Small Groups and Classes
Wednesday Nights @ Trinity
It's Dinner Time!
Dinner ($8 for adults and $5 for children ages 5-12 years old) starts at 5:00 pm in the Worship Center and the kitchen line closes at 6:00 pm but you can stay and fellowship with us until a Small Group/Class begins at 6:30 pm in the Education Building or when Worship begins at 6:35 pm in the Chapel.
We look forward to seeing you!
Spring 2024 Small Groups and Classes
These classes will give you the opportunity to grow in your faith, make new friends and receive encouragement and support in a smaller group setting with others who have similar interests.
For more information, contact Margaret Myers, Adult Ministries Coordinator.
Contemplative Watercolor for Beginners
Description: Do you love the idea of creating something artistic but don’t know where to start? Guess what? We are all invited to be artists - no experience necessary. Join me for a series of relaxing, low pressure watercolor classes accessible to any level of experience. I’ll teach you a few basics, and then we’ll use meditative painting exercises to relax, enjoy, and let creativity flow. The exercises will feel more like “doodling” and less like making a painting of a “thing.” We’ll explore how we are all invited by our Creator to be co-creators and witnesses to the abundant beauty all around us each day. You’ll learn some ways to create your own personal contemplative art journaling practice if you wish. All materials provided. Ages 16 and up. Class size is limited to 12 people.
Facilitator: Melody Lozano is an award-winning watercolorist whose luminous, rhythmic paintings have been exhibited around the state. She credits her most important art education to her grandmother who first introduced her to the basics of watercolor but more importantly taught her to view the world with an artist’s eye. Melody enjoys living in the Gainesville, Florida area because there is no shortage of inspiration and beauty in the natural landscape. She and her husband have three sons and have been members of Trinity UMC for 17 years.
Melody’s artist statement is: “There are ordinary moments on ordinary days when suddenly a veil is lifted, and for a fleeting moment we catch a glimpse of abundant beauty, insight, or depth beyond words. My work is about awakening our attention to these moments in order to drop deeper into these spaces of expanded reality and divine resonance. My intention is to invite others to unlock the beauty and mystery hidden in their own everyday lives, and to be inspired to participate in their own wordless conversations with love and joy.”
Dates: Wednesdays, 4/3/24 – 5/8/24 (6 weeks) | Time: 6:30 – 8:00 pm | Location: Room 228/229 | Register here!
Finding Peace
Description: True peace is not something that we can find outside of ourselves because it’s already within us as a gift of the Holy Spirit. In this class we will use scripture, discussion and guided meditation to find and connect with the peace deep within.
This course is experiential and collaborative. There is no book to read but the course will benefit you more if you commit to spending some time during each week developing a contemplative practice.
The class will be similar to prior classes with a slightly different approach. Repeat attendance is welcome.
Facilitator: Jacqueline Detweiler Wright has considered herself a spiritual seeker for most of her life and recently became a member of Trinity. A few years ago, she slowly realized that she had found “the peace that passes understanding” (Phil. 4:7). She feels called to share some of the practices that have helped her on her journey. Prior to her recent retirement, Jacqueline was a Clinical Dietician who worked for many years at North Florida Regional Medical Center. She has two young adult children.
Dates: Wednesdays, 4/3/24-5/22/24 (8 weeks) | Time: 6:30-7:30 pm | Location: Room 209/210 | Register here!
Riches of Faith: Unearthing Stories of Poverty in the Bible
Description: What does the Bible say about poverty? As Christians, how we talk and think about poverty should be based in what scripture shows us about God’s relationship to humanity. Join this six-week Old Testament Bible Study which will explore different stories of God’s response to poverty and participate in contextual learning about poverty in Gainesville. This class is also being offered by four other local United Methodist Churches as we strive to learn how God calls us to love our neighbor and do all the good we can. (This class will combine biblical study and reflection with experiential learning in our local context). Curriculum written by Rev. Clair Carter
Facilitator: Eric L. Papaya was born and raised in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, where he also attended Messiah University and received a bachelors in Christian Ministries in 2009. From there he moved to East Tennessee where he attended Emmanual Christian Seminary and received a masters in Divinity. After graduating from Emmanual, he worked in Africa for ten years in micro-finance, developing and teaching theological curriculum, and overseeing a network of church partnerships in Malawi and Mozambique. Eric is the Director of Faith Mission, a campus of Trinity United Methodist Church. Faith Mission is committed to social empowerment through place-based learning for the well-being of us all.
Dates: Wednesdays, 3/13/24 – 4/17/24 (six weeks) | Time: 6:30 – 7:30 PM | Contact: Eric Papaya (epapaya@trinitygnv.org) | Register here!
Third Day: Living the Resurrection by Tom Berlin
Description: In The Third Day: Living the Resurrection, Tom Berlin uses his gifts of storytelling and understanding the Scriptures to connect the reader to the experiences of several individuals around Jesus in his final days, focusing on new life and redemption rather than loss. Join Peter, Mary Magdalene, and Thomas as they feel the despair of losing Jesus and the surprise and joy that awaits them in the resurrection. This study traces events around these characters, along with Paul and the disciples at Emmaus, and how the resurrection transforms their lives.
Facilitator: Amanda Hodges loves to teach and facilitate small groups. Having recently returned to Trinity, she is responding to a persistent call to ministry by pursuing a Master of Divinity in the hybrid program of Duke Divinity School. She also serves as the part-time supply pastor at Melrose United Methodist Church. Oh, and in her spare time she is full time faculty as the Director of Plant Medicine at UF. Amanda is married to Greg.
Dates: Wednesdays, 4/24/24-5/29/24 (6 weeks) | Time: 6:30-8:00 pm | Location: Room 207 | Register here!
The Mountain of Silence: A Search for Orthodox Spirituality by Kyriacos Markides
Description: An expert in Christian mysticism, Markides travels to monasteries high in the Troodos Mountains of Cyprus and offers a fascinating look at the Greek Orthodox approach to spirituality that will appeal to modern seekers. In an engaging combination of dialogues, reflections, conversations, history, and travel information. Kyriacos C. Markides delves into the exploration of a spiritual tradition and practice. With images of the land and the people of Cyprus and details of its tragic history enriching this book, the result is a moving, profoundly human examination of the role and the power of spirituality in a complex and confusing world.
Facilitator: Stan Beckerdite and his wife, Ann Abbot, met and married in 1985, while both stationed as naval officers on the island of Guam. After serving around the world and having two great sons, they retired to Gainesville. In 2017, they found the “amazing” community of Trinity and became members. Stan’s passion is for the exploration and understanding of spiritual formation as a heart versus mind journey. He currently serves on the Contemplative Worship and Discipleship teams.
Keith Doty, Professor Emeritus of the University of Florida (this simply means he is retired!), taught 30 years in the areas of robotics, computers, and machine intelligence. He has studied various religions and areas of mysticism since his college years. He has (re)discovered Christian mysticism this past decade through extensive study of scripture, Catholic and Eastern Orthodox saints and writers, Protestant philosophers and theologians, and a “great number of really smart people at Trinity.”
Dates: Wednesdays through 8/1/2024 | Time: 6:30-7:45 pm | Location: Room 206 | Register here!