Do you long for a deeper connection with Scripture and a more engaging way to study the Bible?

Catching the Spark is a four-week series that explores engaging, interactive ways of reading the Bible. Together, we'll slow down, ask good questions, pay attention to the details of the text, and discover how context, culture, and literary artistry can deepen our understanding of Scripture.

Using the Book of Ruth as our guide, we'll experiment with approaches that uncover new insights and open fresh perspectives. While our focus will be on Ruth, the practices you'll experience can be used with any passage of Scripture, enriching personal study, group discussion, preaching, and teaching.

Thursday from 7:00pm - 8:30pm starting September 17th

Tickets $20 for 4 Evening Sessions

High school and university students can reserve free tickets

This series will help you move from passive reading to active and dynamic engagement with the Bible.

With Professer
Derek Suderman

Join Dr. Derek Suderman, a passionate and engaging instructor from Conrad Grebel University College, for a 4-week Bible study series. With years of experience in leading interactive and dynamic Bible studies, Derek will guide us through the story of Ruth, uncovering themes of love, loyalty, and redemption.

Learn More About Derek Suderman

Location

Erb Street Mennonite Church

131 Erb Street West
Waterloo, ON
N2L 1T7

 

Schedule

About
Dr. Derek Suderman

Derek Suderman teaches in both the undergraduate Religious Studies and graduate Master of Theological Studies programs. In addition to his textual work as a Hebrew Bible/Old Testament scholar, Suderman explores how diverse cultural and historical contexts inform biblical interpretation and ethical discernment.

Suderman explores the language and cultures of the Bible, often making what students expect to be familiar look quite strange; this in turn provides students with a mirror to see their own settings and beliefs in a new way. He believes that being part of a 'living tradition' involves not simply defending this tradition but recognizing problems and blind spots within it. Suderman proves particularly interested in exploring how the Bible has been used to both justify and oppose violence within the broad history of the Christian tradition.

Suderman has broad research interests, including investigating: the socialaudience of the Psalms; gendered and other forms of violence in the prophets; wisdom literature as a resource for contemporary interfaith dialogue and cooperation; and the ethical implications of biblical interpretation, focused particularly on violence in the Bible and contemporary issues related to Indigenous peoples. Suderman loves to travel and has taught or made academic presentations on 5 continents.

Help us spread the word!

We'd be grateful if you'd share Catching the Spark with your congregation.
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