LENTEN STUDY OPPORTUNITIES

/ Union Avenue Christian Church/

Does Lent seem like it will just be too hard this year?  Do you find yourself saying, “After two years of pandemic, my spiritual batteries are run down and I really need something captivating and thought provoking” rather than more of the same old thing?  Do you enjoy sarcasm and dark humor??  Then we have the perfect Lenten study for you!  Join with our siblings in faith at “The Other Union Avenue” as Rev. Michael and Rev. Cassie Sexton-Riggs lead us through a hybrid online/in-person book study and discussion around C.S. Lewis’ The Screwtape Letters.

First published in February 1942, the story takes the form of a series of letters from senior “infernal assistant" Screwtape to his nephew Wormwood, a junior tempter in the subterranian hierarchy (lower-archy?).  The uncle's mentorship pertains to the nephew's responsibility in securing the damnation of a British man known only as "the Patient.”  It is a masterpiece of religious satire with a sly and ironic portrayal of human life and a timeless classic on spiritual conflict exploring the struggle between good and evil and the role of reason in the Christian life.

We will meet via Zoom (and maybe hybrid with in-person as well) on Mondays (starting March 7) at 7:00 pm for a time of fellowship, study, and a good bit of humor as we see how Lewis’s social commentary holds up to our world today.  You might be surprised how little things have changed!  We will only be doing a few letters a week, and they are only a few pages long each, so it’s an easy read but with much to process and engage.

If you would like to be a part of this study please contact Rev. Michael and be sure to order your paperback, hardcover, or digital edition right away!

A second study option is Interfaith Partnership of St. Louis’s free course “What We Believe” in a hybrid format as those engaged in the study will explore the diversity of thought and practice within Christianity. You may join in-person at Webster Groves Presbyterian Church or via Zoom on Mondays from 7 p.m. - 8:15 p.m. beginning February 28.

Rev. Jim Poinsett, IPSTL’s Executive Director, will lead this six-part course exploring different expressions of Christianity, including Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Reformed Protestantism, Episcopalian, Historically Black Protestantism, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and Christian Science. This course is open to all, regardless of level of familiarity with different religious traditions, but registration is required, and you may do so here.