Adults

God inspires us to grow in faith at all stages of life. Gloria Dei offers opportunities to deepen our faith and grow in awareness of ministries occurring in our community and throughout the world.

To reserve a room for an Adult Ministry event or activity, please complete this online form. A staff member will follow up with you.

Sunday Forums are held at 9:30 a.m., usually in the Fellowship Hall. Pastoral staff, church committees and outside speakers rotate in presenting on a variety of topics. And coffee is always served!

Upcoming Forum Presentations

4/28: A Local Look at Global Climate Factors — Climate change is a daunting topic. But it’s much more approachable when looking at it through a local lens. Gloria Dei’s Caring for Creation Team invites you to hear J. Drake Hamilton, Fresh Energy’s senior director of science policy and an expert in climate and energy policy at the state and
national levels. She will focus her talk on current action happening at the local and state levels. J. brings optimism and encouragement and spreads a message that there still is time to act and fight our climate crisis.

5/5: Supportive Housing for People with Mental Health Issues — Having a place to call home is key to good mental health. To mark May as Mental Health Month, Gloria Dei’s Beacon and Mental Health and Recovery ministries invite you to explore this topic at the Sunday, May 5, Forum in Fellowship Hall (9:30-10:30 a.m.). As a Minnesota housing nonprofit committed to change, Beacon leads the way in creating supportive, deeply affordable housing in the Twin Cities metro area. Gloria Dei’s Mental Health and Recovery Ministry works with staff to promote our faith community as a safe place to discuss mental health and substance abuse concerns and learn ways to address related issues.

5/12: Congregational General Meeting — All confirmed members of Gloria Dei are encouraged to join us at 9:30 a.m. in Fellowship Hall. We will elect members to the Congregation Council and other leadership positions, express our gratitude to those who have served Gloria Dei in significant ways in the past year, and take care of other important business in the life of the church. Please plan to join us between services in Fellowship Hall.

Good News 4U Bible Study meets weekly on Mondays at 10 a.m. in the church and studies the next week’s lectionary texts. Email renaas@comcast.net with questions.

Meets weekly on Wednesday from 9:30-11 a.m. during the school year.

We read a variety of books from a faith perspective. We’ll discuss a few chapters at a time each week, with opportunities for bible study, faith sharing, and getting to know each other. Each meeting begins with reading the gospel text for the upcoming Sunday. Contact Pastor Lois for more information.

See our reading schedule here: 2023-2024 Schedule.

Books we’ve previously read: History of Titles.

First Saturday of each month year-round discussions of a new title, 8:30 a.m. Find upcoming titles to be discussed.

Contemplative Writing as a Spiritual Practice
Share your words, if you wish, with this weekly writing group on Thursdays at 10:30 a.m., led by Nancy Agneberg.

Contact Nancy Agnebergfor information and to join.

Faith and Science meets on the fourth Thursday of month. Each month it looks at an aspect of our world where faith and science intersect. Meetings are hybrid in-person/Zoom. Contact Ron Felt to learn more or get the Zoom link at ronfelt118@comcast.net.

Opportunities for service, fellowship and learning for young adults. For more information email here or join the chat here.

Poverty, By America Join the Gloria Dei Beacon Team in Fellowship Hall on each Thursday in April from 7-8 p.m. for a book discussion of Poverty, By America by Dr. Matthew Desmond. Each session will focus on three chapters. This event is open to members, friends of the congregation and the Beacon Collaborative (basically anyone who has an interest in the topic.) Attendance will be limited so watch this space for registration information in the coming week. The Gloria Dei library has three copies have available to borrow. Poverty, By America can also be found at local libraries and bookstores.

Gloria Dei’s Racial Justice Committee is offering several opportunities to connect with our Mendota Dakota Partners in upcoming weeks. Here are things that you can do:

Read The Books from the Gloria Dei Library’s Mendota collection, including: Stolen Culture, Traditions, and Heritage: Good Thunder Woman — Wakiya Wasta Win in Dakota by Sharon Lennartson; Mendota Dakota: Stories of Land & Leadership edited by Dr. Mike Klein; Mendota Dakota: Erasure and Recognition edited by Mike Klein with commentary by Dr. Chris Mato Nunpa. These collections of stories told by Mendota Dakota families will introduce you to the history and deep heritage of these close neighbors. Several copies are available in the Gloria Dei library.

Meet The Authors at Sunday Forum on April 14 at 9:30 a.m. Sharon Lennartson, Chairwoman of the Mendota Mdewakanton Dakota Tribal Community (MMDTC) and Dr. Mike Klein, Professor from University of St. Thomas. Sharon will share information about the community and how we can be in relationship. Dr. Klein, with his UST students, has written two books about the MMDTC and will share their involvement with the community. We will hear from Karen Lansing, Gloria Dei’s new liaison with the MMDTC. Our own Dr. Deanna Thompson will moderate the discussion.

Meet For a Book Talk on Wednesday, May 1, from 7 to 8 p.m. Hosted by the Racial Justice Committee and led by Dr. Deanna Thompson, we will consider how we at Gloria Dei might respond as a community to what we are learning.