We are a Sunday School Class at Vestavia Hills United Methodist Church (VHUMC) - http://www.divorceinfo.com/vhumc.htm. We have about 45 members, all adults. Some of us are single, and some of us are couples. In terms of age, marital status, wealth, and political persuasion, we are among the most diverse classes at VHUMC. Our youngest child is in high school, and several of our children are adults with children of their own.

We are all white, and we are all ambulatory, although we have family members who are wheelchair-bound, and our class is accessible. We are teachers, business owners, secretaries, lawyers, accountants, homemakers, retail workers, consultants, engineers, professors, housekeepers, and developers, to name a few. We range from Rush Limbaugh conservatives to Mother Jones liberals, with lots of gradations in between. Several of us are semi-retired, and a few of us are partially disabled.

Every small group has traditions; we're no exception. We gather at 9:40 or so, with coffee (thanks to one of the Harwells) and bagels or donut holes (thanks to John Routledge). We come to order about 9:50. We deal with class business (where we're going somewhere to help somebody or to party together). We take prayer requests, which have evolved into our way of keeping up with each other. We are leisurely about prayer requests and about our prayer time together.

The lesson is usually under way by about 10:05. Most of our lessons are discussions and sharing rather than lecture. Because of our diversity, we invariably have lively discussions but rarely get our feelings hurt. We're generally finished by about 10:45.

For years, we had a special relationship with the United Methodist Children's Shelter in Birmingham. We were the ones who changed the light bulbs, oiled the hinges, trimmed the shrubs, and patched the walls. Each year at Thanksgiving and Christmas, when other groups wanted to help, we backed off and made room for them. Then when the holiday rush was over, we would return. It was a relationship that nurtured and nourished both Serendipity and the Children's Shelter.

That special relationship is less intense now. Nobody knows quite why. It just is. Recently we've begun systematic and regular support of the Church of the Reconciler in downtown Birmingham - http://www.churchofthereconciler.org/. Who knows; maybe that will turn out to be our continuing focus.

Neat things about Serendipity: We care for each other, and we care for other people. We tolerate a surprising range of theological and political perspectives. We have great coffee (and the plants outside our window seem to love it too). And we love welcoming new members. Unlike some classes, we continue to welcome new members, both single and couples.

Serendipity Class, c/o Vestavia Hills United Methodist Church, P.O. Box 660150, Birmingham, AL 35266

Here are some members you can contact if you want to know more:

Lee Borden - lee@divorceinfo.com
Beverly Routledge - bevbryrou@hotmail.com
Judie Vinzant - javinzan@samford.edu

Serendipity New Testament Money Project

Our Favorite Recipes

Addresses for the Children of Class Members Serving Overseas with the Military.

2006 Financial Report for the Serendipity Class