Sheridan Christian Fellowship

Final Chapter in Thessalonians

2008-04-06T14:24:00.002-04:00

SCF will be concluding their study of Paul's first letter to the Thessalonians Tuesday night. Read chapter 5 or the whole letter once more to prepare.

6:30 in C207

Movie Night #3

2008-03-29T17:28:00.003-04:00

Bonny & Clyde will be our movie of the evening. This Tuesday meet at St. Simons (1450 Litchfield Dr. Oakville). We'll have pizza and drinks as per usual and discussion of the movie afterwards.

1st Thessalonians III

2008-03-18T22:54:00.003-04:00

Tonight we completed chapter number 3 of the above stated book/letter. We wrestled through some interpretation and then tackled matters of suffering and/or persecution which led us to discuss our commitment to seeking others' salvation, but mostly (I think anyways) we spoke of how belief [faith (Pistis in Greek)] connects and binds us together.

Stay tuned for next Tuesday's SCF - we'll hit up the 4th chapter of five.
Some themes in this chapter are "The Will of GOD","Sex", "Life After Death" and "Christ's 2nd Coming."

1 Thessalonians continues: 2nd chapter

2008-03-10T18:16:00.002-04:00

We'll be continuing our observational study of Paul's 1st (and maybe only....) letter to the Thessalonians. We are now ont the second chapter. Read ahead and bring you insight. Or wait until Tuesday and read and observe then. Both work out. Same place and time as usual.

Cheers

Say Anything...

2008-02-28T14:37:00.002-05:00

Movie Night at St. Simons.
This Tuesday March 4
6:30pm at St. Simons (1450 Litchfield Rd)
Pizza & Drinks

We are watching the film, "Say Anything..." a romance/drama directed by Cameron Crowe, starring John Cusack.

Thessalonians: Key Words and Study Tips

2008-02-20T12:22:00.005-05:00

Key Words write these down in your bible, mark 'em up, so you don't forget them and they start to pop out at you.
gospel/word
faith
love
hope
any reference to Jesus
God
Holy Spirit
affliction/suffering./tribulation
day of the Lord
-any other words you think are key

Recapitulation: Observe/Interpret/Apply - see below blog for detailed approach.

Observe the 5 W's Who wrote to whom? When? From where to where? What is being said? Why is the letter written, or is Paul saying what he says?
Interpret - derive meaning of passages based on context of the chapter/bible/history/society
Apply - Transfer principles to our lives today based on our interpretation.

Some Helpful questions to double check along the way:

a. Where does this passage fit into the Meta-narrative?

b. What is its immediate context?

c. What is the genre of this passage/book?

d. What was the intended meaning of this passage to its original audience? (A text can’t mean what it never meant?

e. How does this passage point to or enlighten our understanding of Jesus?

f. What are the transferable principles for our context today?

g. Are there any biblical principles that shed light on this passage?

h. How does this challenge me personally? What course correction should I make? How should this change how I get up in the morning? What would align my life more with Jesus?

Manuscript Study - Steps and Resources

2008-02-19T21:54:00.003-05:00

Hey!

I'm really excited about these next few lessons we have planned - I think we're going to be able to pull alot out of 1 Thessalonians, have some good discussions and grow from what we learn and from seeing each others points of views. I think we all have something valuable to bring to the table.

For those of you who weren't there tonight we going to be digging through 1 Thessalonians - looking at a chapter each time we have a regular meeting. You can get a copy of this from the last email we sent out - if you need the file again just ask. It's helpful to print off the passages so you are free to mark it up and make notes.

We were using three steps tonight when we were looking at the first chapter of the book. Here's a rundown to help you remember:

Observation
Here's where read through the passage, without looking at any outside sources, and note down things that strike you. This could be powerful phrases, reoccuring words or themes, metaphors etc.

