January’s Theme – Sexuality and Spirituality
JANUARY’S THEME: Sexuality and Spirituality – Exploring the Connections
In a culture saturated with images of sexuality, we are often afraid to talk about sex… especially in the church. Historically, conversations in the church have been more about guilt and shame, but what if sexuality is actually a good and beautiful gift from God and what if understanding and embracing our sexuality is a part of what it means to be spiritual?
We want to explore these questions and more during this month.
Here’s what you can look forward to:
WORSHIP EXPERIENCES– 10:30AM
January 1 – New Year’s Day – And God Said it was Good –
Start off the New Year with a celebration of our created, physical nature – and God said it was good! Exploring images of the human body, we will also be blessed by a word from Certified Nurse Midwife, Emily Neiman.
January 8 – Made to be in Relationship –
It’s all about love, romance, and intimacy. Using themes of the Trinity, we will explore Gods good gift of intimate relationships. And… we might be singing some Beatles music this week. (Love, Love, Love 
January 15 – HEALING SERVICE – Broken & in Need of Healing –
This Service of healing will focus on making all feel welcome just as they are, and providing a ritual of healing for those whose sexuality has caused them hurt or pain, for those who have been victims of sexual violence, and for those who have been excluded or oppressed because of their sexual orientation. Special Musical Guests this week will be 7th House Moon and Ben and Joann Nagel, who will play the Crystal Bowls during our time of healing.
January 22 – We are a Queer People –
This Sunday, we will address issues that have too often been perceived as imperfections or oddities… body image, sexual orientation, and relationship status (single, etc.). The service will focus on being OK with the fact that we are all a queer people and that this was part of God’s design! Our Special Music this week will include a special performance of the song, “Natural Woman.”
January 29 – Moving toward Wholeness – Integrating Spirituality and Sexuality
This will be a celebratory service where we celebrate our created nature and the good gift of God in our sexuality and look at specific ways that connections between these two things help us to be the kind of whole person we were created to be. Meghan Western will be leading us in a dance and we will also be celebrating Confirmation Sunday.
SMALL GROUP & COMMUNITY EVENTS
COMMUNITY SEMINARS – Thursdays at 7:30pm – January 12, 19, and 26
Designed to challenge and provoke thoughtful conversation, topics will include such things as transgender issues, race and sexuality, theology and sexual ethics and much more. Speakers and collaborators will include Lisa Cravens-Brown, Department of Psychology, OSU (http://www.osu.edu), Aaron Riley of NewLeaf Columbus (http://www.newleafcolumbus.ning.com) and Sile Singleton of Summit United Methodist Church, just to name a few.
CLICK HERE FOR THE detailed list of SEMINARS
WHEN THE SPIRIT SAYS MOVE: DISCOVERING GOD’S VOICE IN THE PHYSICAL BODY - Fridays at 7:30pm (begins January 6) –
This 4-week class will explore the connections between spirituality and movement of the body. After using prayer and meditation to bring us into awareness and connection to our physical bodies, we will then use movement to explore the expression of our faith and our connection to the Spirit. This class is suitable for all experience levels, ages 16 and up. We will use gentle and healthy movement techniques in our explorations, and individual body needs will be accommodated. You can Register ONLINE. Led by Meghan Western (brftdncr@gmail.com).
Led by Meghan Western.
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