Take notice that the word is out about the "Brown Bag Book Bunch". The group which meets each Wednesday at 12 o'clock has recently completed a survey course on the life of Jesus; and so it is now preparing for a nine-week series that will begin on the first Wednesday in June (June 4th). The book we have selected to work through is called, Soul Feast, written by Marjorie Thompson. The subtitle of Soul Feast states that it is An Invitation to the Christian Spiritual Life.

As the one who will be leading a nine-week discussion of Thompson's book, I can say I am very excited that this learning opportunity is being offered. I am excited about this study because I know how much this book impacted my spiritual life when I first read it three years ago. To give you an idea about the book, it may be helpful to know a bit about it and something about the author. Marjorie Thompson is an ordained Presbyterian minister in the PC(USA) Church. She is the Director of Pathways Center for Spiritual Leadership at Upper Room Ministries. In the Prologue to Soul Feast she writes, "Interest in spiritual matters has increased significantly within and beyond traditional faith communities. Spirituality is no longer a foreign term in church circles… many churches now seek to make spiritual formation a focus of congregational life;…spiritual searching has increased exponentially in a post-9/11 world. People grapple with the meaning of their faith in relation to an accelerated human propensity for destruction. The need for spiritual grounding in the face of violence and fear is nothing new, but in our time it bears an unprecedented quality of urgency." In a nutshell, Thompson makes a good argument that there is a gnawing hunger in many faithful Christians. There is a real need to deepen their relationship to the Holy, who we know most intimately as Jesus Christ. One of my favorite Christian writers, Henri Nouwen, had this to say about Soul Feast; "When you have read and lived this book you have been in touch with the best that Christian spirituality has to offer….I am convinced that for those who take this book seriously and apply it to their individual as well as communal lives, a true transformation will take place." Nouwen's observation about this book is precisely why I feel so strongly about it, and nine-weeks of "Book Bunch" study.

Now here's the invitation. Please come and join us at noon on Wendesdays. The first discussion of this summer book will be "Brown Bag Book Bunch" meeting on Wednesday, June 4th at 12 Noon. Fix yourself a sandwich-type lunch and something to drink. We'll meet in the Ennis Activity Room where the choir practices on Sunday mornings. You'll need to get the book by contacting Cheryl Mahan (call 452-5797) or the church office (call 452-5689). I promise you! This nine-week study will have a good and lasting and life-shaping effect on you.

May God bless you!

Al Smith