Adult Spiritual Education

International Summer Speaker Series
Join us for our incredible International Summer Speakers
Series during the adult education hour July 11th–August 15th
before Sunday worship services. The programs will start at 9:30
a.m. and go to 10:15 a.m. The series features CCSM members who have a personal story to share about culture, politics, and travel.

July 11 • Warren Long
China & India, Air Quality is Truly Global!
Perspectives on Leading Environmental Education workshops in India and China.
Imagine the impact on Air Quality if 2.4 billion people lived the U.S. lifestyle!   What is it like to interact with teachers from different cultures?  Hands-on science learning—how is that received in massive education systems?  Join in to learn more about these important global issues!
Warren Long is science chairman at the Drew School in San Francisco, teaching various levels of chemistry.  He has a life-long belief that environmental stewardship is crucial for a healthy world and a passion for teaching and new experiences. 
   
July 18 • Pam Shelton
Africa, Botswana Book Project
The Botswana Book Project was formed in 1998 by Pam Shelton to answer the immediate library needs of northern Botswana. Since then it has served as a catalyst for literacy and library development throughout the country.
In 2007, Pam Shelton was awarded the James Patterson PageTurner Par Excellence Award for her work in promoting reading.
botswanabookproject.org

July 25 • Amy Woolf
Vietnam, the “Forbidden Land”
Do you remember the Vietnam War? Did you ever think of Vietnam as the “forbidden land” that you would never be able to visit?  Do you think of Vietnam as a “third world” country?  This is the opportunity to quench your curiosity about Vietnam.    Join me on a journey through Vietnam, a journey through history… 
Amy Woolf has traveled throughout the world.  She recently traveled to Vietnam, learning about the country, its history, and its people.   

August 1 • Lucy & Madeline Lee
China, ABCs in the Ancestral Land
What happens when two generations of American-Born Chinese (“ABC”) go to their ancestral land of China for the first time?  Learn about the exciting and eye-opening journey to the East that Lucy and Madeline Lee took recently.  They visited the cities of Jiuzhaigou, Chengdu, and Beijing—three very different places in a large country. They will share their perspectives, photos and experiences as Chinese-Americans visiting the country where their families originally came from.  Learn about the culture, environment, and political influences on daily life.
Lucy Lee is an Attorney-at-Law, specializing in the field of immigration law.  She is the managing attorney at Fallon, Bixby, Cheng & Lee, Inc., the oldest immigration law firm in San Francisco.  Madeline is a student at Hillsdale High School in San Mateo and she will be entering her sophomore year in the fall.  They went on the trip to China with the Chinese language class at Hillsdale High, to visit and use their Mandarin Chinese skills.  Lucy accompanied as a chaperone and had to rely on Madeline to interpret for her!

August 8 • Pearly Masters
Pakistan: Living as a Religious Minority in a Country Where Religion is a Way of Life
Pakistan became an Islamic Republic in 1956 and is 99% Muslim. Navigating the accepted traditions and unwritten rules of manners and decorum can be a challenge if there is no precedent to follow. Hear how an introverted but questioning Parsee Zoroastrian with a Catholic upbringing learns to live peacefully among her Muslim peers.
Pearly Masters has been the church administrator of CCSM for ten years. She has immensely enjoyed working with the talented staff and making countless friends with members. Every day is a delightful challenge and learning tool for her personal path.
August 15 • Mike Armacost
Afghanistan: The Obama administration’s policy toward Afghanistan
Mike will speak about his recent visit to Afghanistan and the Obama administration’s policy toward Afghanistan: the costs, the risks, and the possible rewards.
In his current role, as Shorenstein Distinguished Fellow, Michael Armacost has been at Shorenstein APARC since 2002. In the interval between 1995 and 2002, Armacost served as president of Washington D.C’s Brookings Institution, the nation’s oldest think tank and a leader in research on politics, government, international affairs, economics, and public policy. Previously, during his twenty-four year government career, Armacost served, among other positions, as undersecretary of state for political affairs and as ambassador to Japan and the Philippines.

August 22 • Steve Naylor
Pine Ridge, South Dakota: Who Owns the Black Hills?
This past April, our Senior High Youth Ministry took twenty one people to work with the Lakota Nation through the organization Re-Member on the Pine Ridge Reservation. Steve will discuss what we experienced at Pine Ridge and our hopes for the future. “The last chapter in any successful genocide is the one in which the oppressor can remove his hands and say: ‘My God! What are these people doing to themselves? They’re killing each other. They’re killing themselves,’ while we watch them die.” -- Aaron Huey
Rev. Steven Naylor has worked with the non-profit organization Re-Member three times since they began their outreach work on Pine Ridge in 1998. He is currently the Minister of Outreach and Youth at the Congregational Church of San Mateo.

