Ladies' Christian Classics Book Club

Meeting this Saturday!

2009-11-05T17:10:00.000-08:00

Just a reminder that we'll be meeting this Saturday, Nov. 7th at 10:00am in Janie Brown's home to discuss Machen's Christianity and Liberalism. See you ladies there!

November 7th - Christianity and Liberalism

2009-10-04T14:45:00.000-07:00

Our next book club gathering will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, November 7th in Janie Brown's home. We will be discussing J. Gresham Machen's enduring classic, Christianity and Liberalism.

You can order a copy of the book through the WSC Bookstore: http://wscal.edu/bookstore/store/details.php?id=143. You can also find older copies at Amazon (either the first or second edition is fine).

So brew a cup of coffee or your favorite tea and enjoy the read!

Pensees - Saturday, Sept. 12th

2009-09-11T14:26:00.001-07:00

Just a reminder that we'll be meeting tomorrow (Saturday) at 10:00 a.m. in the fellowship hall at church. We'll be going over Blaise Pascal's Pensees. Hope to see you ladies there!

A New Read: Pensees by Blaise Pascal

2009-08-05T11:34:00.001-07:00

Our next meeting will be held on Saturday, September 12 (location to be announced as the date nears) and the selection is Pensees by Pascal. It's available in different editions, so if you're trying to decide which one to go with, try the Penguin Classics edition.

Happy Reading!

Another Book Club Meeting!

2009-05-05T09:43:00.000-07:00

Ladies,

Again, we apologize for the mix-up about Confessions this past week. We had our meeting on Saturday--thank you to all those that could make it out. We really enjoyed the conversation, and I feel like Augustine is now more approachable. Thank you again!

Regarding our next book club meeting, here are the details:

When: July 11 (Saturday), 10 AM
Where: Katie Wagenmaker's house -- ask her for address and directions
What: Luther's Bondage of the Will Introduction, Chapter VI, Chapter VII, and Conclusion

Although we've only assigned about 100 pages of thise 300+ page book, we recommend that you read the whole thing. Not only will it give you a fuller perspective of Luther's thought/argument against Erasumus, but it will give you a glimpse into his humor. It will be a fun read, I can promise you.

I have one more copy left to purchase, and more are coming in the mail. For $11.35 (that includes tax and a discount) you can get the book through our bookstore, or you may order it online at Amazon here.

Let us know if you have any questions. Thanks again, ladies!

Corrected Date - May 2 (this Saturday) for Augustine Meeting

2009-04-27T10:21:00.000-07:00

Our book club meeting is actually this Saturday, not next! My apologies for the confusion. Thank you to the ladies who caught the mix-up swiftly.

Hopefully all this means is that we'll be enjoying one another's company sooner (rather than meaning that your attendance will be deterred). It's been a great year so far in the land of reading and discussing - see you again soon!

Saturday (May 2)
10:00am
Megan Stevens' home in Escondido (in the avocado grove!)
For directions, please contact Katie or myself

Next Meeting is Coming Up!!

2009-04-22T10:06:00.000-07:00

Ladies,

The next meeting of the Ladies' Christian Classics Book Club is coming up Sat., May 9. We'll be meeting at 10 am at Chris and Megan Stevens' home in Escondido. Our book up for discussion is Augustine's Confessions, but remember, we're only reading chapters 1-8.

Please join us, even if you haven't had the opportunity to finish the book yet. We always have lively discussions, ones you can participate in even if you haven't finished the readings.

Let Sunny or me know if you have any questions or need directions to Megan's place. Hope to see you Sat., May 9!!

One meeting ends, another begins

2009-03-10T00:20:00.000-07:00

Ladies,

Sunny and I would like to thank you for your participation and eager discussion on Saturday morning, as well as for Melissa's hospitality in hosting us. We had such a good time, and I'm so encouraged by your thoughts on the Reformed faith, as well as how it's lived out.

We had promised you an update on the next book, Augustine's Confessions. We realize it's pretty overwhelming, so Sunny and I have decided to just have us read up to Chap. 9, entitled Cassiciacum: to Monica's death. So, chapters 1-8 will be the assigned reading...it covers Augustine's early life until his conversion. Although you're more than welcome to read Chap. 9 on, we won't be discussing that on the Saturday in May.

