Mecklenburg Community Church

10:00 a.m. - 11:45 a.m. EDT

The Kingdom (Big Picture Bible Study)

After God’s people inherited the long-awaited Promised Land, they quickly turned away from Him toward the temptations of the pagan cultures around them. It didn’t take long for them to realize what a big mistake they made as they spiraled deeper and deeper down into a pit of immorality and self-destruction. Desperate for help, they cried out to their forgotten God, pleading for Him to appoint a king who would lead them and rescue them. In the fourth series of the Big Picture Bible Study, we’ll dive into the books of Samuel, Kings and Chronicles as we look at the dawn of the monarchy, the dividing of the kingdom, and the fall into exile.This class is offered at two separate times: Mondays at 7 p.m. beginning August 21 (no class on 9/4) Thursdays at 10 a.m. beginning August 24 (no class on 9/21) *Participants can also opt to receive the class recordings rather than attend the live classes.NOTE: The Big Picture Bible Study is an in-depth, chronological study of the whole Bible. In its entirety, it comprises 10 separate studies spread out over a two-year time frame. "The Kingdom" is the fourth study in the series, but new students will get caught up in the first week.

9:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. EDT

Game Time

Ready to get off the bench and join a Serve Team at Meck? Take Game Time. You were made with a plan and a purpose and equipped with a unique combination of gifts, passions, personality and skills. Yet it sometimes can be difficult to figure out exactly how God wants to use you or what role you might play in His big adventure through the local church. Join us for Game Time to examine the person God made you to be and how you can make a real difference with your life by joining a Serve Team at Meck.To get a head start, you can take the Spiritual Gifts Test below to find your gifts and calling before attending this class.

11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. EDT

Baby Steps: Beginning the Parenting Journey Well

Baby Steps: Beginning the Parenting Journey Well (for parents of newborns to 18-month-olds): Congratulations on entering the wonderful adventure of parenthood! So, what exactly did you get yourself into? More importantly, what kind of parent does God want you to be? In this class, we focus on you as the parent – celebrating your call to be a mother or father and helping you to understand the spiritual impact that you will have on your child. And as your church, we’ll walk you through all the ways in which we aim to support you as you seek to raise your child in a Christ-centered home. Together, we will help you dream big for your child and learn how to make those dreams a reality. *This class is designed for parents of newborns to 18-month-olds. It's also a required class for any parent who plans to participate in the Baby Dedication ceremony.October 1 | 11 a.m. (in person at Meck) NOTE: Class recordings will not be available for this class.

7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. EDT

Finding God at the Movies

Whether we watch them on the big screen or on a small handheld device, film plays a major role in the formation of our ideas and values. While the values portrayed on screen are often inconsistent with Christianity, many producers and directors over the years have tried to explore the Bible and faith issues through cinema. Indeed, some of the most celebrated films in cinematic history (A Man for All Seasons, Chariots of Fire) are explicitly connected to Christianity. In this 4-week class, we will watch excerpts from important Christian films and discuss how they treat the claims of Christianity. Of course, given the hundreds of religious films that have been produced (not to mention those that have a strong Christian subtext), we can only spotlight a few films that explore major Christian themes: miracles, redemption, martyrdom, servanthood, and many others. The goal of the course is to deepen our faith as we explore how Christianity and the Bible have been viewed through a cinematic lens over the past 75 years. We also want to consider how we can follow the biblical injunction to “keep our heart with all diligence” in our media-driven world. *Note about live stream: While this class will take place in a physical classroom with in-person students, you have the option each week of joining via live stream if that option is more convenient for you. Live-stream participants, however, are able to actively participate in the class, engaging in class discussion and asking questions to the instructor. In other words, the live-stream option gives you a hybrid approach to this class - attend in person the weeks you're available or via livestream when that suits you best.

6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. EDT

Remember the Sabbath

Contemporary society values productivity and a hustle-and-grind lifestyle. Rest, play and relaxation are generally thought of as either rewards to earn or marks of laziness to avoid. And yet “Remember the Sabbath” are words God gave us in the Ten Commandments - a command for us to rest and play. But why? What if the command to remember the Sabbath holds the key to experiencing a truly healthy rhythm of life and a fuller understanding of our place in this world? Join us for this 4-week class to explore what Sabbath can mean in a modern world and how we might take steps toward living out this command in our own lives. *Note about live stream: While this class will take place in a physical classroom with in-person students, you have the option each week of joining via live stream if that option is more convenient for you. Live-stream participants, however, are able to actively participate in the class, engaging in class discussion and asking questions to the instructor. In other words, the live-stream option gives you a hybrid approach to this class - attend in person the weeks you're available or via livestream when that suits you best.

9:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. EDT

Habits of the Household

It can feel challenging to start a new habit. With so much on our plates, the demanding nature of the urgent often drowns out what we know is important. This is often the case with habits surrounding our spiritual growth. In our upcoming book study, we will discuss ways in which we can set up our homes with God in the center, as the focus of our everyday lives, using already-existing rhythms and habits (think: mealtime, screentime, bedtime) but infusing them with new meaning.We will walk through the book "Habits of the Household" by Justin Whitmel Earley over the course of three months, meeting once a month to discuss and then practice a variety of spiritual habits focused on family life. We will troubleshoot problems together, share ideas, and celebrate wins as we work to bring our homes closer to God. These meetings will run concurrent with the 9:30 am in-person service. While some parts of the book focus on households with children (of all ages), this book is a great resource for anyone living in a household with others. So grab a copy of the book from wherever you'd like (although we'd recommend The Grounds), and join us at the first meeting to dive in.Meeting dates: September 10 October 8 November 12 December 10 NOTE: Class recordings will not be available for this class.

9:30 a.m. - 10:50 a.m. EDT

Team Life

Team Life is designed to teach you about Meck and what makes up our DNA—our mission, vision and values. It also serves as our membership class where you can learn more about joining our mission to help spiritual explorers become fully devoted followers of Christ.Meck is made up of people from many different spiritual backgrounds; some with extensive church backgrounds, others who are brand new to church and many in between. Knowing this, we designed the class to clearly explain the history and heart of Meck, and what it means to be a member.There are both online and in person options for this class.

Nov

8:00 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. EDT

Financial Sense

As pervasive as money is in our everyday life experience, very few people have ever learned how to truly manage money in a way that honors God and that helps them make wise financial decisions throughout their entire life. You might have learned the value of a dollar in your youth, but do you know how to have a healthy relationship with money? In this comprehensive money course led by financial professionals and money-wise teachers, we will explore: Basic financial principles and how to build credit Budgeting Getting out of debt Saving for college, retirement and home purchases Investing Generosity and estate planning Insurance and more! Taking this 7-week financial journey with us will be one of the best investments you’ll ever make.NOTE: The first (9/18) and last classes (11/6) will be held in person with a livestream option from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. Paid childcare is available. All other classes will take place online from 8 - 9:30 p.m. There will be no class on 10/9.Class recordings will be available for this class after registration.

Jan

9:30 a.m. - 10:50 a.m. EDT

Team Life