Open Classes

All participating in Open Classes will meet in the ROC Downstairs prior to heading to class.

Sundays

(March 3 – May 19; no classes on May 26th)

Meaningful Membership

(March 3,10,17 only)
Teachers: Paul Thompson, Charles Uptain, and Dan Tankersley
Location: Parlor
Whether you are new at Calvary or have been at Calvary for a long time, this class offers all the information you need to know about Calvary.

How to Grow

Teachers: John Adams Uptain and Dan Tankersley
Location: G314
This class offers a path to biblical spiritual growth through engaging in the spiritual disciplines and cultivating the fruit of the Spirit.

Missions

Required Teacher: Tommy Perry
Location: G315
The foundational point of missions is found in the end goal of missions: the worship of God among all peoples. As a local church our God-glorifying, Christ-centered, Spirit-empowered mission task necessitates making disciples and planting churches among all peoples so that our God is worshipped. Come to deepen your understanding of the role of missions and to ignite your passion to live on mission!

Wednesdays

(March 6 – May 29; No classes on March 27th)

Soteriology

Teacher: Paul Thompson, Dan Tankersley, and Eric Donop
Location: R306
In Soteriology Open Class, we’ll consider the critical elements of a right understanding of our salvation. As we do, our faith will grow, as will our devotion to the Lord. In addition, we will develop our ability not only to understand, but to communicate, the good news of Jesus!

Consequences of Ideas

Teacher: John Stickles
Location: R304
This class will cover some of the most influential ideas in Western history. The focus of the class is to understand the ideas that formed The Church and the worldview we find ourselves in today.

Male and Female He Created Them

Teachers: Charles Uptain and Don Mills
Location: R308
This is a study on gender, sexuality, and marriage. Participants will better grasp the Bible’s teaching about our identities as male and female, created in the image of God, and how to apply Scripture to these issues in their ministries at church, home, and work.

1-2 Peter: Living Hope in a Hard World

Teachers: Amanda Trammell and Lynn Forrester
Location: R300-302
This women’s Bible study explores the themes of suffering, the transformative power of God, spiritual authority, false teachers, and the last days. In all these things Peter directs us to the God who is faithful in our trials, working them for his glory and for our good. Cost is $10 per book. Pre-register here.

FAQs


Why are we adding these classes? The elders are responsible for the teaching of the body, so we all grow up into maturity. (Ephesians 4) We believe open classes enhance our teaching ministry by giving us a venue to teach basic Christian subject matters in a systematic way versus just waiting on those subjects to surface in our expositional preaching and sermon based small group curriculum.

Why are we offering these on Sunday mornings at 8:30? We want to offer these classes when the largest number of our membership could participate. We also hope you will see the value in learning and interacting with members whom you might not know well because they are not in your small group.

Do I need to sign up beforehand? No, anyone who wants to participate can meet in the Sanctuary at 8:30 each Sunday. We will introduce the classes and teachers for that week, and all walk together to the classrooms below the Sanctuary.

Do the classes build on one another? The subjects will flow together, but every class meeting will standalone, and anyone could come any week and jump right in.

What is the format for the open classes? A normal class would include prayer, a moment for the class participants to greet one another and meet new people, a teaching time, a time for questions and/or discussion. This request for questions could be interspersed in the teaching time or come at the end depending on the teacher’s preference.

How can I participate and stay connected to my small group (life group)? We would suggest creativity, flexibility, and open discussion with your group. Here are a few suggestions, but this is surely not a complete list:

Bring some, or all, of your group with you to the class

Continue to connect outside of the 8:30 Sunday morning hour through text groups/phone calls/social events/meals together after church/sitting together in worship or midweek/eating at church before midweek together

Participate in the shorter classes (6-7 weeks long) and then go back to your group for a while

See if your group’s members that choose to participate in open classes want to get together some other time of the week to discuss the sermon and pray

When will we know what will be taught next? The elders are working to produce a schedule of classes. We hope to publish this in March. The schedule would lay out our expectations for the remainder of the year.