Past Highlights

Men’s Spirituality Group, Embracing Change, in July
David Cowell will be leading a four-week men’s spirituality group on Wednesdays, July 7, 14, 21 & 28 from 6:30-7:45 p.m. in the Fireplace Room. This program is called, Men’s Roundtable: Embracing Change. Men who participate in this program will be invited to take stock of where we are in the present and to think about how circumstances and personal identity has changed over time—whether this change has been incremental or experienced as a seismic shift. Finally, this group will explore ways to respond to change in the context of faith and spiritual practice.
It is hoped that the early start time will encourage men who prefer not to drive at night to join us, as this program is intentionally intergenerational. There is no homework. But reference will be made to the Gospels, Matthew Fox’s archetypes of the sacred masculine, Thomas Keating and the poets Mark Doty and Paul Monette. A syllabus will be provided as reference.
Embracing Change is open to all CCSM men and friends of the church. Each session is also designed to be a stand-alone unit, so men are free to leave or join at any time during this program.
CCSM member David Cowell will act as facilitator. David is currently chaplain for adult and pediatric hospice and palliative care for Pathways Home Health and Hospice. He is a graduate of UC Berkeley, Union Theological Seminary.

Haiti: An Adult Ed Forum and Traditional Lunch
A presentation of all the things Jerri Handy and her team saw and did in Haiti, Sunday, May 16 after worship in the Buckham Room, with a meal built around Haitian Rice and Beans with a tropical fruit salad.

Visionary Voices
CCSM launched an educational and inspirational speaker series, Visionary Voices, with the first event scheduled for the weekend of April 17 and 18. Our inaugural participants for this new series were Rev. Dr. Jim Keck, CCSM’s former Senior Minister (from 1999 to 2006) and our current Senior Minister, Rev. Dr. Penny Nixon. Jim and Penny have each played a significant role, at CCSM and in the larger community, increasing awareness and acts of social justice and serving as visionary voices of Progressive Christianity. The weekend provided a number of educational and social opportunities to interact with Jim, who is currently the Senior Minister at First-Plymouth Congregational Church in Lincoln, Nebraska, and his family. Jim’s wife Karen and their two sons, Alexander and Bryce, came too.

Strangers In The Land
Advent Sundays Adult Spiritual Education Hour, 9:30 a.m.
A Four-week Bible Study on Immigration with Rev. Dr. Penny Nixon
On Nov. 29, Dec. 6, 13, and 20, we looked at four major biblical
statements related to the immigration debate, studied the scriptures,
and engaged in lively discussions. The debate over immigration reform
is wrought with questions concerning not only the legality of current
immigration practices, but also the morality of them. As followers
of Christ, how can we respond biblically to the call for immigration
reform? How can we respond to larger systemic issues that may have
given rise to the need for immigration reform? How do we discuss the
fears and legitimate concerns raised by immigration?

Fall 2009: Big Jewish Ideas on Monday Nights
In this series, we explored a few Jewish concepts that are often
expressed in a single Hebrew word, and yet have no simple English
translations. In this six week class, we tackled: Shabbat, Mitzvah,
Tzedaka, K’vod, K’dusha, and Shalom. Maggid Singer (or Jhos, which
ever you prefer) employed scripture, commentary, chant, blessing
each other to mine these rich veins of Judaic wisdom.

Saturday, August 29 • Divine Paradox: Judaism 101 with Rabbi Jhos Singer.
9 a.m. - 1 p.m. Jhos Singer, our rabbi-in-residence, provided a half-day immersion into the Jewish mind and culture to explore the essence of Judaism, which is a holy paradox. Also learning about the upcoming High Holidays.

Lent 2009

Spiritual Disciplines: A five-week course exploring Adele Ahlberg Calhoun's, Spiritual Disciplines Handbook, Practices That Transform Us, and reflecting on how to enhance your faith journey during Lent through various spiritual practices.

Fall 2008

Progressive Christianity 101: Classes looked at the foundation and orientation Progressive Christianity takes on major issues affecting our faith. The classes featured videos clips and lectures from religious critics and theologians from a Progressive Christian curriculum gaining popularity around the nation.