An open and curious faith learning environment
Do you want to deepen your understanding of Christian faith in an open and curious learning environment? Do you have questions about the Christian faith you’ve always wanted to explore?
The Ormond Learning HUB is an exciting new faith-learning project being offered by Ormond Uniting Church. The call to follow Jesus is life-long and through the HUB we hope to offer you the opportunity to deepen your understanding and faith through interactive learning.
The HUB course facilitators, Andrew Boyle and Brad Dennsiton, will deliver three courses per year (both face-to-face and online). Each course draws on resources from Uniting Learning, the National Assembly’s lay-learning platform, as well as from local educators. Our courses will honour your questions, your curiosities and your doubts.
By undertaking a HUB course, you can be confident in building your understanding and confidence as one of Jesus’ disciples. We are committed to ensuring the HUB is a safe place for conversation and collaboration.
2021 CoursesSPRING SHORT COURSE - Oct-Nov
The Big Stories of Scripture Sometimes reading the scriptures can be both strange and confusing. When a story seems a bit odd to us, we can rightly ask: Why this story? Where does it fit in? Across the ark of both the Old and New Testaments, there are some big stories into which much of the scriptures fit. Understanding these important stories and themes can help make sense of a particular passage’s meaning. In this third course for 2021 for the Ormond Learning HUB, we will explore the big themes of the scriptures. Some of these will include:
When: Thursdays 21st, 28th October & 4th November, 7.30pm. Where: Online by Zoom (if we are able to meet face to face, we will advise at the time) Cost: $30 for the course Who: led by Rev. Andrew Boyle Enquiries and booking to: learninghub@ormond.unitingchurch.org.au AUTUMN SHORT COURSE -
Believing in our Contemporary World As Christians, how do we reconcile tensions between being educated in a rational, secular context while drawing on ancient texts as the inspiration and guide to our faith. In three video sessions we will hear scholars and pastors unpack these issues. Dates: Thursdays, 11th, 18th & 25th March Time: 7.00 - 9.00pm Format: Face-to-face Location: Ormond Uniting Church, cnr. North and Booran Roads Cost: $30 Facilitators: Andrew Boyle & Brad Denniston In this 3-week course we seek to develop the freedom to explore and ask questions together. Through sessions from Living the Questions the classes will come under the broad headings: 1. An Invitation to Journey 2. Taking the Bible Seriously 3. Thinking Theologically |
LONG COURSE -
Exploring the New Testament As the winter months approach, we look with excitement towards our next course in the Ormond Learning Hub program, ‘Exploring the New Testament’. We will delve deeply into these ancient texts which are the basis of our Christian faith. This course offers a literary, theological and personal exploration of the New Testament. The purpose of the course is to introduce learners to the various texts which witness to Jesus and more generally to the writings of the New Testament. At the end of the twelve weeks we hope you will be able to read and understand the New Testament writings with greater confidence and insight and appreciate their history and main theological themes in a more informed and confident way. You should be able to clearly express this understanding in the context of UCA perspectives and be able to integrate and connect this developing understanding to your faith relationship with Jesus Christ. Come join us on what promises to be a fascinating and potentially transforming journey. Dates: Thursdays, 3rd June to 26th August. 12 weeks with 1 week break in the middle Time: 7.30 - 9.00pm Format: On line Cost: $120 + course texts: The New Testament with Imagination, Bill Loader - copies available for loan Introducing the New testament, Mark Alan Powell Facilitators: Brad Denniston & Andrew Boyle Bookings and enquiries to: learninghub@ormond.unitingchurch.org.au New Testament Modules Module 1 –Introduction & How the Uniting Church approaches reading the Bible Module 1 –Jesus: Life, death and resurrection Module 2 – The Life of Jesus, teaching and preaching, and death and resurrection Module 3 –Matthew, Mark & Luke: the Synoptic Gospels Module 4 – John & the literature of John Module 5 – The emerging Church – Acts, Hebrews and other epistles Module 6 – Paul and Paul’s place in the story of faith Module 7 – “And finally…” Interpreting Revelation |