If you would like to purchase the Oxford edition (The Bookstore at WSC carries this edition, as linked above), I will be bringing some to church periodically and selling them for $7.54 (that includes tax).

Again, that's Confessions, Chapters 1-8 (pgs. 1-154 in the Oxford text) on Saturday, the beginning of May.

Only a couple weeks away!

2009-02-23T22:27:00.000-08:00

Ladies,

That's right...our next book club meeting is only a couple weeks from now...March 7 at Melissa Brindis de Salas' house. Our reading is out of Famous Women of the Reformed Church. I (Katie) still have a few copies if you need to buy one from me--I'll bring them to church on Sunday. Again, we won't be reading the whole thing, just portions of it. Here's the list:

-Anna Reinhard
-Catharine Zell
-Queen Margaret of Navarre
-Queen Jeanee D'Albret of Navarre
-Olympia Morata
-All of the German women from Part II, Chapter I
-The Women of the Tower of Constance
-Mrs. Thomas C. Doremus

The list looks daunting, but trust me when I say it's a fast read. Hope to see you all there Sat., March 7 at Melissa's house!

Book Club's next meeting

2009-01-22T21:00:00.000-08:00

Ladies,

Our next meeting is going to be March 7 at Melissa Brindis de Salas' house. We'll be reading portions from Famous Women of the Reformed Church by James I. Good. I'll be bringing 10 copies to church this coming Sunday, so have your checkbooks ready...it'll be around $16.75 for each book.

As we mentioned at the last meeting, we won't be reading the whole book--only portions. Here's the list that Sunny and I came up with:
-Anna Reinhard
-Catharine Zell
-Queen Margaret of Navarre
-Queen Jeanee D'Albret of Navarre
-Olympia Morata
-All of the German women from Part II, Chapter I
-Mrs. Thomas C. Doremus

That's around 160 pages total, but you may be so engrossed in the bios that you'll want to read more. Either way, we hope you enjoy these biographies of women that have impacted the Reformed church.

We'll give you more details when March 7 gets closer, but for now, happy reading!

This Saturday!

2009-01-07T09:52:00.000-08:00

Ladies of Christ URC...

The Ladies Christian Classic Book Club is THIS SATURDAY at Hillary Taylor's house at 10 am. Please bring along your book by Calvin, The Golden Booklet of the True Christian Life and get ready to discuss this portion from the Institutes. See you then!

Next book club meeting is coming up!!

2008-12-22T10:02:00.001-08:00

I wanted to put this out there before Christmas break is over in case you ladies have time to read over the week off...here's to wishful thinking. :) Our next meeting is Saturday, January 10, 2009, 10 a.m. at Hillary Taylor's home. We will be going through John Calvin's, The Golden Booklet of the True Christian Life. It's a short book--less than 100 pages--and should be a great read! If you're wondering where you can purchase it, The Bookstore at WSC has it available for $6.49 here. You can either order it online or let Katie know you'd like to purchase it by emailing her (kategurl35@hotmail.com). She'll bring it to church the Sunday after you've contacted her, and you can start reading right away!

Hope to see you Saturday, Jan. 10!

2008-11-19T13:32:00.001-08:00

Thank you to all the ladies who partook of our discussion last Saturday. Both Sunny and I had an enjoyable time discussing Athanasius, and hope ya'll did as well! We can't wait until our next meeting, so I'll give you a heads-up now.

When: Saturday, January 10, 2009
What: The Golden Booklet of the True Christian Life, John Calvin
Time: 10:00 a.m.
Place: Hillary Taylor's home

It's a short title carried by The Bookstore at Westminster Seminary California . If you would like a copy, please let Katie (me) know and I'll bring one to church for you, or you could order it online and have it shipped to you.

We'll be putting a sign-up sheet for this event on the table in December, so keep your eyes open for that! We look forward to discussing a Christian life book by a man we hear much about--John Calvin. See you then!

