Bible Book of the Month
Monthly Bible Workshop
Ever feel biblically ‘illiterate?’ Here’s an easy way to get some basic knowledge of the great stories and high aspirations that still function as the moral foundation of Western civilization. You read the Scripture selection in the month before the study session, using our study guide, then come for discussion. Pre-register to get the study guide by mail.
Jan. 9: The Gospel of Luke: The Great Physician
Feb. 6: The Spirit’s Descent: The Acts of the Apostles
Mar. 6: The Hebrew Goddess (selected readings)
Apr. 2: The Queen Who Saved Her People: Esther
May 8: The World-Weary King: Ecclesiastes
June 5: The Bible Text Weaver: Letter to Hebrews
Robert Corin Morris, Chris Brdlik,
J. Brent Bates, Jane Tomaine
Sat. monthly, 9:00-10:30 a.m
$20 per session, Summit Center
Co-sponsored with Calvary Episcopal Church Adult Education
Meditation for Moms Workshop
Practices to Help You Be the Parent You Want to Be
Start to become more peaceful, focused and balanced with this introduction to meditation especially tailored for mothers. We’ll discover how to invite peace into our hearts, bodies and homes using “active” meditation techniques including chanting and guided meditations. We’ll also work on clearing blocks and limitations that are keeping us from being the parents we wish to be. Please bring a journal and pen.
Maureen Jeffries
Sunday, Jan. 10, 3-5 p.m.
$25 ($20 Members)
Summit Center
Bible for a New Day
Biblical Legends and Stories
The Cleverness of Jewish and Christian Storytelling
Did you know that Abraham’s father was an idol-maker in Ur of the Chaldees? That God commanded the angels to worship Adam? That Moses, like Jesus, ascended into heaven after he died? That the child Jesus made clay birds and made them fly, or that he visited England with his great-uncle Joseph of Arimathea while a boy? All these and many other fascinating tales come from the midrash or story-telling tradition of the rabbis and early church teachers, some of it as old as the Bible itself. Without knowing midrash, it’s hard to understand where many Jewish and Christian beliefs come from, and the New Testament is full of midrash-inspired ideas. It “fills in the gap” where the Bible is silent, and often teases out deeper meanings, making the characters more real. We’ll use ancient midrash and some modern adaptations, as well as compare it with Muslim story-telling.
Rabbi Avi Friedman, Rabbi Amy Joy Small, Robert Corin Morris, Lisa Green
6 Fridays, 9:30-11:30 a.m.
January 15, 22, 29 at Temple Sinai
February 5, 12, 19 at Christ Church, Short Hills
$80 ($70 Members) $20 drop-in
The Director’s Wednesday Seminar
The New American Landscape:
Culture, Immigration, Values and Spirituality in Transition
How can we live most creatively in the ‘new America’? The face of the U.S. is changing rapidly, symbolized by our first African-American first family. In a generation the old WASP population will no longer be a majority. Buddhist shrines, Hindu temples and Muslim mosques dot the urban and suburban landscape. Rapid technological innovation shapes how we live each day. Many different moral and value systems compete for political and cultural influence. Discover how we handled such moments in past history, and practical pointers for honoring your own heritage while encountering others with understanding.
Robert Corin Morris
6 Wed., 9:30-11:30 a.m.
Jan 20, 27, Feb. 3, 10, 17, 24
$80 ($70 Members)
Summit Center
Evening Panel Feb. 3, 7:30-9 p.m. $15
Nutrition and Cancer Prevention
Can diet and lifestyle prevent cancer? In this informative evening presentation you’ll learn about behavioral risks for cancer and how diet, nutrition and other lifestyle factors may affect carcinogenesis: the process by which normal cells are transformed into cancer cells. Pavel Kramata, who received his PhD in molecular pharmacology, is Clinical Science Manager at Science First, LLC and Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Susan Lehman Cullman Laboratory for Cancer Research at Rutgers. In addition to offering cancer prevention strategies, he’ll provide a global perspective on cancer incidence, prevalence and mortality.
Pavel Kramata, PhD
Wednesday, January 20, 7-9 p.m.
$25 ($20 Members)
Summit Center
The Benedictine Way
Preferring Nothing Whatever to Christ
Struggling to have a spiritual life in the midst of busy and fragmented days? Are you looking for ways to restore personal balance and wholeness? Explore how timeless ideas in the 6th century Rule of St. Benedict can center and guide you today. Discover the many ways Benedictine spirituality can help you live into your Baptismal Covenant and deepen your life with Christ. Retreat leader, author and priest, Jane Tomaine will help you, through prayer and study, become rooted in the present moment where eyes, ears and heart seek and find God in the ordinary things of daily life. Come share your journey as we support one another and discover what it means to “Prefer nothing whatever to Christ.” (Rule of Benedict, 72.11)
The Rev. Jane Tomaine
Daytime Group: 1st Wed. Jan. 6 through June 1:30-4 p.m.
$85 for the semester
New! Evening Group:
3rd Thursday through May beg. January 21
6:30-8:45 p.m. light supper
$90 for the semester (includes two books)
Summit Center
The Passionate Volunteer:
Building Sustainable Volunteer Groups
Calling anyone who is a volunteer, or works with volunteer groups—in non-profits, schools, religious or service organizations. You’ll learn how to motivate, inspire, and, most importantly, empower volunteers to be committed and efficient, how and when to delegate—and how to develop groups that are fully sustainable through time—even after the original organizer has moved on. Sheelagh brings to the task her extensive experience in the English state school system, the U.S., and successful experiences in American congregational work.
Sheelagh Clarke
Sunday, January 24, 3-5 p.m., $35 ($30 Members)
Groups of 4 or more, pre-reg $25 each
Summit Center
January 
