Presale Pricing – 15% OFF
Presale ends May 19, 2022
Restoration Bible Study
The preachers from the 2022 NEXT Church National Gathering are turning their sermons into useable materials for you to use in your churches and groups. The content of their sermons will be edited, re-recorded, and delivered centering lay leaders and church members. Original sermons preached at the National Gathering will be included as bonus material.
The Restoration Bible Study will include six short videos (approximately 10 minutes in length) to spark discussion and set the table for great conversation. In addition, a flexible discussion guide will accompany each video to offer questions and conversation starters, no matter the setting. Use this series for Bible studies, small groups, group devotions, or even personal reflection.
In a world of surface level self-care practices, what does the Bible say about faithful restoration? The Restoration Bible Study features three church leaders from diverse backgrounds, contexts, and theological lens who seek to answer that question. Journey with these leaders through a Bible study video series and accompanying reflection guides.
The Restoration Bible Study includes six short videos (approximately 10 minutes in length) to spark discussion and set the table for great conversation. In addition, a flexible discussion guide will accompany each video to offer questions and conversation starters, no matter the setting. Use this series for Bible studies, small groups, group devotions, or even personal reflection.
In addition to the Bible Study, these leaders preached for the 2022 NEXT Church National Gathering guided by the gathering theme of Rest, Restore, and Explore. Original sermons preached at the National Gathering are included in the Bible study as bonus material.
Session 1
Restoration as Renewal
Genesis 1:1-2:3
Nathan Stucky, teacher
There is a symbiotic and symmetrical relationship in the story of creation. At the same time, we live in a world grappling with multiple fatigues that are interconnected. What does the interconnectedness of creation have to say about our exhaustion and fatigue?
Session 2
Session 3
Session 4
Session 5
Session 6
The Restoration Bible Study is designed with groups in mind.
Your purchase comes with unlimited access for anyone in your group or organization.
MEET THE LEADERS
Larissa Kwong Abazia
Teacher
Rev. Larissa Kwong Abazia (she/her) is an ordained pastor in the Presbyterian Church (USA) and founder of Courageous Spaces, LLC, inviting others to co-create spaces for disruption, transformation, and change. In addition, she works as a consultant with Vandersall Collective and a coach for NEXT Church.. Larissa has dedicated her life and career to racial and gender justice. She is interested in the ways that the intersections of all parts of one’s identity can be embraced and celebrated. This work brought her to denominational leadership, including service as the Vice-Moderator of the 221st General Assembly of the PC(USA) and as a current member of the General Assembly Committee on Representation. She’s a founding board member of the Collective Foundation, an organization researching and providing training concerning the fundraising practices in Christian communities of color. She also serves as a board member of More Light Presbyterians.
Jerry Cannon
Teacher
Reverend Dr. Jerry Lytle Cannon (he/him) is a native of Kannapolis, North Carolina. He is a 1984 graduate of Virginia State University and a 1988 graduate of The Interdenominational Theological Center—Johnson C. Smith Seminary, Atlanta, Georgia. He received his Doctor of Ministry Degree from the United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio in 1998. Dr. Cannon’s involvement with the church is long-standing, and he is especially committed to evangelism and community service. He has served congregations in Anderson, South Carolina, Atlanta, Georgia;, Denver, Colorado, Stony Point, New York; Abique, New Mexico; and San Francisco, California. Dr. Cannon served as the Associate Pastor at Northeastern Presbyterian Church, Washington, DC. Dr. Cannon has served as Pastor/Head of Staff at C. N. Jenkins Memorial Presbyterian Church, Charlotte, North Carolina for the past 29 years. Dr. Cannon has served as a Ministry Specialist and Deployed Staff for the Black Congregational Enhancement Office, National Evangelism Office, and the office of Presbyterian Racial Ethnic Colleges and Universities. In addition, Dr. Cannon is currently serving on the Board of Directors for the Board of Pensions and he is a servant Coach with the Vital Congregation Office of the PCUSA. He is the former President of the National Black Presbyterian Caucus; past Chair of the Presbyterian Cross Caucus Committee; former Trustee Board member, Barium Springs Home for Children; and a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity. Reverend Dr. Cannon is married to Rev. Veronica E. Cannon and they have four adult children—Rudolph, Raymond, Rosalyn, and Richard.
Nate Stucky
Teacher
Nathan Stucky (he/him) serves as Director of the Farminary Project at Princeton Theological Seminary. He grew up on a farm in Kansas where his love for Christian faith and agriculture first took root. After earning a BA in Music from Bethel College (KS), Stucky spent six years doing ecumenical youth ministry on the eastern shore of Maryland, and two years farming back in Kansas. After farming, Stucky earned an MDiv and a PhD (Practical Theology, Christian Education and Formation) from Princeton Theological Seminary. His scholarship explores questions of land, ecology, theology, agriculture, justice, joy, and Sabbath as they relate to theological education. He is the author of Wrestling with Rest: Inviting Youth to Discover the Gift of Sabbath. Ordained in the Mennonite Church (USA), Stucky engages Farminary work as integral to his calling to teaching ministry. He lives in Princeton, New Jersey, with his spouse and three children.
Whitney Fauntleroy
Discussion Guide Writer
Whitney Fauntleroy (she/her) is a North Carolina native. She attended Princeton Theological Seminary where she received a Master of Divinity and a Master of Art in Youth and Young Adult Ministry in 2012. Now in her fifth year of professional ministry, Whitney is grateful to have experienced ministry in many contexts. Whitney has served as Director of Youth Ministry at University United Methodist Church in Chapel Hill, a Designated Solo Pastor at Chestnut Street Presbyterian Church in Wilmington, NC. In the Spring of 2017, she began serving as Associate Pastor of Youth and Young Adults at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Alexandria, Virginia. She is currently on medical leave recovering from the spinal cord injury.
For questions, contact Jen James.
With gratitude to the Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area for sponsoring this resource.