We are a small but faithful group of three members dedicated to the faith formation of adults—and the entire congregation. This past year, we spent time clarifying our objectives and discussing a book entitled "Five Practices; Intentional Faith Development." We would like to focus on one or two specific goals each year. One goal is to offer an opportunity this fall, especially for our newer members, to gather and discuss the fundamental beliefs and ideas of a congregation such as ours, as First Church of Christ, Congregational, UCC. Another goal is to provide opportunities for spiritual growth, perhaps by creating a devotional booklet for members to use at the beginning of meetings, as well as an Advent or Lenten booklet of prayers and writings by church members and friends. We welcome suggestions and ideas, as well as one or two people who will join our Task Force.

There are currently two ongoing Adult Education groups: the Thursday morning book group, and the Sermon Discussion group that meets on Sunday mornings following the 9:00 a.m. service. Everyone is welcome to attend these groups for any of their gatherings. Special sessions of the book group included: discussions on the Book of Acts and Revelation facilitated by Rev. Gordon Bates; a four-part series on the Lord’s Prayer facilitated by Rev. Ruth Martz; a discussion led by Chris Mereschuk, of "Velvet Elvis" by Rob Bell; and two gatherings led by author Karl Peters this past March on his book, Dancing with the Sacred.

During Lent 2010, three evening programs were also offered, along with a soup supper, on the church theme:
1) Elisabeth Kennedy and speakers from the Wethersfield United Methodist Church, who shared their experiences in Haiti, along with a Haitian singing group; 2) Gloria McAdam, president of Foodshare, and 3) Edwin Ayala, from the Christian Activities Council. We thank members of the Christian Service Board, the Diaconate, and Caring Ministries for preparing the soup suppers. Attendance at these programs ranged from 35 to 14 people, lower numbers than in previous years. Our Task Force will continue to brainstorm different ways of helping members of our congregation to grow in the knowledge of God and Scripture, to discern God’s call in their lives, and to meet the daily challenges of living as disciples of Christ.

-Eric Anderson, Flo Fisher, Deborah Willard, and Ruth Martz (staff representative)