DVD Series April 21 and 28

Hello everyone, and happy Easter season! Theology on Tap hopes everyone has had a wonderful, blessed Easter celebration.

This is a note to remind you of our upcoming events...On April 21 (next Tuesday!) and April 28, and we'll continue viewing the Matthew Kelly DVD series. For those who missed the first two meetings in the series, Matthew Kelly is a world-renowned speaker, and more than 3 million people have attended his seminars, talks, and retreats. His DVD series is titled "Living Life with Passion and Purpose," and he does an excellent job relating to young adults. Our first two meetings consisted of viewing the DVD mixed with some good discussion. This is a DVD series, but each DVD is a complete package unto itself :) ...so even if you haven't seen the first two, we hope you'll join us for the upcoming episodes!

We'll use our standard Theology on Tap meeting protocol: 7:00 PM in the OLV Parish Office Conference Room. $5/person, with drinks, snacks, and childcare provided.

See you there!

The ToT Team

Coffee and Theology continues!

Our Coffee and Theology Series continues this Sunday, 3/8, 9:45-10:45 at OLV in the social hall. We're studying Philippians.

The series will continue through the rest of Lent (3/15, 3/22, 3/29, and 4/5). Attendance at every session is NOT required. The cost for the entire series -- including the study guide (and all the coffee and doughnuts you want!) -- is $7 per person. We hope to see you there!

DVD Series Recap - 2/24 & 3/3

Thanks to everyone who attended our DVD Series! We viewed the first two DVDs of Matthew Kelly's "Living Life with Passion and Purpose" series. Our first session included a little Mardi Gras fun (with beads and a king cake!). The first DVD set the stage by presenting us with a theme of "Our Lives Change When our Habits Change." We can become better versions of ourselves by working to eliminate bad habits and form good ones.

The second DVD centered on an important good habit to form: spending 10 minutes a day in prayer. Focused prayer...moving toward achieving union with God...can change our lives, and it can start with just 10 minutes a day. It's challenging, but it can make a big difference!

Matthew Kelly is a very dynamic speaker, with thought-provoking stories and examples, a good sense of humor, and a cool Austrailian accent. Combined with some great discussion among our own group, it made for two very entertaining evenings!!

And we enjoyed yet another incredible dip...thanks to Kate for sharing with us!!

Thanks again everyone! We'll let you know when our next ToT events are on the calendar. We hope everyone has a blessed and fulfilling Lent and Easter season!

ToT events: Habitat Saturday, Coffee Sunday, DVD Series Tuesday...

Just a quick note to remind everyone about the upcoming events...we have a busy Lent planned!

This Saturday, February 28, is the Habitat for Humanity build. Please send us an email to let us know if you're able to participate. It will begin at 7:30 AM, and usually runs until around 3:00. Lunch and tools are provided (you may want to bring work gloves and a tool/nail belt if you have one). It should be a lot of fun...and for a good cause!

This Sunday, March 1, is the first meeting of our Coffee and Theology series. We will meet from 9:45 to 10:45 (between masses) in the OLV Social Hall. We'll be discussing Philippians. We'll meet each Sunday during Lent (March 1, 8, 15, 22, 29, and April 5). The cost for the entire series is $7 -- that gets you the book, along with all the coffee and doughnuts you'd like for the entire series! :) You don't have to attend every session - we encourage you to join us whenever you can. Childcare is provided for children not in CCD.

Tuesday, March 3 is the second of our DVD Series meetings. We had a great meeting this past week - lots of entertaining and thought-provoking discussion. We'll meet at 7:00 PM in the OLV Parish Office conference room. The cost is $5...drinks/snacks/childcare provided.

Thanks to everyone who was able to attend the DVD Series meeting this week. We hope to see everyone again soon!

Upcoming Events

Upcoming ToT Events...

ToT DVD Series: February 24 and March 3. 7:00 PM, OLV Parish Office Conference Room
We will review and discuss the first two installments of Matthew Kelly's "Living Every Day with Passion and Purpose" series. Matthew Kelly is a world-renowned speaker. His seminars, talks, and retreats have been attended by more than three million people in fifty countries. We'll have two meetings centered around some of his topics (and if we want to keep going, we'll schedule more!). We'll also have a Mardi Gras party along with our February 24 meeting!

Habitat for Humanity: February 28 (Saturday)
On Saturday, February 28, we will participate in the Habitat for Humanity project co-sponsored by Our Lady of the Valley. If you've never helped with a Habitat project, it's a fantastic and fun way to sacrifice our time and energy to help others, which helps us mimic the sacrifices of Jesus. We'll be working to build a house in Montevallo, and February 28 is the first Habitat workday, so we'll be framing the house. Lunch and most tools will be provided...as well as onsite directors and supervisors, so we can help even if we don't know anything at all about building a house!

