DISCIPLE 1 (Session 3) 8 Weeks

DISCIPLE 1 assumes that the bible is the key to the renewal of the church. It recognises the human-divine nature of the bible. The actual texts of scripture were written by human beings like us in their cultural settings, under the divine inspiration of God.

DISCIPLE 1 affirms that the canon was formed as it is in order for God to speak to us. This study gives equal time to both the Old and New Testament, emphasising the wholeness of the Bible as the revelation of God.

DISCIPLE 1 aims at transformation, not just information, and calls on you to submit yourself to examination by Scripture, to examine yourself under the power of God’s Word, and to be changed by it.

DISCIPLE 1 invites you to bring your experiences and struggles to the Scripture.

This is a 32 week course run in 4 x 8 week sessions.

STARTING MONDAY 30 January 2017 / 19h00 – 21h15 

Disciple 4: Under the Tree of Life – 32 Weeks R500 per person

This course will be run on a Monday evening and will start on 20 February.  You need to have completed at least Disciple 1 to participate in this course.

This study concentrates on Old Testament Writings, the Gospel of John, the Epistles of John, James, Jude, and finally, Revelation. Emphasis on the Psalms as Israel’s hymnbook and prayer book leads naturally to an emphasis on worship in the study. Present through the entire study is the sense of living toward completion – toward the climax of the message and the promise, extravagantly pictured in Revelation.

STARTING MONDAY 20 February 2017 / 19h00 – 21h15 

What do we believe? – 6 Weeks Rev Pete Grassow

A reflection on Christian belief and how this impacts our life-stories.

This series is a discussion on the basics of Christian faith. It recognises that there are different Christian perspectives, and offers a framework of faith within a Methodist ethos. This will be an opportunity to think about what we believe and grow in our appreciation of our rich Christian heritage.

Jesus did not come to die…. (he came to live).

• Heaven, Hell – and Purgatory?
• Mary, Saints and Ancestors.
• The end of the world, and other apocalyptic events.
• Satan, demons and evil.
• Christianity and African culture.

STARTING TUESDAY 7 February 2017 / 19h00 – 21h15 

Do you think I’m beautiful? – (8 weeks) Heleen Oosthuizen

We all know the story of Cinderella and most young girls want the same happy ending. However, we have learnt that fairy tales aren’t real, and so we squelch our precious gifts of longing and desire.  In this course we will invite you to awaken your passion and glimpse your deepest desires.  We will help you to fall in the embrace of the One who knows your story and loves you with an everlasting love.

Space is limited to 10 ladies.  Please book early to avoid disappointment.

STARTING TUESDAY 7 February 2017 / 19h00 – 21h15 

Musical Worship @ BMC (8 Weeks)

Worship is the Spirit of God touching our human spirit.  There are techniques and methods that can help this to happen, but the forms are not the worship; they only lead us into the worship.  We will explore those traditions that can help us, and discover some new insights that can enhance our worship. This course is designed to be interactive, participative and above all, an opportunity to share, grow and celebrate our musical worship here at BMC.

Weeks 1-5 (Tuesday evenings 7 Feb – 7 Mar 2017)

‘Worship is a Verb’ (Robert E Webber) highlights 8 principles for participatory worship.  We will use these principles to reflect on our own worship here at BMC. It is hoped that we will both celebrate our ‘successes’ and discover new areas for growth.   We will also look at aspects of ‘An hour on Sunday – creating moments of transformation and wonder’ by Nancy Beach.

Weeks 6-8 (Tuesday evenings June 2017)

These weeks will look at the more practical aspects of leadership, planning, rehearsals, team building and musicality. Resources: ‘The Art of worship – a musicians guide to leading modern worship’ (Greg Scheer) and ‘An hour on Sunday – creating moments of transformation and wonder’ (Nancy Beach)

WHO SHOULD ATTEND? If you are currently in a music team/choir, or would like to be in a team/choir, we would like to strongly encourage you to attend this course. The Course is FREE.

MORNINGS ONLY!!!

Jesus before Christianity- 4 weeks Rev Pete Grassow

Jesus was not a Christian. He lived in the Roman Province of Judea, as a rural Jewish rabbi (teacher) who taught in Arabic. His followers were initially Jewish, who gradually allowed non-Jewish people to join them. This course examines the world of Jesus and his followers before Christianity became an official religion.

This course will run on a Tuesday morning from 10:00am—12:30pm, starting on 7 February 2017.

Christian: It’s not what you think – 6 Weeks Mandie Agrella

The story of our Christian faith goes back for centuries.  In the book of Acts, we see that people in Antioch were the first to identify followers of Jesus as Christians.  However, it seems that the words used to describe Christians today often bear no resemblance to what Jesus wanted His followers to be known for.  In this course we will learn why people love Jesus but can’t stand his followers.  How Jesus’ followers should treat those who are outside the faith and what one word should be descriptive of every Christian.

STARTING TUESDAY 7 February 2017 / 19h00 – 21h15 

The Marriage Preparation Course (5 Weeks)

Starting Monday 6 February  – 6 March 2017 (19h00) in Mount Tabor

COST: R1200 per couple (Including a full meal, and study material)

The Marriage Preparation Course is for couples wanting to develop foundations for a healthy marriage that will last a lifetime.  Over five evenings spent together you will learn important tools that will enable you to make your marriage work.  This is a 5 week course and includes a romantic dinner setting.  The cost for this course is R800 per couple which includes the meals as well as the study material.

You will look at

• the importance of commitment
• how to recognise and appreciate your differences
• the art of communication
• resolving conflict
• spending time together
• nurturing your friendship
• making each other feel loved
• developing a good sexual relationship
• the importance of talking about your goals, values and dreams.

RETREATS (Saturdays) 09h00 – 12h00

Retreat is a conscious choice to place your life before God and to seek a deeper awareness of His Presence. It is a decision to set aside time to withdraw from your daily routine and seek the Lord in order that you can prayerfully reflect on your life and re-engage with the One who gives life meaning and purpose. It can be described as a period of time set aside for God; and may  include a number of the following disciplines. Reading books, resting, reading the Bible, prayer, worship, journaling, creative exercises, creative expression using art forms and can include meeting with a spiritual guide. At the core of a retreat lies the decision to place yourself before God for a specific uninterrupted period of time. In retreat we come to know and accept ourselves more fully and   embrace who we truly are. In doing this we also come to know who He truly is. It is a conscious decision to learn to Be still and know that He is God Psalm 46:10

• Runs every second Saturday from February – May 2017