Every Tuesday, from February 28–April 4
1:00 - 2:00 p.m. ET
“I once believed that big risks (finances, safety, freedom, life) were needed for a display of courage; the more at risk, the more against the flow, the more courageous the person. But when people started calling me courageous for things that I thought more demonstrated my boldness (or naiveté, or shamelessness), I began to realize that courage is a personal thing. Only my gut can determine where my true courage lies because my gut is where my heart lives, and courage is heart speech.” -- Alydia Smith, in the Forward to Good Courage
Join us on Tuesdays in Lent to explore your heart and examine your gut. Ponder the kind of courage that God calls out of ordinary people, who would never consider themselves to be heroic. Contemplate on their stories, reflect on how they connect to your own, and consider how God calls us, in these post-pandemic times, to reach out to those all who have lost hope during the past few years with gentle courage, grounded hope, and a re-invigorated sense of how our lives can contribute to God’s healing of the world.
In this six-week series, join Rev. Stephen Fetter and people from across the country to explore one of the devotional readings from the Good Courage, the new Devotional Study book from United Church Publishing House. We’ll listen to each devotion’s author read the passage aloud, to hear nuances that can only be communicated by the spoken voice. We’ll push deeper than the words on the page – both with the author, and with each other – and explore how each devotion invites us into deeper spirituality and more daring discipleship.
This study will include two pre-recorded videos of the author in conversation with facilitator Stephen Fetter. If you’re planning to lead a congregational study group, these videos are available for you to download and use as discussion-starters in your own setting. The full outline of all six sessions is available to you when you register.
Get a 20% discount on the book
PDF copies of the six readings we’ll study together are included in the cost of this course, and will be available on the main course page. People who enrol in the course will also receive a coupon for 20% off the cost of the book from UCRCStore.ca. Order it online, or buy the EPUB version and download it directly to your computer or e-reader.
Leadership
Rev. Stephen Fetter is the minister of Forest Hill United Church, an intercultural congregation in the heart of downtown Toronto. He and they have all had a lot of fun together over the years exploring ways to address the loneliness of living in an anonymous city, to make an old church building greener and more faithful, and to consider how to live faithfully in a pluralistic neighbourhood. Steve is also the founder and manager of the United-in-Learning program, offering online education opportunities for church leaders. His United-in-Learning E-newsletter goes to more than 5600 viewers every two weeks, offering programs to enhance every aspect of church life.
