| Please consider joining us for our Fall Study September 12-Nov. 13 (9 weeks). Our times together will involve discussion of the study book and related Scriptures, sharing of both burdens and blessings with each other, and prayer. We hope to create a space that will invite meaningful connections with God and with each other. This fall we will (FINALLY!) read “Rethinking Sexuality” by Dr. Juli Slattery. (We were scheduled to do this book together for our study in the spring of 2020 but opted to postpone the study until we could do it in person. We can’t wait to finally be able to dig into this together!) This book will challenge you to think differently and more deeply about this important topic. It will equip you to see how sexuality and spirituality are intricately linked, how sexuality is rooted in the bigger picture of God’s heart for his people, and how sexuality isn’t a problem to solve but a territory to reclaim as part of God’s gospel plan. This book isn’t going to answer every question you have about how to engage those who are confused about their sexuality, or the struggles you face in your marriage, or the challenges of living this out as a single person in a sex-crazed world, or what to say to your kids about sex. HOWEVER, it is a helpful starting place for building a fuller and richer biblical worldview and a framework from which to dive deeper into those specific areas (among others). In truth, the issue of sex and sexuality is one that touches us all. We all navigate this issue on a personal level as either single or married women. As those who have all been called to “go and make disciples and teach them to obey all I’ve commanded,” all of us have a responsibility to know and understand God’s heart on this topic so that we can faithfully pass that on to others–whether that’s our children or others we influence. Many of us have been personally touched by brokenness in this area through pornography, abuse, promiscuity, and issues of gender and sexual identity–in our own lives or in the life of someone close to us. There is much that needs to be said on this topic, and the church has been largely silent while the world has maintained a steady dialogue. We want to put into practice some of what we discussed in our Winter 2020 book study on gospel hospitality (“Just Open the Door”) and better cultivate a “come as you are” culture at KBC in general, and in this area specifically. For so long, it has felt like this topic was off-limits. Please be part of changing that! By having some conversation in community together around this book, we hope to communicate that we want our body to be a safe place to engage the issues and struggles related to sexuality. We want to be better prepared to engage the growing number of people in our world who are confused about God’s perspective on this topic, or who don’t care what he has to say. We want to be able to be more intentional about how we reach out with gospel love to those who may approach this issue differently than we do. This book provides an important, meaningful discussion of the big picture of God’s design for sex and sexuality and urges us as members of the body of Christ to think more deliberately than we ever have before on this topic. I know that this is a personal and sensitive topic, and may feel uncomfortable to talk about. Please, please, please, don’t let that hold you back! We won’t push you to share personal details, I promise! In order to accommodate a variety of schedules and to facilitate better discussion, we hope to put together groups of 8-10 people meeting in different homes on different nights of the week. When you register, you’ll be asked to provide your availability for several options. You will then be placed in a group and notified the week before with your group’s information. In order to accommodate this process, we need you to register no later than September 1. If you’re interested in engaging this book/topic but the meeting options available won’t work for you, please select “contact me” and we’ll be in touch to discuss alternate options. If you need a book, you can select this as an “add-on” at registration. Books will cost $10 and should be available at the back table on Sunday mornings beginning August 29. Have questions? Contact Amber Hudson at 815.757.2425 or araehudson@arae.com Or feel free to ask any member of the Women’s Ministry Team: Jill Mosher, Jeanette McNicol, Anna Anderson, & Tonya Braun. |
Click on the link below to watch a video clip where Juli shares her heart behind this book/topic and why it’s important for all of us to engage.https://vimeo.com/277114070