Interpretation
Now you can look up anything you want that you think might help you understand the passage better. You can refer to other parts of the Bible that you think relate to what you are reading, look up definitions of words you don't understand, and use commentaries and other resources that are available to you.
Here's some online resources I found - I know there is more out there and feel free to look (searching under 1 Thessalonians, or bible commentary was pretty successful for me)

http://www.enduringword.com/commentaries/52.html

http://www.searchgodsword.org/com/bcc/view.cgi?book=1th

http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/commentaries/index.php?action=getBookSections&cid=60&source=2

http://eastonsbibledictionary.com/ (Bible Dictionary)

Application

The last step is apply this to your life - open your heart to what God is trying to say to you and how He wants you to respond to the passage.

So those are the steps - don't feel like you need to entirely dissect the passage. It's a group effort. I encourage you all to definitely read 1 Thessalonians 2 and dig into it a bit for our next regular meeting (which will be March 11th because of the movie night on March 4), but don't feel like you can't come and join in on our discussion if you haven't gotten through it all. The themes we'll be talking about are things that relate to our lives - so your bound to have opinions/stories/experiences/wisdom to share.

Have a great Break Week everyone!

1 Thessalonians begins

2008-02-17T22:58:00.004-05:00

This Tuesday (post family day) we'll be starting to read and study Paul's letter to the Thessalonians.

Written in 49 CE, it's Paul's earliest surviving letter.

Thessalonica is and was a port city. Located in present day Greece, it was the capital of the Roman province of Macedonia during the time of the Empire.

Check us out at 6:30pm in room C207, not 209.

You don't know jack.

2008-02-11T12:43:00.000-05:00

Scf this tuesday (February 12) room c209 at 6:30. We are going to let those who want to share their personal faith journeys in 10 minutes or less. This should expose our deeper bonds we share with each other, the work of Jesus Christ.

Barriers to belief.

2008-02-04T00:25:00.000-05:00

A fundamental concern with Christians is really believing all this Christian stuff. Doubt plagues us, debilitating us from being passionate followers of Christ unto transformation; first of ourselves and then others.

Jesus asks in John 5:44, "How can you believe, when you receive honour (glory, praise or fame) from one another and you do not seek the honour (glory) that is from the one and only God?"

Jesus is tackling a barrier to belief - something we'll unpackage at SCF.
Something else we will unpackage is chocolate fondue.

Movie night past

2008-01-31T00:12:00.000-05:00

For those of you who missed our first pizza movie night of the semester, we watched "The Machinist," with Christian Bale at St. Simon's Anglican Church. It was good flick with some strong and provoking thoughts and themes. I won't spoil it, but I recommend watching it and watching it again to see how the director left subtle hints and clues everywhere. I've been analyzing the film somewhat and there are lots of spiritual nuggets in there to be mined and mulled over. Quite intriguing. There was also interesting discussion aftewards hosted by the very Reverend himself, if that's something that gets you going. If not, well, next week we are back to regular programming plus maybe chocolate fondue?

more details on that this weekend - look forward to some discussion from the bible and Jesus Christ.

Truth Project Vid

2008-01-27T18:08:00.000-05:00

For those interested in understanding basic philisophical and biblical ideas and truths concerning the many areas of life, Faith Baptist's church is hosting evenings for young adults to watch "The Truth Project."

This Friday at 7pm (just across from Sheridan) they will be screening the fourth video in the series. You don't have to start at the beginning, but if you want to know more check out http://www.thetruthproject.org/ for now.

Movie Night! with the anglicans

2008-01-25T18:54:00.000-05:00

This Tuesday we are meeting at St. Simon's Anglican Church for a movie night. The movie is: Instinct with Anthony Hopkins. There'll be pizza and drinks. After the movie we'll have some discussion with Rev. Darcy Lazerte. So however you like the movie, we'll talk about the truths we can glean.

Place: St. Simons - 1450 Litchfield Rd (red brick church across from Sheridan College, NOT Faith Baptist Church).
Time: 6:30pm -9:30

SCF Tuesday #2

2008-01-13T13:43:00.000-05:00

Jesus, the Bible and the Family. First we'll have some game and snack time before tackling the topic of Christ centred family. We hope as we do this we can get to know eachother, be supportive and encouraging in the spirit of Jesus.

SCF: 2008

2008-01-07T20:26:00.000-05:00

This semesters first meeting is in C209 this Tuesday (tomorrow) at 6:30. We are starting the year with some catch up, games and naturally snacks.

