The Congregation Church of Needham is a congregation whose purpose is to grow in spirit and activism. Our goal is to be the prominent progressive congregation in the Metropolitan Boston Area.

The adults who attend our church are eager to grow in faith.

The best way to influence the children of our church is to offer adult education which is comprehensive and engaging. Children learn from what they see their parents doing. Children whose parents are excited about faith will catch the feeling and share their family’s enthusiasm.

Adult education will engage adults who come to our church in a life-long quest for spiritual growth. This will go a long way to break the cycle of adult participation for that period of time while the children are attending Church School.

Adults in our church have different needs and grow in different ways. They should have choices about classes, outreach projects, retreats, lectures and small groups.

We are a congregation of spiritual activists and have a responsibility to plan a program that nurtures both sides of faith – our spiritual growth and our need to be active in outreach to others.

1. Establish an Adult Education Commission/ Task Force
   1. We charge this commission with proposing a varied program of courses and retreats for adults to foster and encourage continued study, and intellectual inquiry.
   2. We ask them to survey the congregation to determine what kinds of classes would interest people.
   3. We challenge them to suggest staff changes or additional hours committed to designing and implementing a broader course of study for adults.
   4. We ask them to consider a schedule of classes to offer
2. Establish an adult Mission Trip – Like the youth mission trips, these trips would include opportunities to work and study. Example of projects might include (Habitat for Humanity project in Appalachia, Hopi Reservation in AZ)
3. Establish a series of adult spiritual retreats – Plan adult retreats 2-3 times annually and announce the schedule in advance so adults can plan to attend, meet others, study a topic of faith, church history, or spiritual practice.
4. Establish an endowed lecture to be offered yearly at the church. Invite a distinguished Progressive Christian leader to lecture on a topic of importance to the Church in our society. Examples of the type of speaker we might seek would include such people as:
   • Rev. James Forbes, Sr. Minister of Riverside Church NYC
   • James Carroll, Boston Globe columnist and author
   • Professor Elaine Pagels, Princeton scholar and author on early Christian heresies
   • Rabbi Harold Kushner, author
   • Jim Wallis, editor of Sojourner Magazine
   • Professor Diana Eck, Harvard scholar on Muslim Christian Dialogue
   • Bishop John Spong, Episcopal Bishop and author of books on modern Christianity
   • Bishop Desmond Tutu, Anglican Bishop of South Africa.

February 16, 2005

Contact: The Rev Susan Cartmell
Contact: The Rev. Heike Werder
Or contact the church office for more information (781-444-2510 ext. 110)