2026 Spiritual Life Committee Events
The Gibson Lectures will take place the week of Monday, July 27th through Friday, July 31st during the noon hour in the Assembly Building.
Our Educator-in-Residence for the Gibson Lectures for 2026 is the Rev. MaryAnn McKibben Dana. The title is Better Than Normal: Virtues for an Off-Script Life, which is also the title of her most recent book published earlier this year.
MaryAnn is the author of three other books: Hope: A User’s Manual (2022); God, Improv, and the Art of Living (2018); and, Sabbath in the Suburbs (2012). Her writing has appeared in TIME.com, The Washington Post, Huffington Post, Religion Dispatches, Journal for Preachers, and the Christian Century, and in a monthly column for Presbyterians Today for three years. She was featured on PBS’s Religion and Ethics Newsweekly for her work on Sabbath and was recognized by the Presbyterian Writers Guild with the 2015-2016 David Steele Distinguished Writer Award. She is also the creator and host of The Blue Room which can be found on Substack.
The Rev. McKibben Dana is a pastor at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Herndon, Virginia. MaryAnn is a graduate of Rice University in Houston, Texas and received her M.Div. from Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Georgia.
The Gibson Lectures will take place the week of Monday, July 27th through Friday, July 31st during the noon hour in the Assembly Building.
.All are welcome to join us on Sunday mornings from 9 to 9:50 a.m. in the Meeting House South Room. We will study the book of James, learning about faith in action, wisdom, and practical Christian living.
| Date | Topic | Bible Text in James |
|---|---|---|
| June 14 | Joy and Wisdom | 1:1-11 |
| June 21 | Trials and Temptations | 1:12-18 |
| June 28 | Hearing and Doing | 1:19-27 |
| July 5 | Favoritism and Love | 2:1-13 |
| July 12 | Faith and Works | 2:14-26 |
| July 19 | Wisdom and Speech | 3:1-12 |
| July 26 | Quarrels and Peace | 3:13-4:10 |
| Aug. 2 | Attitudes and Outlooks | 4:11-17 |
| Aug. 9 | Warnings and Patience | 5:1-12 |
| Aug. 16 | Prayer and Helping Others | 5:13-20 |
Please join us as we meet at Pilgrim Place on Thursday mornings. Come at 9:00 for a chance to visit and enjoy a cup of coffee or tea. At 9:30 we will begin an hour of study. We will be continuing in the study of Christian Character that we began last season. Copies of the study guide booklets, individual lessons, and Bibles will be available for your use.
Christian Character – an Intervarsity LifeGuide Bible Study by Andrea Sterk and Peter Scazzero
| Date | # | Lesson | Bible Text |
|---|---|---|---|
| June 25 | 5 | Trusting God | Genesis 22:1-19 |
| July 2 | 6 | Living Holy Lives | Ephesians 4:17-5:7 |
| July 9 | 7 | Showing Compassion | Luke 10:25-37 |
| July 16 | 8 | Serving Others | Philippians 2 |
| July 23 | 9 | A Godly Self-Image | Exodus 3:1-15; 4:1-17 |
| July 30 | 10 | Your Spiritual Gifts | I Corinthians 12:4-26 |
| Aug. 6 | 11 | Humility | Mark 10:32-45 |
| Aug. 13 | 12 | Called to Persevere | 2 Timothy 1:8-2:7 |
