During an extended training session in Pennsylvania, I was "stuck" away from home on Sunday morning. The hotel in which I was staying listed the address of a nearby Methodist church. But, since I was unfamiliar with the neighborhood, I decided to check for more information on the Internet. There I found better directions, along with some pictures of the church and times when services began.

With the extra time left before the service began, I found myself looking at 1stUMC-Wichita.org, paging through the various Sunday school class listings. For the most part, each listing appeared to describe some rough demographics, so that a visitor might find a place where they could feel comfortable. What I found missing during those "virtual classroom visits" were the stories that went with each.

As a founding member of the Pneuma Class, I can only testify to the stories of our class and invite you to consider it as part of your church home. All classes have their stories and character. I’d like to share some of the Pneuma Class.

Begun in late summer of 1979 under the loving care of Julia Wilke, Carole & Arden Strole, and Jim & Lois Jordan, we determined that for greatest richness, we would invite both single and married young adults to begin our Christian educational walk. Over our 20 plus years together, this has proved to be a great blessing.

There are hundreds of stories involving members of the Pneuma Class. Some members have been with us from the beginning. Many have blessed us for a time and moved on with career or life changes. New members join us each year, bringing their own stories and experiences to enliven our discussions and challenge us with new ideas.

Mostly, there’s a lot of "reality" that has occurred. …Lots of joy, many tears, plenty of food, some challenging work, questions of faith, and witnesses of love. We’ve seen marriages thrive and fail, careers succeed and falter, children born and mature. We’ve experienced life together with a common goal of seeking God through the Bible, through prayer, through shared experiences, and through the witness of the Spirit in each classmate.

We’ve been blessed by a few caring and inspired teachers. Currently, Dr. Dan Lord leads us in study and discussion, drawing on an educational background of both theology and psychology. Over the years, Dan has pushed us to look deeper than the Bible stories of our childhood, to consider historic and environmental realities of people of faith described within these stories. He has brought new perspectives and vitality to them and has challenged us to find application in our current lives.

From time to time other members bring lessons to share when Dan is away. Libby Eaton, in high demand from other Sunday school classes, generally brings us a burst of energy, humor and perspective for about one month a year.

All teachers will tell you that the Pneuma Class doesn’t need much prodding. In fact, more than a few lessons plans have been bent or stretched based on lively and passionate discussion. The Pneuma Class is a home where your questions of faith can be given air. If you like absolutes in black and white, you may be uncomfortable. If you are interested in stretching, moving and growing, touch your feet to our soil.

As a downtown church, we come from all over with a rich socio-economic diversity. Our religious traditions include Methodists, Catholics, Baptists, Presbyterians, Nazarenes and many more. We have lifetime Christians and members new to faith. We join together each Sunday morning and many times through the year for special events in a journey of discovery.

Most of all, if you are interested in finding friends, friends who care about what you think, what you believe, friends who care for you when you are in pain, and exult with you in your joy, you can find them here.

Please come and visit us. We want to know you, because you are a blessing to us that we would like to enjoy. Welcome to the Pneuma Class.

Alan Ebright