Spiritual Gifts Discovery Class- Session 1

Tonnie Schalk Holding Her Network Textbook

Feeling uncertain of your purpose?  Looking for a clearer path of how you can serve the Lord?  Then, the Spiritual Discovery Class at Troy United Methodist Church led by Deb Inman, Director of Lay Ministry, is looking for you.  The summer, three-session course began this morning complete with a breakfast of fluffy scrambled eggs, sausage patties, half-dollar pancakes, and a fresh fruit salad allowing time for class participants to pray together and become acquainted.  Instead of the usual, "Tell us about yourself," the ice-breaker this morning comprised each participant explaining how he/she met his/her spouse- entertaining, nostalgic, and insightful.  Not to forget, if taking part in the complimentary childcare, the kiddos were fed, too, by the qualified nursery staff.
Network Participant's Guide:  The Right People, in the Right Places, for the Right Reasons, at the Right Time is the text used for the course.  In this first session, the theme of "Imagine a Church . . " where each individual makes a "unique contribution . . . [for] a kingdom difference for eternity"  (19).   With Bible verses as references, participants learned the why and how of serving.  In addition, the theme "The Purpose of Gifts" was covered in this initial session.  Here, the terms of dependence, independence, and God's calling us to be interdependent were defined and discussed in both small and large groups allowing more connections amongst class participants.  Finally, as a class, twenty-three Spiritual Gifts were defined and their contributions to the church discussed.  With a closing prayer, we were sent on our way with our homework assignment thrilled with the day's discoveries and what our spiritual future may hold.

Courtney Winkler