The Teaching Programme We aim to give an ordered teaching of the Christian faith, but definitely not as an academic exercise. It is to be rooted firmly in the life we live, for we are created to enjoy life as children of God now, not to stay in cold storage for heaven. God the Father We start at the very beginning—Does God exist? If he does, what does it mean to describe God as Creator and Father. Advent - 3 to 24 December God the Son—Jesus—His Life on Earth Beginning with his birth, we explore - the people, the miracles, & his teaching. Christmas & Epiphany - 25 December to 28 January God the Son—Jesus—Who is he? Exploring Jesus what Jesus did, leads naturally into the question—Who is he? Sundays before Lent - 4 to 18 February How to Pray The preaching supports our Lent course, which follows the book “How to pray” by John Pritchard—simple, engaging, and very helpful. Lent - 21 February to 25 March God the Son—Jesus—His death and resurrection We follow in the Way of the Cross, as we try to understand what was going on and why? What’s the evidence for the resurrection and what does it mean for us? Holy Week - Palm Sunday to Easter Day - 1 to 8 April The Church—Resurrection Community Church today can be seen as self-centred and boring; not what God or we want. What does it mean to live as Christ’s Resurrection Community? Easter - 15 April to 6 May God the Holy Spirit What’s so important about the Holy Spirit that it has been rocking the modern church for the last forty years? Easter 6 to Pentecost - 13 to 27 May Men and Women in relationship with God We explore what it means to be human, created in the image of God. And unpick the misunderstanding that surround sin and guilt, so that we can grasp the amazing relationship freely offered by God. Sundays after Trinity - 3 June to 22 July Men and Women of Character Character is what we do when no one else is looking. We will explore the qualities that enable us to be the kind of people we would like to be—courage, discipline, endurance, vision. Based on the book by Bill Hybels. Sundays after Trinity - 2 Sept to 7 Oct The Bible A change of pace again as we explore the bible, its reliability and its vitality. This programme is supported by several events (see diary). Sundays after Trinity - 14—28 Oct Men and Women of Character we continue with the qualities of love. Tender-hearted love, Tough love, Sacrificial love and Radical Love. Sundays before Advent—November Unlocking the Bible This programme gives a huge panoramic view of the times. The books of the Kings and the prophets reveal the nation of Israel, from King Solomon to their exile in foreign lands. Acts and the Gospel, both written by Luke, make up a 25% of the New Testament. With a renewed programme and visiting speakers, this is unlikely to be boring!  February Gospel of St Luke (this year’s gospel) March Books of the Kings April Hosea May Amos June The Acts of the Apostles July Micah September Zephaniah, Nahum, and Habbakuk October Jeremiah