by Carol Swanson
“Story Matters” has been our current overarching theme, and we have heard some interesting stories in the adult forums this year—stories centered on bible study, personal stories of social justice and ones for our own mental and spiritual wellbeing. Here are a few examples.
Kristofer Phan Coffman, from Luther Seminary, came twice. The first time was in January to give us an overview of the Gospel of Mark. What matters for Mark, and how did he craft his narrative? Coffman called it “the hidden gospel.” Note how it starts, how it ends abruptly; how the demons recognize Jesus but the disciples don’t get it. Story matters. And then Coffman came back in April to share the connections between Paul’s letters (written earlier than the gospels) and Mark’s narrative, the first gospel written. And, interestingly, the word translated “gospel” is used only by Paul and Mark—coining a new way of using the word.
Also, last January, Danielle Igbanugo from the organization, Coated in Love, shared her amazing story of how she, an ordinary woman, was led through lots of prayer to start and organize the extraordinary annual December event, “3000 Acts of Kindness” where volunteers provide more than 3000 of Minnesota’s homeless with free lunch, haircuts, dental service, clothing, and the knowledge that God loves them.
In February, we hosted David Sherer and Joe Davis, whose ministry JustMove quotes Corel West, “Justice is what love looks like in public.” They taught us about understanding cultural differences and the problem of racism. And then this fall, in support with other churches in the area, some of us participated in their workshops hosted at Roseville Lutheran. They point out again the importance of how we listen to and learn from the story of others.
This September, Wendy Vie Trittin, an ELCA pastor and spirituality guide, shared the “Family Systems Theory,” developed by Dr, Murray Bowen. Understanding our family stories—their complexity, interconnected, the good and the bad—help us to understand ourselves and “can provide perspective, calm anxiety, and direct one’s life.” And we discussed writing our own stories for our families as a way to share wisdom and experience with the next generations.
These are just a few of the many forums. You can find all the Adult Forums in the archives.