Some of our goals this semester is to get to know each other and get to know Christ through those relationships: Focusing more on prayer, social outtings, and personal encouragement.

A outstanding goal has been to make SCF reach out to Sheridan College. This will mean that instead of focusing on bringing people to SCF, we bring ourselves to our College in intentional and supportive ways.

That means partnering with existing college and student intiatives in whatever way we can. The Student Union and other clubs are doing interesting and positive things and we'll be finding out how we can contribute.

Stay Tuned for those exciting developments!

Christmas Potluck

2007-12-11T10:30:00.000-05:00

There is a bring some food for sharing dinner tonight! Meet at the school as usual at 6:30 in C209 and then we'll head out to Faith Baptist Church for 7pm.
Please bring hot foods, desserts, drinks, salads and whatever comes to mind.

Frozen

2007-11-30T06:39:00.000-05:00

"Freezing" outside the Connexion were about two dozen people. Myself from SCF and others from around Sheridan in various programs.

It was a blast - partly because there were privileges not shared by most homeless people (pizza, candy and hot chocolate).

I slept for about four hours while waking up every 30 minutes throughout - and although I was warm inside the tent before I fell asleep, assuredly it was not so soon after.

That morning I was considerably more happy to have such things as hot running water, indoor heating, shelter and warm winter clothes. It is a strange sensation to all of a sudden appreciate what I have everyday.

Freeze to Feed

2007-11-23T16:26:00.000-05:00

Demonstrate your moral disconcertment with Homelessness in the GTA. With Sheridan's Student Union and the student body, we are spending the night (or as much as you are willing) outdoors of Sheridan College in protest against poverty that keeps people on the streets. This is chance show others outside our little club that we care about social justice. It is a chance to experience sympathy and understanding for those without shelter and it's a chance to be community with others for a common purpose.

Bring your tents, sleeping bags and extra sweater for yourself and one to donate. Donations are recommended - whether canned food or monetary or clothes.

The night officially starts at 7pm but we will meet as usual in C209 at 6:30 before joining. There are planned activities and games by the Student Union.

Contact Caitlin for details - awareness.ssuitrc@sheridanc.on.ca

Murder in our College

2007-11-19T09:20:00.000-05:00

Jesus Christ provided his students with a principle on murder in the gospel of Matthew. We commit murder when we harbour anger and contempt towards others in a way that pushes them outside our reach of love. In this way we treat those as if they were dead and in essence murder them to ourselves.

How can we, who are learning from Jesus, pinpoint our own actions of murder and reverse the cycle of death and start actively bringing life to those who we neglect and perhaps are neglected by a larger portion of our society?

Luke 10: 25-37 Jesus tells a story about the moral upstanding conservatives who neglect the pain and suffering of a Jewish man, who in this story is laying on the road, inflicted with physical wounds. These men exemplify what it is like not to love their neighbours. However, the Jewish man is rescued, but by a Samaritan (a half-jew, held in contempt by most Jews, who would likely reciprocate that attitude).

The latest

2007-11-13T22:23:00.000-05:00

Tonight's discussion explored the irreligious teachings of Jesus from 2000 years ago. Running with this concept we discussed how Christians can be non-religious but yet still fully committed to the claims and person of Jesus. This means putting a relationship before the list of do's and don'ts. This means disregarding denominational barriers, this means looking past the methods and programs that are instituted to help us worship God and focus on God himself.

We finished the night unresolved on some way following Jesus may affect our behaviour, but next's week discussion will dig into a specific teaching of Christ which is now counter-cultural and may require a shift of mentality and radical changes of behaviour. It's time to figure out how living like Jesus will make us different, better and perhaps out of place.

Responding to the End of Religion

2007-11-06T23:42:00.000-05:00

About 60-70 Sheridan students came out to listen to Bruxy Cavey's talk about "The END of RELIGION." this past Tuesday night. SCF is happy to have had the priviledge to host an event to listen and discuss the irreligious message of Jesus Christ.