On the Incarnation - Saturday, November 15

2008-11-05T16:18:00.000-08:00

Our second gathering will be held next Saturday when we'll discuss On the Incarnation by Athanasius. The introduction by C.S. Lewis (that's right, he's making one more literary appearance!) in this classic by one of the great ancient church fathers provides a good segue from our first meeting, when we reflected on what constitutes basic Christianity, which led to further discussion about what makes the Reformed expression of the Christian faith distinct in its rich confession.

So... you may be primed (!) and eager for our upcoming meeting as we consider important matters such as a proper understanding of the Triune God and the Incarnation and how this is bound up in Christ's saving work. Lewis' introductory comments help set the tone: "[The] mistaken preference for the modern books and [the] shyness of the old ones is nowhere more rampant than in theology.... A new book is still on its trial and the amateur is not in a position to judge it. It has to be tested against the great body of Christian thought down the ages, and all its hidden implications have to be brought to light." [pp. 3-4]

The battle between Athanasius and Arius was one of the pivotal church debates that, so many centuries later, rightly remains beneficial for us to bear mindful attestation to, especially as it can be easy to gloss over our costly creeds and confessions. As we now head into this holiday season, we encourage you to carve out a couple of hours on a Saturday morning for a discussion that we anticipate will, in turn of hopefully many turns, also whet the appetite for Pastor Brown's Advent sermon series coming up next month.

We'll be meeting at Lisa Horton's home at 10:00am next Saturday, November 15. You can jot your name down on the RSVP sheet that's on the information table at church, or you can let me or Katie know if you plan on attending. We hope to see you lovely ladies there!

Thank you!

2008-10-07T22:06:00.000-07:00

Sunny and I would like to thank you ladies for a great turnout on Saturday, and for the enriching conversation and discussion that took place. We had a fun time and are excited for November's book, On the Incarnation by Athanasius. This book comes at an appropriate time as well--a month before we celebrate Christ's birth--so we hope this book is good preparation for that season. We'll be giving you more details when the date approaches, but for now, order your book online at amazon.com for the low price of $11! See you in November!

Only a few more days to RSVP...

2008-09-26T15:46:00.000-07:00

Next week Saturday is the first meeting of the Ladies' Christian Classic Book Club! If you haven't already done so, please RSVP to Sunny Chung or Katie Wagenmaker TODAY, letting them know that you will be there. It will be held at 9:30 am at Janie Brown's house. For address and directions, contact either Janie, Sunny, or Katie. Please join the women of Christ URC in a time of fellowship and learning more about C.S. Lewis and Mere Christianity.

Fall into a Good Read

2008-09-04T15:17:00.000-07:00

Does anyone else feel that it's a bit warm to be convinced that we're in a season-changing month? (I guess I'm revealing my Southern Cali roots, trying to pull off a case as though San Diego is hardly ever not warm!) But September is already upon us and that means the debut of this book club is next month! As all things autumn come our way, consider pulling out a copy of Mere Christianity – maybe find a cozy spot at your favorite coffee shop or a plot of sand on the beach, or settle into your reading nook at home – and make your way through this readable C.S. Lewis volume. Whether it's your first time reading it or a re-visit, or even if you don't think yourself a "reader" but are curious to grow, this book club is for all of us women! We're looking forward to a profitable discussion and an iron-sharpening time among sisters as we pick up the first of the Christian classics on our year-long list. If you don't have the book, no worries – you can order it through the book sign-up sheet at church or by contacting Katie, who happens to manage the bookstore at Westminster seminary, and the book will be hand-delivered to you at church.

*Just a quick update for our first meeting*… We'll be gathering at Janie Brown's home at 9:30am on Saturday, October 4. Light breakfast will be served (thank you, Janie, for preserving those of us who may lean toward the unintelligible when hungry). If you need the Browns' home address, please let me or Katie know and we'll provide that for you. We're asking to have RSVPs by Monday, September 29. Please let us know if you're planning to attend, and we'll pass that along to our gracious hostess.

