) Click for Video & Handout
- Sunday, Feb 25: Chapter 3: The Crowd and the Uncertainty of Worry (Luke 12:1-34) Click for Video & Handout
- Sunday, Mar 3: Chapter 4: Lazarus and the Uncertainty of Mortality (John 11:1-44) Click for Video & Handout
- Sunday, Mar 10: Chapter 5: Zacchaeus and the Uncertainty of Surrender (Luke 19:1-10) Click for Video & Handout
- Sunday, Mar 17: Chapter 6: Jesus and the Uncertainty of Obedience (Matthew 26:36-46) Click for Video & Handout
- Sunday, Mar 24: Chapter 7: The Empty Tomb & Proof of the Resurrection (Matt 28:1-7; Mark 16:1-8; Luke 24:1-12; John 20:1-18) Click for Video & Handout
Connect with Us
Oasis Journal
Keep up with what's going on in the life of Southminster. Our weekly email includes the upcoming worship info, events, and news.