For those who didn't get a chance to come out, or need a recap, Bruxy introduced the idea that the written and accounted message and life of Jesus was counter-institutional and COUNTER-RELIGIOUS. Jesus taught an approach to life with God that didn't involve rules and law to be our guide. It is guided by a love and relationship with God and Jesus Christ.

A video and audio recording was made and can be gotten upon request: it will be ready in December.

Sheridan's Christian group on campus (SCF) will be doing a FOLLOWUP to discuss points raised in Bruxy's talk and his book. Everyone is welcome. Every Tuesday, 6:30pm in C209.

Bruxy will be starting a series of talks called, "THE GOD DEBATE" this Sunday, which will continue over the course of the next five weeks. You can check out this website for details regarding his series- http://www.themeetinghouse.ca -and to check out other series that he mentioned during his talk this Tuesday - "When Darkness Falls" (on the history of the Church) and "The Irreligious Christ." The website will have info on Location, Times and anything else.

Any QUESTIONS can be left here at this blogspot - or emailed to us: scfoncampus@gmail.com

Primer.

2007-11-06T00:06:00.000-05:00

I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.
-Mahatma Gandhi

The End of Religion

2007-11-01T09:30:00.001-04:00

Bruxy Cavey, the author of THE END OF RELIGION, is speaking at Sheridan this Tuesday, 7pm in J102.

He will be talking about Jesus Christ's role in overturning religion 2000 years ago and how the principles he taught can be used today to change our world perspective and consequently the world we live in.

There will be a chance to ask questions afterwards.

Small Group

2007-11-01T09:25:00.000-04:00

Christian Faith and Art will meet as usual today in C209 at 6:30.

The FOLLOWING WEEK there will be guest speaker named Jim Paterson, an artist from Oakville, who'll be talking to us about his own art work and faith. He'll be taking those who want, on a tour of his studios and then dinner afterwards. Should be lots of fun.

Hypocrisy Halloween Dress-up Night

2007-10-26T20:04:00.000-04:00

This Tuesday we'll be having a hypocrisy party. Come to SCF with an identity prepared and an outfit that suits it. The game is to figure out who's who.

For example:

Dress up with white hair wig and big white mustach in a white lab coat and pencil. People will probably guess you are Einstein if you speak with a German accent. The fun is that you should add a twist. Einstein, recovering from acoma and is trying to remember his past inventions.

Dress up in yellow and walk around stiffly. You could be a man who believes he's a banana and wants others to peel him.

Anything goes. The sillier you make it, the more fun and challenging it will be. Instructions for the night will be given out as you arrive.

After the game we'll be discussing how Jesus views living in pretence, acting, pretending to be someone you are not. Jesus hated this, let's see if we can get inside his head.

Reading Week Update

2007-10-23T09:23:00.001-04:00

There will be no SCF this week, either on Tuesday or Thursday nights. The leads are planning a social event for the weekend which will involve food and either a movie or bowling. One idea being thrown around is to watch "Reign Over Me" in the B wing halls, with a projector and eat pizza.
Keep checking the blog for updates.

Reading Week

2007-10-20T09:37:00.000-04:00

This Tuesday will be an informal night of games, snacks and maybe movies. Updates will be posted here and sent to your emails about specifics. Likely we'll meet same time, same place (tuesday, 6:30 in C207).

Small group update: Faith & Art

2007-10-19T00:44:00.000-04:00

The SCF sponsored small group still meets Thursday's in C209 at 6:30. The next get together will be after the reading week on Nov. 1st. The group will discuss how you can intergrate your creative art skills with your Church community.

This Thursday we talked about creating original artwork and being confident. We compared the way a child invisions the world and acts without inhibitions to the way we should live as artists. Jesus touched on this in various teachings about being like a child to become part of God's Kingdom. Jesus also taught that he can work through our weaknesses, and when we can't do something it opens up opportunites for Jesus to show his creativity and character through us.

A little interesting quote that came up, which caught my attention was by C.S. Lewis, who in short said, "Don't try to be original, rather try to express truth and you will be original without even noticing."

