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Hope: A Pessimist’s Guide

New Worship Series: April 19-June 7

Easter is about HOPE.  A Global Pandemic fosters DOUBT.  What happens when HOPE and DOUBT have a conversation?  You get a new worship series and congregational Bible study called “Hope: A Pessimist’s Guide”!  If the name sounds familiar, Countryside originally produced this series in 2011, only we’re totally updating it to allow it to speak powerfully to our day.

Bible Study 

Concurrent with our worship series, you are invited to participate in, or lead, a small group Bible study!  We’ll be using video resources produced by Darkwood Brew, which are available at www.darkwoodbrew.org.  Darkwood Brew videos feature exclusive interviews with acclaimed author, Scott Russell Sanders, whose book, Hunting for Hope, inspired this series.  Dr. Elnes taped these interviews in Sanders’s home in Bloomington, Indiana.   Other Darkwood Brew guests include Richard Foster, Phyllis Tickle, Carrie Newcomer and Bob Ravenscroft.   Zoom Groups are forming to follow our new worship series Hope: A Pessimist’s Guide.  Available studies via Zoom (visit the church calendar for Zoom links):

  • Sundays at Noon with Rev. Dr. Eric Elnes on Zoom
  • Sundays at 7:30 p.m. with Andrew Karrmann on Zoom
  • Wednesdays at 5:15 p.m. with the The “What?” book group on Zoom.
  • Wednesdays at 6:00 p.m. Darkwood Brew Facebook watch party via facebook.com/DarkwoodBrew
  • There are several other groups meeting at a variety of times throughout the week so if you want to join any of these groups please contact Chris Alexander at chrisa@countrysideucc.org
  • Are you interested in leading a small group?   Training is available on how to use Zoom or Facebook to stream the video to the group. No biblical or theological experience is necessary.  Pause points and suggested questions are all provided!   All you need to do is hit Play and Pause to lead an invigorating conversation about finding hope in troubled times.  Contact Rev. Dr. Chris Alexander for more information on becoming a small group leader.

Book Study 

You can further enrich your experience of this series by reading Scott Russell Sanders’s book Hunting for Hope, which inspired this series.  If you’d like to form a book group to read this book in community with others, contact Rev. Dr. Chris Alexander.

Self Study

Darkwood Brew is free to Countrysiders for self study. Go to user area at Darkwood Brew (darkwoodbrew.org/user-area/) and login using:

  • User Name: CCCUCC
  • Password: tryside8787

Click the blue folder “Access Series” and scroll down until you find the Hope: A Pessimist’s Guide series.