Christian Education

Training Disciples

As Christians, we are all called to lives of discipleship — but what does it mean to be a disciple of Jesus Christ in the 21st century? How does faith help us navigate the everyday challenges we face? How might God be calling me to act in my everyday life? These are the kinds of questions we are trying to wrestle with as we seek to become better disciples every day.

That’s why we have come to call St. John’s Christian education program “Training Disciples.” We believe that Christian education should help believers connect their faith with their daily lives in practical and meaningful ways. In Training Disciples, people of all ages are welcome to come to nourish body and soul and learn with us about how to walk the path of discipleship in our everyday lives. Whether you are new to this community or have been here forever, we invite you to come take your place at the table and embark on this journey with us.

We gather on the Wednesdays listed below at 6/6:30pm for a meal, followed by bible study, faith practices, and prayer. Please join us! (Times will be updated! Check announcements page for most current updates)

Series for 2022-2023 program year

2022 Fall Series 1: Vocation

  • August 24, 6:30pm — Kickoff for the year!
  • August 31, 6:30pm —
  • September 7, 6:30pm —

2022 Fall Series 2: Spiritual Gifts / Gifts of the Spirit

  • September 28, 6pm — What gifts has God given us?
  • October 5, 6pm — What gifts has God given our congregation/community?

2023 Fall Series 3: The Communion of Saints

  • October 26, 6pm
  • November 2, 6pm

2022 Advent Series: Holden Evening Prayer & ELCA World Hunger

  • November 30, 6pm
  • December 7, 6pm
  • December 14, 6pm
  • December 21, 6pm

2023 Winter Series: Relationships, Love, and Healthy Communication

  • January 25, 6pm
  • February 1, 6pm

2023 Lenten Series: Bless the Lent We Actually Have
Join us in person or online at our Facebook page! Please note: meal begins at 6pm; live-stream will begin once we are done eating, roughly around 6:30.

2023 Spring Series: Death, Grief, New Life, and Hope

Previously, on Training Disciples…

2022 Lenten Series: Let Us Pray (in person and online, God willing!)
At 6pm we will gather for a meal, so look for the live stream to start around 6:15 or 6:20.

2021 Lenten Series: Gifts of Discipleship (online only)
What does being a disciple have to do with our baptism? In the Lutheran tradition, absolutely everything! If you tuned in last year for our Lenten series about the promises we make in our baptism, the themes in this series will sound pretty familiar. These are five main aspects of being a disciple, following the way of Christ, and each week we’ll be hearing from voices around the synod about what these things mean and how they might look in our lives. Please join us!

2020 Advent Series: Prayer as a Body (online only)
This series will move through some faith and spiritual practices designed to help us find the peace of Christ even in the midst of chaos. We’ll be focusing on the incarnation by praying and experiencing God in our own bodies.

2020 Fall Series: Stewardship, Gratitude, and Faith (online only)
This series focuses on exploring our relationship to God and our relationship to our neighbors through the lens of our relationship to stuff. What does it mean to be “stewards” of God’s creation? How is God calling us to use the time, money, and stuff that we have been given? What can we learn from scripture about wise, faithful stewardship? Those are some of the main questions we will be trying to dig into together! (Click below to watch each video)

2020 Lenten Series: The Five Promises of Baptism
This five week series was designed for anyone curious about community life and belonging in the Lutheran church. Meant for people of all ages and all levels of involvement (or no involvement) in the church.
This series began as a gathering for food and fellowship, followed by bible study and prayer, but because of Covid, the last three session ended up being broadcast over Facebook Live and are still available to watch below!