Adult Learning

Beginning with Sunday mornings, AHUMC offers a number of different staff-led courses throughout the week. All of our courses are available for free to anyone who is interested. The only exception is that some courses do require the purchase of a book—and even that shouldn’t be an obstacle to participation as scholarship assistance is available. We hope you will consider joining at least one of the courses listed below.

If you have any questions or need any further information, please submit the form below

Men's Ministry:

Words of Life

Nearly everyone has heard of the Ten Commandments. Jesus saw these commandments not as burdens, but as guideposts to help us experience a good and beautiful life. These ten ancient “words” were given to us by a loving God who longed to set safe boundaries, create order out of chaos, help communities live peacefully, and protect us—often from ourselves. In lives marked by workaholism, materialism, and social media-driven envy, we have these time-tested markers that point to gratitude, confidence, and peace.

Join Johnny Boyd for this weekly lunchtime dialogue around Adam Hamilton's book Words of Life. Together, we will consider the commandments in their historical context, the meaning of each commandment in Hebrew, and how Jesus interpreted them.

Bring your lunch or purchase one in the Atrium from Chefs Colin Bryant and Kaitlin Workman of Mission Bell.

The Sacred Enneagram: Finding Your Unique Path to Spiritual Growth

Join Mary Lou Russell for this weekly dialogue around the Enneagram—an ancient model of interrelated personality types.

Most of us spend a lifetime trying to figure out who we are and how we relate to others and God. Lies about who we think we are keep us trapped in loops of self-defeat, but the Enneagram is here to help. Far more than a personality test, the Enneagram reveals nine ways we get lost, as well as nine ways we find our way home to our true self and to God. Whether you are an enthusiast or simply Enneagram-curious, we will work together to:

Understand the "why" behind our type
Move beyond caricatures and stereotypes
Identify and find freedom from self-destructive patterns
Learn how to work with our type toward spiritual growth
Awaken our unique gifts to serve today's broken world

Lunch is available for purchase from Chefs Colin Bryant and Kaitlin Workman of Mission Bell.

Community Yoga:

Flow & Restore

Whether you have practiced Yoga for years or are looking to try something new, join us for this free weekly hour with Yoga Alliance-licensed instructor, Dave Williams.

We will meet for 7 weeks of warm-up, restorative flow, and cool down in the CLC at AHUMC. The space is carpeted so please feel free to bring your own mat or towel and a water bottle.

Childcare is available by reservation.

Common Space:
A Sunday Morning Dialogue

Join us for a weekly dialogue and exploration of the biblical stories—both the ones you know and love and the ones that seem to confound and confuse. This is not a lecture or a book study. There is no homework or assigned reading. Through active and participatory conversation, we will get to know each other and learn together as we wrestle with the questions that exist on the tips of our tongues and in the depths of our hearts.

The Good and Beautiful

Community

"Apprentices of Jesus are not part-time do-gooders. They do not sometimes tell the truth, sometimes live sacrificially or sometimes forgive...they are constantly men and women in whom Christ dwells."

Yet many times we've gotten it wrong, tending to emphasize personal faith over social justice or vice versa.

Senior Pastor Jason Adams and Outreach Pastor Janet Weatherston invite you to participate in this dialogue on spiritual practices that root new, true narratives about God and the world in our souls. Using James Bryan Smith's The Good and Beautiful Community, we will pursue authentic ways to live as a good and beautiful community of Christ-followers, shining the light of the Spirit into every relationship.

Lunch is available for purchase from Chefs Colin Bryant and Kaitlin Workman of Mission Bell.

Matthew:

The Gospel of Promised Blessings

The Gospel of Matthew portrays Jesus and his message as full of tender compassion and urgent warning. Pastor Donna Strieb will lead this exploration of an enigmatic Gospel takes readers into the themes, topics, and tensions at the heart of Matthew's story about the life and work of Jesus.

Using Matthew Skinner's new book, we will focus on blessing and comfort, judgment and retribution, the meaning of discipleship, Jesus’ vision for the Church and world, conflicts and complaints, and how the Gospel of Matthew speaks to believers today.

Women's Ministry:

Choose Growth

Life isn’t a trek up a summit. It’s more like a vast ocean, full of new opportunities for meaning and discovery but also danger and uncertainty. In this often-choppy surf, a pyramid is of little use. What we really need is something more flexible and functional: a sailboat. The trauma, loss, and uncertainty of our world have led many of us to ask life’s big questions.

