InterVarsity Graduate Christian Fellowship at Stanford University

Summer 2004 Meetings

What are we doing?

Each summer, IVGrad has weekly meetings of the whole fellowship where we share a meal and investigate a given topic. In the past, we've studied the Christian mind and St. Augustine. This summer we'll be taking a look at the Wesleys (Charles and John), the founders of the Methodist movement.

We'll be using a study guide published by InterVarsity Press together with supplementary materials, which may be posted on the web. The study guide will be available at the meetings at a substantial discount. We encourage you to read the appropriate chapter (to be posted shortly) at home before each meeting. Further details for each of the meetings will be announced here and via e-mail as the relevant dates approach.

When and where are the meetings?

Unless otherwise noted, meetings will be held Thursday nights at the EV Cottage Room, which is in the same building as the Escondido Village offices. Dinner will start at 6:30 pm and the discussion at 7 pm.

Your summer meetings sound cool.  How can I help out?  

Thanks. =)  Check out our sign up sheet below. 

Where do I get more information?

Please contact us.

What's the schedule?

24 June 2004
Series introduction and examination of and meditation upon a few of the Wesleys' hymns and writings.

1 July 2004
Encouraging Love: Fear at Sea--"Journal of John Wesley, 1735-1736" and Matthew 14:22-36 

8 July 2004
Charis Quay will attempt to give a broad overview of 'the people called Methodists', concentrating on the rise of Methodism in the context of 18th century England, and on the theological emphases and practical distinctives of the Methodist church. She'll also touch briefly on the life of John Wesley and on the Methodist church today.
Recording of talk. (21 MB .wav file.)
PowerPoint presentation (10 MB .ppt file.)

15 July 2004
Film Night:  Paths of Glory, directed by Stanley Kubrick.
(at the Village center right next to the Cottage Room)

22 July 2004
Amazing Love: A Heart Strangely Warmed--"Journal of John Wesley, 1738" and Psalm 90
(at the Village center right next to the Cottage Room)

29 July 2004
Prayer together
(special meeting at Professor Bill Newsome's house with cookout)

5 August 2004
Active Love: Who Is a Christian?--"A Plain Account of Genuine Christianity, 1753" and Philippians 2:1-13

12 August 2004
Worship Night

19 August 2004
Tricia Bolle will be speaking about The Emergence of a More Open and Growing Christianity in Modern-Day China.

Tricia says: 'Christianity in China today is quite different than it was twenty or even five years ago. Change is happening fast in accordance with global pressure, greater efforts by international Christian groups, and a rapidly changing political and social landscape within China. Though many societal restrictions are still in place and religious oppression still occurs, the modern-day Christian in China has greater freedom than ever before. (Even while open evangelism is generally still not allowed, more and more Chinese are coming to Christianity every day.)
During the five months I studied in Beijing, initially through seeking to continue in my own Christian beliefs and daily practices, I discovered quite a different picture of the way Christianity is thriving in Beijing than I ever could have imagined before arriving there. Through my own personal experiences and individual study while in China, I hope to give a first-hand perspective of the way the Spirit is moving within China with a brief look at the history of Christianity in China, the current situation of Christianity there, and where it is heading. '

26 August 2004
Joyful Love: Words from Susanna--"Susanna Wesley, The Complete Writings, 1711-1712" and 1 Thessalonians 5:12-28

2 September 2004
Eternal Love: Letters to Peggy Dale--"The Letters of the Rev. John Wesley, 1765" and Romans 8:18-39

9 September 2004
Games night. :-) Bring your board games and your friends!

16 September 2004
Prayer and preparation for the new school year. 

23 September 2004
Redeeming Love: How to Be Truly Alive--"The new Birth, 1760" and 1 John 3:1-10

Sign up

Discussion Leading
A Steering member (Marion Martin [robmart], Charis Quay [chquay at mtholyoke.edu], Lu Shan [lushan], or Karan Venayagamoorthy [vskaran]) will be in contact with you if you are leading a discussion. For the most part, we shall be using this study guide published by InterVarsity Press and we'll be able to point you to other resources.

Dinner Provision
Cook a simple meal for twenty to thirty people. We encourage you to sign up for this with some friends and have fun with it. We have a list of some recipes, but feel free to come up with your own delicious menu. Please also give your receipts to Wendy Ching [wching] to be reimbursed.  (please email us your recipes to post on the webpage!)

Room Setup
Help setup up the EV cottage room for our summer meetings.  This involves helping set up the food, chairs, tables before the meeting and cleaning up and ordering the room after the meeting.  Please show up about 30 minutes in advance to help set up. 

Room Reservations
(EV Residents only)
This involves going over to the EV office and reserving the cottage room for our summer meetings. Please make sure to reserve the room about a month in advance and pick up the key around 30 minutes before the meeting to allow the meal providers and others to begin setting up.

Tercentenary of the Birth of John Wesley

Reasonable Enthusiast, by Henry D. Rack.
Biography and account of the movement. Comprehensive, balanced and nuanced. Lengthy, but enjoyable.

Wesley and the People Called Methodists, by Richard P. Heitzenrater

A Real Christian, by Kennth J. Collins.
Shorter biography. Covers the main points, but not self-contained.

Recapturing the Wesleys' Vision, by Paul Wesley Chilcote.
Focusses on the 'conjuctions' in Wesleyan theology. Has good points, but stretches hypothesis in places.

The Radical Wesley and Patterns for Church Renewal, by Howard J. Snyder.
An even shorter biography than Collins's, second part entirely about church renewal. Valuable chiefly for description of the organisation of the Methodist movement.

England Before and After Wesley, by J. Wesley Bready
'The Evangelical Revival and Social Reform'.

Last Modified: Friday, 13-Sep-2004 12:36:06 PDT

Questions/Comments?