Weekly Review

2007-10-18T22:35:00.000-04:00

This Tuesday we compared the three miracles of Jesus in Luke 5. In every miraculous deed Jesus wanted to attach a meaning about life lived under the God's power and love. When Jesus filled the nets with fish he wanted to teach his disciples that working to get fish out of water would be replaced by working to get people into God's Kingdom. When Jesus healed the man with skin disease he showed his disciples that the outcasts and unclean people would join God's community because Jesus could make them clean. Jesus' third miracle, he showed his disciples that the spirit of a man is more important than his body, because Jesus claimed to forgive the man's wrongdoings and proved it by fixing his body. We concluded that an ACTION or event can be LITERALLY true but also a SYMBOL of something else. Jesus uses physical, visible and literal acts to demonstrate the validity of his claims of authority over the spiritual, invisible and symoblic/metaphysical world.

Is Jesus for real?

2007-10-14T14:06:00.000-04:00

This Tuesday, we will be discussing the stories about Jesus in the good news of Luke, specifically Ch 5, verses 1-26. There are three stories where Jesus is told to have done some superhuman things: cause a massive amount of fish to be caught, heal a diseased man from leprosy and restore the function of a man's paralysed legs. Was the author conveying figurative or literal actions of him whom he deemed the "messiah."

We'll kick the night off with a game, and there will be snacks as usual. C207 @ 6:30pm.

Newsflash

2007-10-12T16:22:00.000-04:00

The blogspot is now resurfacing from stagnation! SCF meets on Tuesdays now in Room 207 (two doors down from previous meeting room). We begin at 6:30pm and always provide snacks and discussions.

This week we looked at Jesus' first day in ministry; his first day on the job so to speak. We investigated who he talked to, what he did, and how his audience responded, according to Luke 4. As it turns out he wasn't very well recieved by his hometown who tried to kill him. Jesus ruffled a lot of feathers the way he spoke about God's Kingdom, which, to the Jews, was the equivalent of a Jewish Kingdom. He said the Kingdom would made up of people like Romans who already had a vast empire and that God's kingdom would be about freeing humans from disease, demons, and helping those who are neglected. Jesus was fighting the Kingdom of Satan, not the Romans. But as we now know, the Roman Kingdom fell and was replaced by the Church of Jesus Christ.

Tune in to this blogspot to find out what's going on next week, and reading week and how are small groups are going.

If you want to start a SMALL GROUP, leave a comment or email scfoncampus@gmail.com about your idea.

SCF is up and running!

2007-09-08T10:48:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone!

SCF is up and running for the new school term! We had our first meeting last Thursday and it was a great turnout especially with such short notice. It was great to see so many new faces and so many friends from last year, and exciting to see new friendships forming already.

So far, we're meeting every Thursday at 6:30 in room C209. If you're new, there'll be signs pointing the way. If anything changes, we'll let you know too.

It's going to be an exciting semester. We've got a boatload of awesome people on leadership this year and aiming to do even more than last year. We recognize that one meeting each week can't be all things to all people, so we're hoping SCF can act as an "umbrella" group to smaller groups that can fit people's needs better. Our big group meetings on Thursdays will focus on a discussion series about Jesus, but we'll have small groups as well that focus on different topics. The first one coming up soon will be about Christianity and the Arts. We also hope to partner with other Church and community groups, and provide volunteer opportunities. We've got a lots more for the future so stay tuned. We'll keep you updated here so check back every so often. Or email us at SCFoncampus@gmail.com with specific questions or ask to be put on the mailing list.

Hope to see you around soon!

2007-06-19T16:19:00.000-04:00

scf is beginning its club registration for the fall.

Summer Break

2007-06-18T03:07:00.004-04:00

Hey everyone, SCF is officially on break for the summer.

It's been an amazing year and things have turned out well beyond our expectations. We're so thankful to God for everything as He's guided us, corrected us, and blessed us (quite often in spite of our fumbling and bumbling).
Truthfully, it was a lot of hard work and a lot of responsibility but totally worth it and God is faithful. He sees the heart, and does great things, no matter how weak we are. We don't rely on our own strength but we look to God, the source of all good things.