Who are we?
What is our higher purpose?
How do we not live and thrive in the wake of tragedy, division, and challenges to our fundamental way of living?

Join leaders Rev. Priscilla MacDougall and Lynn Juel on this journey toward a new metaphor for the the transcendent experience of becoming “fully human”. Using Kaufman and Feingold's Choose Growth workbook, we’ll dialogue around such questions as

Who is in our boat?
Does our boat have holes?
Are our connections high quality?
What does being love mean anyway?
What is our legacy?

Making Your

Grief Count

Porter Loring Mortuaries and AHUMC would like to invite you to join us in an eight-week program for those who are grieving the loss of a loved one. This program is designed to create a safe place to:

Embrace your grief and learn to bear it
Discover how your loved one can live on into your life story
Strengthen your characteristics of resilience
Plan for how you will continue to heal and live a meaningful life

Childcare is available by reservation.

YOPD Support Group

Young Onset Parkinson’s Disease occurs in people age 50 or younger and affects less than ten percent of the one million people with Parkinson’s in the U.S. Our group meets the third Saturday of each month in room the Seminar Room W100/101. Guest speakers are invited to share information about how to live healthier and more active lives on our journey with Parkinson’s. If you are interested in learning more, please join us.

Grief Support Group for Men

Facilitated by Porter Loring Bereavement Coordinator Molly O'Phelan PhD, RN, LMFT, this group of men 65 and older, invite you to join them for support and fellowship as you grieve the loss of your wife. This ongoing group will focus on the different characteristics grieving men share, including, coping with loneliness. It is a place to honor your wife while moving towards a renewed and meaningful life. For more information, call 210-227-8221.

Grief Support Group for Women

Facilitated by Porter Loring Bereavement Coordinator Molly O'Phelan PhD, RN, LMFT, this group is open to women 60 and older who have lost a husband and would like to join with other women in a journey of sharing, comfort and healing. “Women in Grief” will provide you a safe place to explore the roots of your grief, learn ways to express and cope with it, and move on to a more refreshed and renewed life when you are ready. For more information, call 210-227-8221.

Forever Loved Grief Support

A very special group for parents who have lost a child of any age (child or adult). Facilitated by Porter Loring Bereavement Coordinator Molly O'Phelan PhD, RN, LMFT, this open group welcomes any parent seeking support through this tender and powerful time. Members of the group work hard to honor their sorrow, and at the same time, discover hope and meaning in their lives. For more information, call 210-227-8221.

Code You: Spiritual Care for Healthcare Providers

The wholistic leadership course provides education, tools, and support needed for empowering nursing leaders to resuscitate and strengthen the heart and soul of their teams from the inside out. The course utilizes Spiritual Practices for soul care. This is a six week course that will also provide 15 hours of continuing education necessary for RN license renewal. For more information, contact us or visit codeyou.info.

Various groups meet at our church to help those seeking sobriety and recovery from alcoholism.

GROUP	DAY	TIME	LOCATION
12-Step Study	Tuesdays	7:00 p.m.	W100/101
Men's Big Book	Wednesdays	6:30 p.m.	W104
Women's Big Book	Wednesdays	6:30 p.m.	W100/101

GROUP	DAY	TIME	LOCATION
ACADF	Thursdays	6:30 p.m.	W104

GROUP	DAY	TIME	LOCATION
Clarity Group	Sundays	5 p.m.	ZOOM

EDA is a Twelve-Step fellowship of individuals who share their experience, strength and hope with each other that they may solve their common problems and help others to recover from their eating disorders.

GROUP	DAY	TIME	LOCATION
EDA	Sundays	5 p.m.	W105

The Pioneer Group is a fellowship of men and women in or interested in 12-Step Recovery. The format is an open discussion and study of the Bible and Recovery literature.

GROUP	DAY	TIME	LOCATION
Pioneer @ AHUMC	Fridays	7:15 p.m.	W100/101 & ZOOM

Helping people learn to identify and manage negative thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and behaviors that can lead to emotional distress and related physical symptoms.