Please be sure to pick up a bookmark and a reading list overview (special thanks to Emily Young for designing these!) at the information table in the church foyer. The bookmark gives a snapshot of the dates and books for our meetings. The reading list overview includes some more details – book synopses, prices, contact and order information, etc.

If you can't make it to the October meeting, there will be other opportunities on the near horizon. Our second meeting will be in mid-November, and then we'll have a holiday break and re-convene in January. We hope to see you at one of these gatherings as you're able. If you would like to open up your home to host a future meeting (you don't need to worry about leading the discussion), please let Katie or me know. Thank you, ladies – and happy reading!

RSVPs needed

2008-08-25T14:45:00.000-07:00

Hello again!

More details continue to be finalized on our first meeting for the Ladies' Christian Classics Book Club. It seems like interest is building, so Sunny and I would like to have an approximate head count for our first meeting on Sat., Oct. 4th. We would like to have this final count 2 weeks before the class (Sept. 15), so if you plan on attending, let Sunny or me know (by phone, email, or in person) and we will pass on that info to the Brown's, who are gracious enough to host the first meeting.

Also, we wanted to make clear to everyone that this bookclub is for those who have read these books in the past, but also for those who haven't read them in the past. Even if you don't have a chance to finish the whole book before our meetings, we still want you to come! The discussions we hope to have will fill in any gaps missed out by reading, and the fellowship will be well-worth it! So please, feel free to join us and bring friends, whether or not you're familiar with the title.

Mere Christianity booklist is up!

2008-08-18T19:40:00.000-07:00

Ladies,

The sign-up sheet for Mere Christianity is now in the foyer at church. Please sign up as soon as you can, and the books will be ordered ASAP. Thank you!

Reading assignment for Mere Christianity

2008-08-18T19:38:00.000-07:00

Ladies,

Sunny and I are both excited to be a part of this group, and hope you are as well. I have already had women come up to me and ask what the first assignment is, so for those of you who like to get a jump-start on things, we will be reading ALL of Mere Christianity for Oct. 4.

Also, as mentioned in the previous post, there will be a sign-up sheet to receive the book on the table in the foyer starting next Sunday, Aug. 17. Please sign up as soon as you can so I can order the books from The Bookstore at Westminster Seminary California. I did some price-checking, and The Bookstore is cheaper than Amazon and CBD, so if I get a decent-sized list soon, I'll hopefully get them to you by early Sept., in time for you to read.

One more thing--if you are interested in hosting the group one time, please let either Sunny or me know and we will put you on the list. Pamphlets and book marks are coming soon to help remind you of the reading lists, so stay tuned to this blog for more info! If you have any comments/questions, you may also write them here. Thank you!

Ladies' Christian Classic Book Club Information

2008-08-18T19:35:00.000-07:00

Ladies, you are cordially invited to Christ URC's Women's Christian Classic Book Club. This new group has its roots in Christ Reformed in Anaheim, with the desire for ladies to read great Christian works, meet for discussions and take advantage of the time for fellowship, while being free to attend any of the meetings as they are available. We will meet once every two months in a church member's home, and hope that the works that have influenced generations will also make an impact in the lives of women in Southern California.

If you have any questions, please contact Katie Wagenmaker kategurl35@hotmail.com or Sunny Chung sunnychung@gmail.com.

The dates and booklist are as follows:

Oct. 4: Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis (ISBN: 978-0060652920)

Nov. 15: On the Incarnation, Athanasius (ISBN: 978-0913836408)

Jan 10: The Golden Booklet of the True Christian Life, John Calvin (ISBN: 978-0801065286)

March 7: Famous Women of the Reformed Church, Good (ISBN: 978-1599251233)

May 2: Confessions, Augustine (ISBN: 978-0192833723)

July 11: Bondage of the Will, Luther (ISBN: 978-0800753429)

Sept. 5: Pensees, Pascal (ISBN: 978-0521006118)

Nov. 7: Christianity and Liberalism, J. Gresham Machen (ISBN: 978-0802811219)

If members of Christ URC would like to purchase a copy of Mere Christianity from the Westminster Seminary Bookstore. a sign-up sheet will be on the information table in the foyer on Sunday, Aug. 17.