Christian Education at Bethlehem

There are many opportunities at Bethlehem to take part in key learning events, and attend courses and study groups to help members and friends, both young and old, to grow in faith and enrich their spiritual lives.

On this page:

Overview

Christian education at Bethlehem is guided and overseen by the Education Committee. The aim is to help members of Bethlehem grow as disciples from the font to the grave by:

  • helping members grow in worship, hearing/reading scripture, prayer and in baptismal living in a four year cycle
  • helping parents raise their children in the faith
  • assisting the Sunday school as it supports parents in teaching the faith
  • guiding the confirmation and catechumenate ministries of the congregation
  • planning an annual programme of short term study courses, liaising with Bethlehem’s pastors and Australian Lutheran College
  • promoting small groups and provide/recommend sound study material
  • encouraging the use of Christian resources and materials eg books, DVDs
  • overseeing and encouraging the use of the church library

Read more about some of the courses and classes available for Bethlehem members.

Australian Lutheran College evening courses

We are blessed to be based in Adelaide, which is also the home for Australian Lutheran College (ALC), the Higher Education Provider of the Lutheran Church of Australia. ALC runs courses regularly throughout the year, not only at the College itself, but also in congregations.
Check the ALC web site for current courses.

These courses attract a fee, but members of Bethlehem receive a $15 rebate, funded by the Education Committee. For pensioners and students the cost is only $10.

Nooma nights

Nooma is a series of short films promoting spiritual perspectives on individual life experiences. The name is from the Greek word pneuma (πνευμα) meaning 'wind', 'spirit', or 'breath'.

Each DVD consists of 10 to 14 minutes of teaching based on real-life situations, and comes with a discussion booklet featuring questions and related Scripture passages.
Some of the topics covered are:

  • Things don't always work out the way we want them to.
  • Why can't we always have what we want?
  • A lot of us have done things in our lives we are ashamed of.
  • We all get angry about things from time to time.
  • Why are we so concerned with what other people think, say, or look like?
  • What if there’s more to prayer than just God listening and answering?
  • What are we really doing with our time?

Nooma nights are held throughout the year. Watch the weekly bulletin for dates or contact Pastor David.

Introducing God

The contemporary and flexible course is presented over 6-8 weeks. It begins with creation, moves on to the fall into sin and God’s judgement, then to the person and work of the Lord Jesus, and finally to the new creation. It allows participants to express their doubts, questions and objections in a friendly and non-threatening environment with small group discussion and DVDs.

This course is scheduled to run again from Wednesday, January 28, 2009.

Other courses

More information will be given on these courses as it becomes available:

  • Confirmation – Contact Pastor Simon
  • Pastor’s Class (for new members)