Learning Communities

Want to learn something new or dig deeper into a topic? We are pleased to offer short-term classes and seminars on a variety of subjects throughout the year. Topics may include spiritual formation, Bible study, theology, personal growth, parenting, marriage enrichment, and others as they arise.

These groups, formed by common interest, offer opportunities to meet new people in the church and community and often span generations, thus adding to the richness of the experience.

Registrations and payments, if any, are online through Fellowship One. Registration is required one week in advance to gauge interest by a minimum number of participants.

Do you lead or teach? Do you have an idea for a Learning Community? Submit your idea here.

Online Study: Shadow & Light: A Journey into Advent • Nov 30-Dec 25

    When & Where: Sun, Mon, Tue, Wed • Nov 30-Dec 25  • Various  • Zoom
    Led by: Peer-facilitated
    Childcare: No
This Advent season, pause amid the holiday rush and rediscover the wonder of Christmas by joining one of our peer-led online groups. Together, we’ll journey through Shadow & Light: A Journey into Advent by Tsh Oxenreider, exploring the themes of Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love.

Each group meets online via Zoom at a variety of times throughout the week. Choose the one that best fits your schedule. You may choose to read the book along the way, and each participant will receive a weekly guide for personal reflection and group discussion.

Even in the busyness of the season, this is your opportunity to slow down, connect with others, and reflect on the miracle of Christ’s birth. Rediscover wonder. Embrace both shadow and light. Join an online group this Advent!

Purchase Shadow & Light from your favorite retailer.
    REGISTER ONLINE Registration due at least one week prior to class start.

Becoming Disciples - ROMANS • Jan 12 - Mar 9, 2026

    When & Where: Mon • Jan 12 - Mar 9, 2026  • 11:30am-1pm  • BFLC 1 D/E
    Led by: Rev. Sarah Marsalis-Luginbill
    Childcare: No
Have you wanted to study the Bible but _____ (fill in the blank)?

Join us on Mondays for lunch and exploring the Bible together!
Become part of a community that will meet beginning in January with small group discussion over your daily reading and study of Romans.

Initial Meeting - Jan 12 (lunch and initial meeting; can get books at this meeting)
No meeting Jan 19 or Feb 16
Last meeting - Mar 9 (potluck and celebration)
Cost - $20/person
    REGISTER ONLINE Registration due at least one week prior to class start.

Practicing the Way • Jan 14-28

    When & Where: Wed • Jan 14-28  • 6:30-8 pm  • Worship & Arts Center or online
    Led by: Rev Allison Jean
    Childcare: Yes. Please make reservations when you register for the class or at www.fumcr.com/reservechildcare at least 4 business days in advance.
Are you ready to take the next step in your walk with Christ? Join Pastor Allison to go deeper in faith during our current worship series. This learning community is perfect if you don’t have a small group or regular Sunday school class yet. Together, we’ll explore what it means to follow Jesus and grow alongside other travelers on the journey of faith.

Whether you’re just getting started, feeling spiritually stuck, or seeking renewed direction, this class will help guide you into the life of a disciple - learning to be with Jesus, become like him, and do as he did. Come discover practical ways to live out your faith and walk more closely with Christ. This class will also be LiveStreamed for those that can't be in-person to experience the same teaching.
    REGISTER ONLINE Registration due at least one week prior to class start.

An Ethical/Theological Examination of Artificial Intelligence • Jan 27

    When & Where: Tue • Jan 27  • 7-9pm  • Ogden Fellowship Hall
    Led by: Dr. Robert Hunt
    Childcare: No
An Ethical/Theological Examination of Artificial Intelligence feat. Dr. Robert Hunt
Professor at Perkins School of Theology & author of All Brain and No Soul?: Real Humanity in an AI Age

Join us for a thought-provoking evening with Dr. Robert Hunt as we explore the intersection of faith, ethics, and emerging technologies. In a time when Artificial Intelligence is reshaping how we live, work, and think, what does it mean to be truly human? How do we as people of faith respond to the promises and perils of AI?

Dr. Hunt brings theological depth and ethical insight to this timely conversation, drawing from his new book All Brain and No Soul? and his extensive work in global theology and interfaith dialogue. Whether you're tech-savvy or tech-wary, this is a conversation for all who want to faithfully navigate the future.