Just wanted to officially congratulate Jasmin on graduating from Sheridan's Bachelor of Arts Illustration program. We wish you all the best as you move on in life but we sure hope you'll come back and visit us too. We're really gonna miss her, and not just because she can bake delicious cookies. :)

Jasmin's been helping out at SCF for many years now including being President last year, booking rooms, speakers, doing posters, leading activities and discussions, emailing updates, planning and pretty much organizing everything. More than that, she was a great friend, a real encourager and fun to hang out with. She also plays a pretty good game of Dutch Blitz. We're sad to see her go but we know she'll find new ways to serve God and she'll always be a part of us.

Last year, we knew this was coming and were a bit concerned about the future. It was hard enough with just the two of us and we both burnt out at times, what would happen after she left? Thankfully, God provides. We're not just very glad, we're ecstatic to announce that many SCFers have stepped up and are volunteering in a number of ways. It is more than we could have asked or imagined.

Thanks to Edwin, Sagan, Bruce, Rachel, Faron, Carla, and Alissa for volunteering! We do have position names and details will follow but at this point what's important is the willingness to serve. We know it's going to be a phenomenal experience to see God work in our lives and the lives of others as we do our best to follow Him. If anyone else is still interested, there's always room for more - especially the musically inclined. :)

Lots of ideas around and many people have put in a lot of work already to prepare for next year. We hope to have a really cool program ready for you when we get back including a more organized big group meeting, fun events, guest speakers, and small groups! We'll keep you posted.

See you all when school starts up in the fall.

Life, and life to the full.

2007-01-20T14:50:00.000-05:00

This week's topic was "Does God Matter?". It wasn't a rhetorical question. We looked carefully at the question: What difference does God make in your life? and tried to answer it as genuinely as we could. Thanks to everyone for being so willing to share so personally.

Our Scripture for the study focused mainly on the latter part of John 10:10 where Jesus says "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." What did He mean by "life to the full" and are we taking Jesus up on His offer? It wasn't just the benefits that we looked at but rather the big picture. The "abundant life" or "life to the full" didn't mean that everything would turn up roses but a better life in the sense of being more worthwhile. A life not just quantitatively more, but qualitatively more. Apples and oranges, you know?

Hopefully if I have the time, I will post the discussion sheet we used and summarize some of our general responses (including all those food analogies of fullness). In the meantime, here's a picture of what we do after our meetings. If you have the time, please stick around and join us in a friendly (and sometimes intense) game of Dutch Blitz! It's a vonderful goot game!

Changes for the New Semester

2007-01-13T13:17:00.000-05:00

1) Time change! Due to the new schedules for semester two, we've had to switch our times from Tuesdays to Thursdays. Still at 6:30. I know this conflicts somewhat with the grocery bus run for some folks, but to make up for it, we're going to offer our own grocery run... the times will depend on people's schedules.

2) Room change! Residence is turning the lounge we were using into a gym, so we're now in C-209. That's in C-wing, second floor, above the library. It's in something of a hidden hallway, but if you look for the sign that says "A Touch of Esthetics", it's just around the corner. We'll try to post a map soon.

On the minus side, no more couches. On the plus side, no more having to sign in! See you there!

Merry Christmas

2006-12-27T18:51:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone! Merry Christmas!

Welcome

2006-09-17T15:17:00.000-04:00

Welcome to the blog for Sheridan Christian Fellowship for the 2006-2007 school year.

Who are we?
A friendly group of students gathering together to praise God, develop in our faith, and fellowship with one another, in a casual welcoming atmosphere.

When do we meet?
Tuesday Nights
6:15 pm Gathering
6:30 pm Start

Where?
Sheridan's Trafalgar Campus, Residence Building, 4th Floor Common Room
Just follow the signs.
OR buzz the Res desk to get into the building first.
Then, go to the main Res Desk and tell them you're with Sheridan Christian Fellowship and they'll open the Residence door for you.
Go up to the fourth floor, walk down the hall til you see the common room. We'll be there.

What do we do?
Worship, have discussions, fellowship, and have fun!
Details to follow!

CONTACT:
Email Jasmin at tigerstripes16@hotmail.com or post a comment on this blog.