Coffee and Theology: Sundays during Lent (March 1 through April 5), 9:45-10:45 - OLV Social Hall
Our Sunday morning guided bible study series, will begin Sunday March 1 going through April 5. This year, we will be studying Philippians.

Unfortunately, we've had to cancel the Mardi Gras Masquerade previously scheduled for February 20. We'll try to arrange another get-together to make up for it...let us know if you have any good ideas for events!

Thanks everyone! We hope to see you soon!

Stump the Priest, 2/3 (No fish were harmed....)

The final installment of our Winter 2009 Stump the Priest Series was held on February 3. It was a blast! We had ANOTHER great crowd. Our guest of honor was Monsignor Paul Rohling from OLV. Having served in the Diocese for several years in various capacities and parishes, Father Paul brought much experience and wisdom to our meeting. So, we had a lot of questions for him...the fishbowl could hardly wait!

Our topics ranged from confession, to the Trinity, Mary, the Catechism...we covered a lot!

Special thanks to Father Paul, who taught us AND entertained us. We are so blessed to have been able to spend time with him!

Thanks to EVERYONE who attended our Stump The Priest series. It was a fantastic start to the year! At the end, the fishbowl was empty, with a few blank question cards ready for next time!

***No fish were harmed in the production of Stump the Priest '09. They were only slightly inconvenienced for about a month.*** :)

We look forward to seeing everyone at our DVD series starting February 24!

Pics from Stump the Priest, Week 2

Here are some pics of our second Stump the Priest event featuring Fr Joe Cullota. See if you can find yourself! :)

Stump the Priests going great!

Thanks to everyone who attended Stump the Priest with Father Joe on 1/27! We had a great crowd and a lot of fun!

Please join us for the final session of our Stump the Priest series this coming Tuesday (2/3) with Msgr Paul Rohling from OLV...7 PM, OLV Parish Office Conference Room. $5... drinks/snacks/childcare provided.

Stump the Priest with Fr Rick, 1/13

We kicked off Winter 2009 with the first edition of th season's Stump the Priest series. Our 'target' was Father Rick Chenault of OLV. :)

We started the year off right with a great crowd...both the usuals as well as several new faces! (And another excellent dip by Margaret Ann!)

After a few TRULY hilarious jokes :) by the MC to start us off, we got right to it. Father Rick fielded live questions from our group, as well as a few written questions placed in the Official ToT Question/Fish bowl. We asked some excellent questions...

...and Father Rick did an excellent job. We thought for sure we would stump him, but despite being new to the priesthood, Father Rick handled everything we threw at him like a pro. He's a great teacher, and was able to explain his answers in a way that we, as young adults, could relate to. His real-life examples helped us better understand some very difficult aspects of our faith.


Thanks so much to Father Rick for being a willing and excellent participant in our Stump the Priest series!

Next up: Stump the Priest continues on 1/27 with Father Joe Cullota from St. Mark the Evangelist. We hope to see you there!

Winter/Spring 2009 Events Calendar

We have an action-packed schedule for the next few months...there's something for everyone! Be sure to add these events to your calendar:

Stump the Priest Series
January 13 - Father Rick Chenault (OLV)
January 27 - Father Joe Cullota (St. Mark the Evangelist)
February 3 - Msgr Paul Rohling (OLV)
**all events at 7:00 PM in the OLV Parish Office Conference Room
**snacks, drinks, childcare provided
**cost: $5

Mardi Gras Masquerade - "BYOM" (Bring Your Own Mask!)
February 20 - OLV Social Hall - 7:30 PM
**snacks, drinks provided
**$10 per person

Theology on Tap DVD Series
Matthew Kelly - Living Every Day with Passion and Purpose
February 24
March 3
March 10
**all events at 7:00 PM in the OLV Parish Office Conference Room
**snacks, drinks, childcare provided
**cost: $5

Coffee and Theology - Sunday morning Lenten Bible Study series
Meets in the OLV Social Hall from 9:45 to 10:45 AM on the following Sundays during Lent:
March 1
March 8
March 15
March 22
March 29
April 5

We look forward to seeing you!

12/2 - Advent Wreath Making

Wreath-making was a blast this year!

We held our annual Advent wreath-making event on Tuesday, December 2. We had a great turnout! The Advent wreath is one of the most popular Catholic Advent traditions. We opened with a prayer, and then we got right to the action...

Everyone seemed to enjoy making a wreath. It provided just the right amount of challenge without being too complicated: attaching the greenery, tying the bows...it was just enough to provide a few laughs along the way, and by the time we finished, we felt like we really accomplished something!

Father Paul even checked it on us...and he appreciated our creativity!