Come ready to think deeply, ask questions, and engage with one of the most pressing topics of our time.
    REGISTER ONLINE Registration due at least one week prior to class start.

Leave a Legacy That Lasts • Feb 3-24

    When & Where: Tue • Feb 3-24  • 6:30-8pm  • Room 205
    Led by: Dr. Dan Flanagan
    Childcare: No
This February, give your loved ones the priceless gift of your story. Join us for a warm, engaging, and inspiring journey based on The Legacy Story Course by Ron Ross. Each session features uplifting video guidance to help you reflect, write, and beautifully organize the memories, lessons, and moments that shaped your life or encourage family members to capture theirs. Create something your children and grandchildren will cherish for generations.
    REGISTER ONLINE Registration due at least one week prior to class start.

Using the Enneagram During Lent to Find Hope in a World of Despair • February 19 - March 12

    When & Where: Thur • February 19 - March 12  • 11:30 am -1:00 pm  • Ogden Fellowship Hall
    Led by: Lisa Hancock
    Childcare: No
Lent invites us into deeper reflection, honest self-examination, and renewed hope. But in a world marked by anxiety, rapid change, and a sense of despair, how do we cultivate inner peace and spiritual resilience?

This Lunch & Learn Learning Community explores the Enneagram as a spiritual tool that helps us move beyond patterned, unconscious behaviors toward greater freedom, compassion, and wholeness. We will explore all three triads and the unique postures of spiritual practices connected to each. Together, we’ll reflect on how grief, fear, relationships, and resilience show up in our inner lives—and how God’s grace meets us there.

This class is for anyone who wants to learn more about the Enneagram; however, participants who already know their number will benefit most from the experience.
    Registration Coming Soon Registration due at least one week prior to class start.

The Practice Series — A Lent Learning Community • Feb 23-Mar 23

    When & Where: Mon • Feb 23-Mar 23  • 7-8pm  • Zoom
    Led by: Various Pastors & Rev. Scott Luginbill will serve as your guide
    Childcare: No
This Lent, you’re invited to join The Practice Series, a Learning Community designed to help you explore spiritual practices that draw us deeper into the life of God. Each week features an online teaching session followed by a 4-day asynchronous reading plan and practice, giving you space to experience the practice in your own daily rhythm.

Spiritual practices help shape us as disciples. They open us to God’s divine grace, offer new and ancient rhythms, and give us ways to be fully present with God in the midst of everyday life. Whether you’re discovering these practices for the first time or rediscovering them in a new season, you may choose to participate in one practice or all of them. Each session is designed to equip you with enough understanding to simply try it - to take a small but meaningful step deeper into the way of Jesus.

This series continues the journey we began in our January worship series, Practicing the Way, and the Learning Community offered alongside it.

All teaching sessions will take place on Mondays from 7–8 pm via Zoom.

Monday, February 23 — The Practice of Community Explore how God forms us through life together.
Monday, March 2 — The Practice of Solitude & Silence Discover the quiet spaces where God speaks beneath the noise.
Monday, March 9 — The Practice of Service Learn how acts of love and compassion shape our lives in Christ.
Monday, March 16 — The Practice of Sabbath Reclaim rest as a sacred rhythm of renewal and trust.
Monday, March 23 — The Practice of Prayer Enter into conversation with God through ancient and modern expressions.

Choose your practices. Engage at your pace. Experience Lent in a new way as we walk together in the way of Jesus.
    REGISTER ONLINE Registration due at least one week prior to class start.

Finding Grace Before & After the Cross • Mar 10-24

    When & Where: Tue • Mar 10-24  • 6:30-8pm  • Room 205
    Led by: Dr. Dan Flanagan
    Childcare: No
Join Dr. Dan Flanagan for a three-week Learning Community exploring God’s persistent grace throughout Scripture from Genesis through the Gospels. The Bible tells an honest story of human resistance and broken relationship, but an even greater story of a God who continually chooses grace and reconciliation. This study invites us to look beyond the cross as the beginning of grace and discover how God’s covenant love has always been at work—before the cross, at the cross, and beyond.

Together, we’ll reflect on God’s unwavering love, our own patterns of resistance, and what it means to live shaped by grace rather than fear.
    REGISTER ONLINE Registration due at least one week prior to class start.

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