Bible studies that you can use at home are available at the Bible Study Resource Center in the Conference Room off the Worship Hall (behind the purple curtain).  If you are not comfortable in a group Bible study, here is a way that you can do Bible study privately in the comfort of your home.  Topics include: current issues,  parenting,  couples,  singles,  and video-based studies.  Check it out!

Sunday Morning  8:00 - 9:00 AM  Pastor Theil and the Care Ministers invite you to Room B201 for the Care Minister Training on the 2nd Sunday of the month starting September 9th through to May 2008.   The theme for this series of classes is "The Quest for Quality Care-Giving".  Would you like to improve your ability to relate to others?  Develop and deepen your relationships?  Learn to deal constructively with stress, suffering, illness, anger, depression, divorce, addiction, and loss?  Then join us on the quest for quality care-giving.   September 9th  the topic is:  "Making Sense Out of Suffering".  October 14th the topic is "Easing the Burden of Stress".  November 11th is "When Someone You Love Has Cancer" and December 9th is "Holidays Are for Giving and Forgiving".

Sunday Morning  9:30 - 10:30 AM  The new membership class is called DISCOVER 101 and will meet for 6 weeks beginning January 13th, 2008 in Room B201.  As the entry point to membership at Shepherd of the Desert, DISCOVER 101 will challenge participants to chart a course of personal spiritual growth, taking the next step forward in their life's journey of knowing God more intimately.  DISCOVER 101 will provide an overview of basic Christian teachings for the purpose of applying those teachings to everyday living.  DISCOVER 101 will also help the new member discover his/her God-given talents and spiritual gifts and how to use those abilities to serve God by serving other people.  DISCOVER 101 is a 6-session course, followed by an Orientation event with our ministry staff.  It is offered both on Sunday morning and Wednesday evening at 5:45 PM.

Sunday Morning  9:30 - 10:30 AM  You are invited to the Fellowship Hall for a ongoing class called Everything New...Testament.  Gain deeper understanding of the teachings of Jesus Christ to discover how His words can impact the relationships and decisions of your life and to more confidently share the Good News of salvation.

Join us for a special presentation of..."The Star of Bethlehem" on January 20th at 9:30 am in the Fellowship Hall.

Was the Star of Bethlehem a real astronomical event? A myth created by the early church?

For millennia, believers, scoffers and the curious have wondered at the Biblical account of the Star. The Bible recounts unusual, or even impossible astronomical events at Christ's birth. For many doubters, the account of the Star is easily dismissed as myth. For many believers, it's a mystery accepted on faith. But what happens if we combine current historical scholarship, astronomical fact and an open mind? You can judge for yourself by viewing "The Star of Bethlehem" here at Shepherd of the Desert at 9:30 am on Sunday, January 20th. To allow complete viewing in one sitting, this event will conclude at about 10:45 am, in time for you to move from the Fellowship Hall to the Sanctuary for the 11:00 am worship service.

Sunday Morning  11:00 - 12:00 AM  Pastor Theil invites you to an 9 session course in the ShepherdCare series called "Redeeming the Tears: A Journey Through Grief and Loss" on the 2nd Sunday of the month starting September 9th through May 2008 in Room B201.  Like it or not, we all experience loss in our lives.  This course is designed to help us walk through our grief with the support of those joining us on the journey.  God wants to "redeem the tears" and help us embrace hope and life again.  If you have suffered a recent or severe loss, like death of a loved one, a divorce, or loss of a job, join us for an effective road map to deal with your grief.    September 9th the topic is "The Grief Process".  October 14th is "Beginning Our Journey Together".  November 11th is "Positioning the Loss in My Life".  December 9th  "Listening to My Heart".

Monday  Morning  9:30 - 11:00 AM  The Senior's Group/Faith Lift  group invite you to the Worship Hall starting September 10th through December 17th for this study of  Great Characters of the Bible.  Each character enables you to draw attention to the ultimate Will of God because you'll see each one was selected by God to fulfill His purpose - in birth and death, victory and defeat, glory and judgment.

Monday Evening  6:30-8:00 PM   The Woman's Ministry invites the women to the Conference Room  beginning September 10th for 24 weeks of a weekly study on the subject of  Daniel: Words of Integrity, Words of Prophecy by Beth Moore.  A chapter by chapter look at the Book of Daniel,  The first six chapters focus on the lessons of integrity and character while in Babylon.  The last six chapters focus on the prophecy of the four historical kingdoms and of the fifth kingdom to come., Christ's kingdom.  It will include a video based workbook with daily homework.

Monday Evening  7:00-9:00 PM  Dan and Diane Hyduk invite you to their home for a study of The Bible in Depth.  Just come to study the Word!  Wherever this group is in their current study will be the place that you will discover a fresh word from God and words that will impact your daily living.  You are in for the long-haul as the group takes a life long perspective to studying the Bible.

Wednesday Morning  9:30 - 11:30 AM   The Women's Ministry invites the women beginning September 5th through November 21st to the Conference Room for a class on Get a Life: Debunking Six Myths in the Quest for Contentment.  Do you have it all, but left yearning for more?  Confront six myths that rob many Christian women of the abundant life that Christ intends for us to live.  Don't settle for less than the abundant life Christ intended.

Wednesday Evening  5:45 - 6:45 PM  The new membership class is called DISCOVER 101 and will meet for 6 weeks beginning April 2nd, 2008 in Room B201.  See details above on Sunday morning.

Thursday Morning  6:30 - 7:30 AM   The Men's Ministry invites the men to the Conference Room for a ongoing class on The Book of Isaiah.  Join this group of men bright and early for a study verse by verse of the book of Isaiah using the Serendipity Bible.  The prophet Isaiah was the voice of God to the Israelites delivering a message of repentance and the hope of the coming Messiah.

Thursday Morning  9:30 - 11:30 AM    The Women's Ministry invite the women to meet in the Worship Hall  for this ongoing class currently called Victoriously Frazzled:  The Frazzled Female's Guide to Restoring Her Sanity.  Worn out?  And stressed out?  Come discover the victory in stress through a relationship with Jesus Christ.  Living Beyond Yourself:  Exploring the Fruit of the Spirit by Beth Moore.  By maintaining an intimate relationship with the spirit of God, you can know the glorious freedom of a life filled with the fruits of the Spirit.  It is a video based workbook with daily homework.