Big House Sundays

From September to May we continue to form our faith with Big House Sundays, large-group sessions that meet before worship a couple of times each month. Together we tackle interesting topics as we wonder together about how our faith connects to our everyday lives and are challenged to grow as Jesus-followers. All are welcome to these opportunities to grow together.

Upcoming Big House Sundays –  2024

March 17 – Dr. Lisa Hoogeboom will be presenting on “Reading the Bible in Disagreement”.  As her case study, she will take up what the Bible says about slavery and the use of women’s gifts in the church.

March 24 – Rev. Kathy Smith

April 14 – Deacons

April 28 – Social Justice Team

May 12 – House Group Capstone

Past Big House Sundays and Adult Education

March 3 – The Year In Culture. John Bush will lead this time to discuss and discern notable movies, TV, and music from the past year, including those being talked about during a busy awards season. Plus, we’ll take time to share recommendations of what we’ve loved.

February 11, 2024 – Rev. Kyle Meyaard-Schaap – Rev. Kyle Meyaard-Schaap is the Executive Director of the Association for a More Just Society-US. He holds an undergraduate degree in religious studies from Calvin University (B.A. ’12), a Master of Divinity degree from Western Theological Seminary (M.Div. ’16), and is ordained in the Christian Reformed Church in North America (CRCNA). For the last ten years, he has educated and mobilized Christians around the world to address the climate crisis as an act of discipleship and neighbor-love.

December 3, 2023 – House Group Capstone. Big House Sunday this week is our Capstone session of House Groups. This season the House Groups read the book Under An Open Heaven: A New Way of Life Revealed in John’s Gospel. The capstone session will be a time to enhance our spiritual growth for all those who encountered the the Gospel of John in House Groups or in worship. Please come.

November 12, 2023 – Racial Reconciliation, Rev. Dr. Reggie Smith

October 29 , 2023 – Friends in Deed, Sarah Thornburg

October 1, 2023 – Social Justice Team with local nonprofit, Avalon Housing. Avalon Housing provides housing justice for Washtenaw County.  The lack of affordable housing is the leading cause of homelessness nationwide. This is especially true here in Washtenaw County, one of the most expensive housing markets in Michigan.  In our community and across the county, a disproportionate number of people experiencing homelessness are people of color. That’s because the root causes of homelessness — structural racism, generational poverty and trauma — run far deeper than the real estate market. The only way to break the cycle of homelessness is to consider the whole system — and the whole person. Come learn more about Avalon Housing and the boots on the ground work that they are doing right here in our local community as well as their advocacy work that extends to the national level.

September 17, 2023 – Topic: Hospitality, Connect Team: The Ann Arbor Christian Reformed Church is a purposeful community that engages the world with the love of Jesus through the practice of Christian hospitality. What intention can we set as a congregation to widen and deepen our hospitality as we seek to live out this mission together? Please join us for a Big House Sunday session this week to learn about the vision of AACRC’s Connect Team in the areas of greeting, enfolding and fellowship. We will spend some time thinking about ways our congregation can feel a little more like “home” whether it’s someone’s first Sunday or if you have been here for decades.

September 10, 2023 – Topic: Discipleship Practices, Pastor Mike: “Discipleship” is a biblical word that applies to people who follow Jesus. It is natural to think of the original 12 followers as examples of being disciples, but it was applied broadly beyond the 12. In our first Big House Sunday, Pastor Mike will be presenting a biblically rooted definition of discipleship that will lay a foundation for some spiritual practices that will nurture our discipleship process for our congregation. Please join us for the launch of our Big House Sundays, for this opportunity to grow in faith together.