Men's Bible Study - Fall 2010

Men’s Bible Study

at

Emmanuel Episcopal Church

in

Greenwood, Virginia

in the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia

Fall 2010 Dates

Tuesdays

September 21

October 12

October 26

November 9

November 30

December 14

8:30-9:30 am

in the Parish Hall

We meet in the Parish Hall from 8:30-9:30 about every other Tuesday to study, discuss, reflect upon, and dialogue about key stories of the Bible. In 2009-2010, we hopped from Genesis through the beginning of the stories of Samuel and King David. We welcome you to join us. Here are the dates, readings, for our upcoming Fall 2010 sessions.

We’d love to see you with us!!

September 21

Reading: 1 Samuel 17

Focus: David and Goliath Are there deeper truths / puzzles than we normally see in this often-told tale? Whatever did Saul do to God to be so cursed? Decline of Saul, Rise of David

October 12

Reading: 2 Samuel 11

Focus: David & Bathsheba Why does God stick with this guy? Why does David keep returning to God? David as flawed, yet model believer and king

October 26

Reading: 1 Kings 17

Focus: Elijah and the Widow Why does Elijah help the foreign widow? What is Elijah (and God?) saying with this living parable? God’s call to care for the “other”

November 9

Reading: Book of Esther

Focus: Esther as (reluctant) liberator? Power and Resistance

What moves Esther to finally stick up for her people? Is it satisfying that the bad guy gets it in the end? Irony and dark humor in the Old Testament

November 30

Reading: Book of Job

Focus: Job, God, and his friends ~ Was Job patient or not? Were his friends friends?~“Patience of Job”

December 14

Reading: Selections from Psalms & Proverbs & Ecclesiastes

Focus: Psalms/Proverbs vs. Ecclesiastes

Wisdom literature seems to be all over the place with its theology!? Does God reward the good? Are the evil punished, or is it all vanity?

Jan Karon to speak at Emmanuel on October 3rd

Plan to come to Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Greenwood, VA to hear author Jan Karon speak on October 3rd at 4pm.

Frances Perkins on Labor Day

Courtesy of Episcopal Cafe:

Daily Reading for September 6 • Labor Day

It hangs in the window of one of the little cash-and-carry stores that now line a street where fashionable New Yorkers used to drive out in their carriages to shop at Tiffany’s and Constable’s. It is a “supper dress” of silk crepe in “the new red,” with medieval sleeves and graceful skirt. A cardboard tag on the shoulder reads: “Special $4.95.” Bargain basements and little ready-to-wear shops are filled with similar “specials.”

But the manufacturer who pays a living wage for a reasonable week’s work under decent conditions cannot turn out attractive silk frocks to retail at $5 or less. The real cost is borne by the workers in the sweatshops that are springing up in hard-pressed communities. Under today’s desperate need for work and wages, girls and women are found toiling overtime at power machines and worktables, some of them for paychecks that represent a wage of less than 10 cents a day.

The sweatshop employer is offending against industry’s standards, as well as against the standards of the community. The employer who, in order to pay fair wages for reasonable hours of work, produces dresses in his shop to retail at $9.50, finds himself in competition with the less conscientious manufacturer whose “sweated” garments are offered at $4.95. . . .

Working conditions, including safety provisions, sanitation, rest room facilities and so on, are, like standards of wages and hours, holding up well in responsible concerns. In the runaway shop conditions are usually far below standard and the picture of such a plant is a look back to the sweatshops that horrified caseworkers and visiting nurses at the turn of the century.

What is the way out for the conscientious consumer who does not want to buy garments, even at a bargain, made by exploited labor? 

Read it all HERE

Shrine Mont rocks!

We had a great parish weekend at Shrine Mont, the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia's mountain retreat center.  Here are but a few images of the fun that was had....more to come...

Two New Bible Briefs!

Biblische Ausbildung: Two New Bible Briefs!:

From Professor Stephen Cook,'s blog, two new "Bible Briefs" to check out....

Dr. Cook writes:

"As editor of the series, I am delighted to announce the online publication of two new Bible Briefs. We now have 32 booklets in all, covering 38 of the 66 books of the canon. To access the entire collection, free of charge of course, click here.

Tod Linafelt of Georgetown University has authored our new booklet on the Song of Songs. It is a delightful treatment of this lovely gem within the cannon, and I highly recommend Tod's highly insightful Bible Brief (click here for the PDF download).

Our new booklet on the three Johannine Epistles has been authored by Virginia Seminary's own John Y. H. Yieh. The booklet is an extremely thorough and rich treatment of 1, 2, & 3 John, which will bring all readers deep into the heart of these texts. (Click here for the PDF download.)

Please enjoy these great new publications!"