by Larry Chen, Joy Daniels and Associate Pastor Todd Holdridge

“Everyone in the world wants our lives to be fulfilling. Regardless of how rich or poor, educated or illiterate, young or old—we all want to flourish…” God gives us the strength and power to do this.

The above thoughts introduce the goal of Dynamis, an 8-week course on Christian discipleship taught by Tim Dearborn. Nearly 200 people from Bethany and University Presbyterian churches took part in Dynamis, and the responses from participants were tremendous. As Tim says, “Dynamis is not a course on mission service but on a lifestyle in which we all participate in God’s purposes with every aspect of our lives.”

Dynamis will be offered again this spring, with much of the same material, but a slightly different structure. The original impetus giving birth to the course as Bethany was a desire for a follow-up course to Alpha—an experience offering both new and “seasoned” believers a chance to discern God’s purposes in their lives.

And this spring, we plan to structure each evening Alpha-style. We will start at 6:00 pm with a meal, we will worship, Tim will lecture for about 45 minutes and then we’ll break up into small groups to discuss the evening’s content—as we do with Alpha.

The course aims to both inspire and challenge us, around themes such as: receiving & embracing God’s love, pursuing the change God intends, acting on God’s grace, living well, integrating conviction and compassion, and daring to live with hope and pursue God’s dreams.

Living out our faith in this way can feel overwhelming—how do we even learn to recognize what God intends for us, let alone find the courage to consistently pursue his desires in our everyday lives? The lectures and discussion materials are designed to point us in the right direction; the small groups, we hope and believe, will be a safe place for each participant to receive God’s support and love, motivation and guidance, through their fellow travelers in this walk with our Lord.

Dynamis will continue to offer the positive experiences reported by participants in last spring’s course. Jessica Elliott, a young woman in her twenties and one of Bethany’s own, appreciated the depth of the material, yet easily sensed the connection between the content and her daily life. Like many others, she appreciated the way the material pushed them to look at their own lives and experiences, their gifts and desires, in pursuing God’s love in the world.

Many praised the fact that it was intergenerational. In a world of “niche markets,” where so many activities are designed and targeted for those of a particular life-stage or set of interests, it was refreshing to engage in discussion with those from differing ages and backgrounds.

While Dynamis’ small groups facilitate more intimate conversation, other resources like the online blog (www.dynamiscourse.blogspot.com) enable thoughtful writers to present their questions and concerns to the broader class, if not a worldwide audience.

One such posting led to a conversation thread about one’s calling, and subsequent comments found people perhaps inspired to refine, or rediscover, their calling “within [their] current situation or place.”

Dynamis will start April 10 and will go for about 8-9 weeks on Thursday nights. A retreat is scheduled for May 9-10. Space is limited to 50 participants. First preference will be given to those who have completed an Alpha course. Sign ups will begin March 9 after worship. A registration fee covering meals and materials will be required upon sign up. For more, contact Todd Holdridge (toddh@bethanypc.org).