The lighting of the candles of the Advent wreath throughout the time of Advent helps us to remember and focus on the promise of the coming of Jesus, the light of the world. This night, we were all fortunate to be able to spend this special and fun time together!

ToT hopes that you and your family and friends are able to experience the full joy and true meaning of the Christmas season.

Thanks to everyone who was able to join us! We look forward to seeing you at future ToT events in January.

11/11 - Power in Weakness

Theology on Tap met Tuesday, November 11. Mandy was our speaker, and she led an excellent discussion of Paul's 2nd Letter to the Corinthians, considered by many to be one of Paul's most emotional writings. The theme was 'Power in Weakness,' and Mandy started by giving us an overview of the letter.

She outlined several examples of how Paul explained and demonstrated the 'power in weakness' concept. She gave us a good reminder that we shouldn't judge others when we see they're in an tough situation - sometimes it's tempting to say 'what have they done to deserve what they're dealing with?' We should instead provide encouragement and support!


Mandy's discussion also reminded us we are very fragile and woundable as human beings, and it's our spirit that gives us power, especially in tough times. Our own burdens -- the crosses we bear -- are how God works through us, the same way that God worked through Jesus in the way he suffered on the cross.

Mandy did a great job! She's always a lot of fun to talk with, so it was a great discussion on how we can improve our own lives, especially by supporting others in times of weakness. We hope to have some ideas for service projects in the next few months so we can put this learning to work!

(Also, Margaret Ann made a great bacon-frito-awesome dip!) :)

Thanks to everyone who was able to attend, and thanks to ALL for your prayers, support, and participation as we continue to build this young adult ministry!

Next up: Advent Wreath Making!

Advent Wreath Making set for Dec 2

We've scheduled our annual Advent Wreath Making event for Tuesday, December 2 at 7:00 PM. Mark your calendars...more details to come soon!

Check here for a recap of last year's event: http://birminghamtot.blogspot.com/2007/12/advent-wreath-making.html

10/14 - Being Christian

Tuesday, October 14 was our third Theology on Tap meeting of the fall. Margaret Ann was our speaker, and she did great!


The main points of Margaret Ann's talk were Love, Forgiveness and Examination, and she gave us four themes for reflection:
-Everything we are composed of should belong entirely to God
-As followers of Christ we are brothers and sisters in him. We must understand one another's needs and talents
-Remember, Jesus was crucified and rose from the dead for us. If we remember him, we will perceive how we are to live
-The need to reevaluate ourselves

In the end, the group was all smiles!



Thanks Margaret Ann!

Our next session will be Tuesday, November 11. We hope to see you then!

Upcoming ToT, Coffee meetings

Hi everyone – We have a Theology on Tap meeting coming up Tuesday, October 14. Continuing our “Paul” theme, our own Margaret Ann will lead us in a discussion about “Being Christian,” based on 1st Corinthians. Margaret Ann always does a great job working with our group so this should be a good discussion! We’ll meet from 7:00-9:00 in the OLV Parish Office Conference Room. As usual, the cost will be $5, and snacks, drinks, and childcare will be provided.

We hope that you can make it. Bring a friend!

Also, our Coffee and Theology series (“Romans: Amazing Grace”) will continue with our third meeting this Sunday, October 12. At our first two meetings, we had two very lively and interesting discussions. If you weren’t able to make it, please join us! Attendance at every session is not required. For this series, we are asking for a one-time $7 fee to cover the cost of the books. We meet in the OLV Social hall, 9:45 to 10:45 (between masses). And we provide coffee and doughnuts!

Email us at theologyontap@olvsch.com with any questions.

See you soon!

Coffee and Theology starts 9/28!!

Happy Fall everyone!

The ToT team is happy to announce that "Coffee and Theology," our Sunday morning bible study series begins this Sunday. This season, our theme will be "Romans: Amazing Grace." We will use a study guide and group discussion to learn more about Paul's Letter to the Romans, considered to be one of the most influential books of the New Testament.

Beginning this Sunday, will meet in Our Lady of the Valley's Social Hall from 9:45-10:45 (between masses), for six Sundays in a row:

September 28
October 5
October 12
October 19
October 26
November 2

Coffee, doughnuts, and childcare are provided. The cost is $7 (to cover the cost of materials).

Mark your calendars! Attendance at every session is encouraged but not required. As always, feel free to email if you have any questions.

Hope to see you there!

9/9 - Standing Firm in Our Faith

We had a great Theology on Tap meeting on September 9. Matt, one of our ToT team members, was our facilitator. Several other activities (plus a little bit of weather), perhaps, contributed to a smaller-than-usual group, but it was an excellent group nonetheless. Like last meeting, we were happy to have a few new faces, and we were excited to see some second-time faces as well!

