Adult Faith Formation

At Fairmount Avenue UMC, we desire to be a joyful, welcoming community, igniting hearts and minds for God's work.  

That's why get together to think about our faith, study the Bible, ask hard questions, and encourage one another along the way.  With many ways to connect to God, the practice of faith inspires practical application of faith.  ​​

Confirmation for Adults:

This Wednesday all are invited to dig deeper into the core teachings of Christianity and faith practice as a United Methodist. Whether you were confirmed years ago or never at all, this class will offer opportunities to think deeply about your faith. We will meet Wednesday evenings from 6:30-7:30.

Sunday Night Bible Study: 

Sunday Evenings at 6:30pm we will meet in church for a Bible study led by Pastor Shawna. This Bible study will meet in person and we will go through books of the Bible together. Led by Pastor Shawna, this group will meet every Sunday except for the first Sunday of each month. 

Sunday Night Quiet: 

 First Sundays of the Month, 6:30-7:30pm

Every first Sunday come for contemplative spiritual practice in the Sanctuary featuring a variety of contemplative practices including meditation, healing sounds, and scripture reading. Participants will be invited to sit in pews or on the floor as they are comfortable. This quiet time is meant to offer rest and renewal and will be led by Pastor Shawna. 

Wednesday Noon Bible Study: 

Weekly at Noon

Join on Zoom for midday, mid-week Bible Study led by Pastor Shawna starting on November 6.
Zoom Link:  https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86287164931  Meeting Code: 862 8716 4931

Covenant Discipleship Groups: 

Covenant Discipleship Groups meet regularly to encourage one another in
faith practices.

Adult Sunday School:

Adult Sunday school meets every Sunday in the Wesley Room. Join in a variety of topics led by a rotation of teachers. We will begin the year with a series on Queering Theology. Queering Theology: How understanding theology builds fortitude in faith in the midst of a changing world and faces anxiety with hope. There are many ways to practice faith, all of them are grounded in theology, or an understanding of God and the study of God. Our theology informs our understanding of the world, communities, and personal identity. It informs our location, the center of the universe, and our proximity to eternity. As the election approaches, there are a lot of unknowns, and for some, real worry about the future of not only our country, but how the election may impact our lives and communities.

During Sunday School this fall, we will explore theology and discover how theology impacts our daily lives and can be the grounding of living with real hope. We will begin by an overview of key Wesleyan theological concepts that have formed our Methodist faith tradition. We will then look to liberation theology, feminist theology, and Queer theology as models of how theology has created a fortitude of faith for entire communities in the midst of oppression and marginalization in the church and world. For this theological dialogue, we will explore Paul’s Letter to the Romans, as these instructions to the early church challenge and inspire us today. We will see how the ministry of Jesus points us towards a story of freedom for God’s people in the midst of extraordinary circumstances. We will discover hope as we explore how people have faced challenges and let those challenges be the inspiration for grounded and practical theology.

Spanish Language Learners Class: 

We are working on starting a group to learn conversational Spanish to be a more welcoming community. We anticipate this group starting in October. If you’re interested, please sign up through the church website.

United Methodist Women

The organized unit of United Methodist Women shall be a community of women whose purpose is to know God and to experience freedom as whole persons through Jesus Christ; to develop a creative supportive fellowship; and to expand concepts of mission through participation in the global ministries of the church.

UMW Afternoon Circle- This group meets on the third Monday of the month at 1:30 p.m. from September through May. The focus of the meetings is both education and outreach. The studies this year have focused how to follow a lifelong journey of practicing forgiveness, restorative justice, and reconciliation in our lives. We have also explored the theology of mission and evangelism in the twenty-first century context of Christianity as a worldwide religion. This fall we will focus on a mission study of Haiti. Making No-Sew Blankets is the ongoing outreach project. These blankets are donated to Regions Hospital in Saint Paul or to the Saint Paul Council of Churches.

UMW Book Club

The UMW Book Club book and schedule are available through the church office.