Adult Study Groups
Find community and grow in your spiritual walk through our adult discipleship groups.
See options below for in-person and hybrid (Zoom + in-person) meetings.
How to Find and Pay for Books
Study books are on 1) shelves in the main church entrance (Door #2) and 2) the GROW Connection Tables in the Gathering Area. Entrance shelves are available Mon-Th (9a-4p), Fri (9a-1p), Sun mornings.
To pay for books, mark your envelope as “Study Books” and place in the offering plate, office, black box on the shelves, or basket on the connections table. Make checks to St. Mark’s UMC with “study books” in the memo line. You can also pay online. On the online giving page, click the box under “How would you like to allocate your donation” and select Study Books from the dropdown menu.

Themed and Short-Term Studies
Short-term studies explore specific themes (e.g., discipleship topics, spiritual growth, social justice, Advent / Lenten seasons).
Churchwide Lenten Study: Dynamite Prayer
“Do I really believe that prayer makes a difference? […] Many Christians are snacking on prayer rather than feasting on prayer.” — Rev. Sue Nilson Kibbey
According to Rev. Kibbey, co-author of Dynamite Prayer, our prayers often focus on problems: “down and in” prayers for healing, travel mercies, health, grief, and other pains in life. But how often do we pray an “up and out” prayer — a “breakthrough prayer” — for God’s divine, miraculous power in the Holy Spirit to unleash more than we could ever ask, think, or imagine in our lives, in the church, and the world? If you are ready to move from problem-focused prayer to possibility-focused prayer, Dynamite Prayer is your guide to begin a daily rhythm of asking God to break through with new hopes, dreams, and possibilities for our church and in our own lives.
Sunday PM Study
Five Marks of a Methodist: The Fruit of a Living Faith
1. A Methodist Loves God
he Wired Word: Weekly emails for personal study
Join the 70+ other St. Mark’s folks who receive this thought-provoking devotional.
Weekday Study Groups
Our ongoing weekday morning studies gather on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays during the school year.
Wednesday AM Study Paul for Everyone 1 & 2 Timothy from N.T. Wright’s
Thursday AM Study: Signs and Wonders
Led by Judy Woempner | Hybrid online + Room B/C | Books $12
In Signs and Wonders: A Beginner’s Guide to the Miracles of Jesus, Dr. Amy-Jill Levine—professor of New Testament and Jewish Studies—explores selected miracles of Jesus in historical and theological context. For each miracle, she discusses not only how past witnesses could have understood the events, but also how today’s readers can draw meaning from Jesus’s words and actions.
Friday AM Study: Bad Girls of the Bible
Fridays, April 14-May 12 | 9:30-11 AM
Sunday Morning Study Groups
Cutting Edge
Foundations and Friendships
Reel Spirituality
For more information on adult studies, please contact Jennifer Cloud-Buckner (grow@stmarkscarmel.org), St. Mark’s Adult Discipleship Coordinator.