Certainly a very important part of the meeting was the food, and we did good tonight! Cheese/fruit/veggie trays, etc. Special mention goes to Margaret Ann's chili-cheese-wonderfulness dip. (SOME might say it is rivaled only by her magnificent spinach-artichoke-wonderfulness dip, which perhaps will make an appearance at a future meeting.) :)

Matt is a great speaker! Experienced at handling groups both large and small, he had no trouble with us this evening! He introduced us to Paul's 1st and 2nd Letters to the Thessalonians. We learned about the differences between each letter. The 1st is a very enthusiastic, positive, encouraging account of praise of the Godly lives of the Thessalonians, while the second is presented with a very different, condemning tone. We learned that both warned the Thessalonians of temptations that are still very relevant and present in today's world. Matt helped to bring the writings of St. Paul to our daily lives!

We had the opportunity to participate in small group discussions. While M.C. Tony did not get to count us off to split us into groups, he certainly gets credit for some fantastic work in the material-distribution department. :)

After our group discussions, we had a little more social and fun time before we called it a night.

Thanks Matt! Great work! We’re looking forward to our October 14 meeting, when Mandy and Margaret Ann will talk with us about ‘Being Christian,’ referencing Paul's Letter to the Corinthians.

Thanks to everyone for a great meeting!

ToT next Tuesday (9/9)

Thanks for a great meeting last week! Sister Madeline led a great discussion to get us started on our "Year of St. Paul" theme. We enjoyed seeing everyone - especially several new faces - after the summer break! If you missed it, check the blog for some highlights!

We have a quick turnaround with our next meeting coming up next Tuesday, September 9. Matt Smith, one of our own Theology on Tap team members, will discuss "Standing Firm in our Faith," based on Paul's 1st and 2nd letters to the Thessalonians. We'll meet in the OLV Parish Office Conference Room from 7:00-9:00 PM. Food, drinks, and childcare will be provided. The cost is $5.

Also: please note that we've changed the starting date of the Coffee and Theology series to September 28.

Thanks everyone! See you soon!

Year of St. Paul Introduction

The first session of our Fall season finally arrived!


Our theme for Theology on Tap for the Fall 2008 is "Year of St. Paul," so Sister Madeline kicked off the season on August 23 with an introduction to St. Paul and his writings.





It was very informative. St. Paul was one of the most influential people on Christianity, and the story of his conversion (his "Damascus moment") to Christianity is both inspiring and challenging for us. Paul's message is that God is willing to take us in - anyone and everyone - no matter what our past is like. We are called to imitate God's holiness, peacefulness, and inclusion...to conduct our lives in actions that demonstrate faith, hope, and love.


The next three ToT sessions will provide us an opportunity to learn more about Paul's teachines and some ways we can apply his advice in our daily lives. The sessions will be presented by Theology on Tap team members. Check the schedule on the left side of the blog page for the dates!


We also had some pretty good social time...it was great to see some new faces! And it was great to see the "old" faces, too... :) We had lots of good treats (plus a little beer and wine)! Kathy won the award for the most colorful shirt...

Below is an action shot...it's a little hard to see, but this was taken about two seconds before one of our favorite ToT team members (who shall remain nameless) spilled M&M's all over the sofa...







It was great seeing everyone after the summer break! We hope to see you at our meeting on September 9!

We're back! All are welcome!

Theology on Tap at Our Lady of the Valley Catholic Church (Birmingham, AL) starts back on August 23rd. ToT is OLV's "young adult" group. Our age range is 21-40s, and we are a mix of married and single (and divorced, etc.) people. We're primarily Catholic, but we often have visitors from many other Catholic churches, Christian denominations, and other faiths. All are welcome!

To contact us, please email us at theologyontap@olvsch.com.

Theology on Tap Meetings - our Tuesday night gathering for food, drink, and discussion! These meetings are held from 7:00 to 9:00 PM in the Our Lady of the Valley Parish Office Conference Room. Food, drinks, and childcare are provided. The cost is $5.

Our theme will be the "Year of St. Paul."

Aug 26: Overview of St. Paul--Sr. Madeline Contorno
Sept 9: Standing Firm in Our Faith—Matt
Oct 14: Being Christian--Mandy & Margaret Ann
Nov 11: Power in Weakness—Kathy

Coffee and Theology - our six-week Sunday morning bible study series. Meetings are 9:45-10:45 Sunday mornings (between Masses at OLV), in the OLV Social Hall. Attendance at every session is encouraged, but certainly not required. We will be studying Paul's Letter to the Romans, considered to be one of the most influential books of the New Testament. Coffee, doughnuts, and childcare are provide. There is a one-time cost of $5.

Dates:
September 28
October 5
October 12
October 19
October 26
November 2

We hope to see you!