GROUP	DAY	TIME	LOCATION
Mental Health Self-Help	Tuesdays	10 a.m.	ZOOM

Sexaholics Anonymous is a fellowship of men and women who share their experience, strength and hope to solve their common problem and help others to recover from addiction to lust, pornography and sexual acting out. For more information about meetings, call or text at 210-570-6496.

GROUP	DAY	TIME	LOCATION
SA Group 1	Mondays	12 p.m.	W105
SA Group 2	Wednesdays	6:30 p.m.	W105
SA Group 3	Thursdays	12 p.m.	W105
SA Group 4	Fridays	12:30 p.m.	W105
SA Group 5	Fridays	7 p.m.	W105

GROUP	DAY	TIME	LOCATION
SLAA	Tuesdays	6:30 p.m.	W105

We think that the best thing we can do is have all of the answers.

But what would it look like if we were more interested in the questions?

Try using one of these phrases to tap into the curiousity and humility of the beginner's mind:

"I don't know. What do you think?"
"I value your insight and knowledge. Can you share more about that with me?"
"How are you feeling about this, right now?"
"I was thinking about [topic] and remembered it's something in which you are interested. Will you tell me a bit about it?"
"Do you have any suggestions for how I can learn more about that?"
"How would you approach this?"
"What was it like when [event] happened for you?"
"How can I help you?"

LEADER:	Johnny Boyd
DAY:	Wednesdays - beginning Sept. 4
TIME:	12 p.m.
LOCATION:	AHUMC Parlor

LEADER:	Mary Lou Russell
DAY:	REGISTRATION IS CLOSED
TIME:	THIS COURSE IS FULL
LOCATION:	W105

LEADER:	Dave Williams
DAY:	Wednesdays - beginning Sept. 4
TIME:	6 p.m.
LOCATION:	CLC

LEADERS:	Chris Estus, Reed McNitzky, Darrell Smith
DAY:	Sundays - resuming Sept. 8
TIME:	11 a.m.
LOCATION:	W100 / 101

LEADERS:	Jason Adams, Janet Weatherston
DAY:	Mondays - beginning Sept. 9
TIME:	12 p.m.
LOCATION:	AHUMC Parlor

LEADER:	Donna Strieb
DAY:	Tuesdays - beginning Sept. 10
TIME:	10 a.m.
LOCATION:	W100 / 101

LEADERS:	Priscilla MacDougall, Lynn Juel
DAY:	Tuesdays - beginning Sept. 24
TIME:	6 p.m.
LOCATION:	AHUMC Parlor

LEADER:	Heather Welchar, LCSW, M.Div., BCC
DAY:	REGISTRATION IS CLOSED
TIME:	THIS COURSE IS FULL
LOCATION:	S107

LEADER:	Jim Beach
DAY:	Thursdays
TIME:	10:30 a.m.
LOCATION:	S107 & W100/101

LEADER:	Ed Dickey
DAY:	3rd Thursdays
TIME:	9 a.m. & 7 p.m.
LOCATION:	W105

LEADER:	Diane Renz
DAY:	3rd Saturdays
TIME:	10 a.m.
LOCATION:	W100 / 101

LEADER:	Molly O’Phelan
DAY:	Mondays
TIME:	1 - 2:30 p.m.
LOCATION:	W100 / 101

LEADER:	Molly O'Phelan
DAY:	Mondays
TIME:	10 - 11:30 a.m.
LOCATION:	W100 / 101

LEADERS:	Phyllis Morton, Tamara Ramirez
DAY:	varies
TIME:	varies
LOCATION:	varies

LEADERS:	Martha Krenz, Barbara Steed
DAY:	Wednesdays
TIME:	9:30-11:30 a.m.
LOCATION:	W105

LEADER:	Dale Clark
TIME:	9:45 a.m.
LOCATION:	E126

LEADER:	Darryl Richards
TIME:	9:45 a.m.
LOCATION:	E224

LEADERS:	Calvin Reynolds, Jim Summit
DAY:	Thursdays
TIME:	10 a.m.
LOCATION:	W104

LEADER:	Suzi Brysacz
DAY:	Thursdays
TIME:	9:30-11:30 a.m.
LOCATION:	E223

LEADER:	Rev. Bob Price
TIME:	9:45 a.m.
LOCATION:	E223

LEADERS:	Carolyn Lay & Jim Kleypas
TIME:	9:30 a.m.
LOCATION:	W100 / 101