Chautauqua is our annual summer education program held during the normal Sunday School hour.  Our teachers are given the summer off and in place of our fall and spring classes, each Sunday three to four class options are open to all adults ranging from Bible study, book study, life application, current events, movies and scripture, and a wealth of other opportunities.  Many members of the church and guests from outside the church participate as teachers.  This is a great success each summer and allows many to share time in Sunday school with people they normally would not meet with on Sunday morning.

Chautauqua began in upstate New York in the 1870s as a vacation school for Sunday school teachers.  It soon became a national forum for open discussion of the latest thinking in politics, economics, international relations, literature, science and religion.

It is the hope of Seventh & James that this type of diverse discussion occurs among our own members and guests.  Diversity is an important attribute of Seventh & James Baptist Church – diversity among the members of the unified body of Christ, diversity of gifts, diversity of theological thought, and diverse opportunities to grow as disciples of Jesus Christ.  Summer Chautauqua provides an opportunity for you to probe the scriptures in some unique ways and ask questions both old and new about the ways God intends us to live as God’s children, relating to one another as well as to God.  We hope you will be enriched spiritually for having participated in Chautauqua Seventh & James style. 

To see examples of our Chautauqua classes, please click on a year: 2006, 2007.

Chautauqua Schedule, 2008

June 8 – 29

Misunderstood Women of Genesis 12-50
Lai Ling Ngan — June 8 – June 29

June 8:  Sarah and Hagar—Wrestling for the Promise
June 15:  Lot's wife—Salt of the earth
June 22:  Dinah—What has love to do with it?
June 29:  Tamar—Ain't goin' to take this lying down

Parenting
Lee Carter — June 8 – June 22

When children are born there is no accompanying instructional manual.  At best, children test their parents' knowledge and patience. Sometimes they test their parents' sanity. By honing your parenting skills you can not only stay a step ahead of your child, but you will be a vital cog in her emotional, behavioral, and spiritual wellbeing. In the first session you will discover how to be an optimistic parent. In Week Two you will discover that who you are as a person plays a decisive role in the effectiveness of your discipline efforts. In Week Three we will examine the clash between love and fear and how those emotions impact your parental effectiveness. Come ready to learn. There will be plenty of opportunity for discussion.

A Summer of Discovery
Ashley Cruseturner — June 8 – August 17

How can the Church act as a vibrant force in the modern world?  What role would God have us play in our community?  Employing a diverse array of voices, we will examine some of the exciting developments transpiring in Christian life today, we will hear from members who participated in the New Baptist Covenant Meeting earlier this year, and, specifically, we will consider avenues that might allow our church to be the body of Christ in our peculiar corner of the world.   

The Men’s Class
David Pennington — June 8 – August 17

This men’s Bible study class is led by David Pennington using Smyth & Helwys literature which follows the Lectionary.

Children's Chautauqua - The Gospel According to Dr. Seuss
Leslie Rosencrans - June 8 - 29

This summer children will look for the good news in four of the stories of Dr. Seuss: The Lorax, Horton Hears a Who, The Sneetches and The Butter Battle Book. After hearing from Dr. Seuss, we will find connections in various Bible stories.

July 6—27

King David: Godfather of Israel - II Samuel 11 — I Kings 2
Lynn Tatum — July 6 – July 27

The Bible’s detailed, in-depth, three-dimensional portrait of David and his family includes murder, incest, rape, vengeance, pathos, death, and forgiveness. The account of David and Bathsheba and the tragic consequences of their relationship provide what is arguably the world’s first great psychological and sociological study of a family in crisis. We will examine together the tragic account of the final years of David, an account that has been hailed as one of the greatest masterpieces of world literature. 

Changing Concepts of God over the Life Cycle
Doris Stevens — July 6 – July 27

July 6: Origins and Development of Concepts of God in Children
July l3: Adolescence thru Young Adulthood — Impact of family, peers, education, community, church on further development of concepts of God.
July 20: Middle and Late Adulthood — Further development of, or solidification of, one's concepts of God, arising from such things as one's personal experiences of life, rational thinking, and observation of others' experiences.
July 27: Putting It All Together—Persons sharing their own life-experiences with the God concept.

Children's Chautauqua - The Way of the Child
Leslie Rosencrans - July 6 - 20

Children will participate in a three-week study that focuses on God’s love and care. This curriculum is unique because it is formational and not just informational. It recognizes that children are busy and provides them a space to begin to think and pray and process using spiritual disciplines.

August 3—17

Bible Study
Derek Dodson — August 3 – August 17

Description: TBA

Music and Faith
David Music and Tim McKinney — August 3 — August 17

Music is one of the most important means of faith formation available to the church. Through music, we express our faith, while at the same time our faith is formed by hearing and participating in spiritual music. These sessions will explore why music and hymnody are such powerful shapers of our beliefs. The first two sessions will be devoted to the question of why congregational song is so effective in communicating the gospel message, and to an in-depth examination of Isaac Watts's "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross." The third session will center on the meaning and interpretation of choral music in the church.

Children's Chautauqua - Are You Smarter Than a 7th Kid?
Leslie Rosencrans and Sharon Rollins - July 27- August 17

Do you think you’re smarter than a 7th Kid? We’ll spend four weeks challenging adults in Bible knowledge children learned in Sunday school during the past year. There will be a study guide available for children who want to brush up on the skills! Children will challenge adults as a group to see if the adults are smarter than our kids.