Classes Aim to Unite Religious Denominations
The Alpha course at Palos Park Presbyterian Community Church brings a variety of faiths together for discussion and fellowship.
To save money, a church painter stirs water into his mixture. As the scaffold rises a little higher, he decides to add a little more water. Finally, as the painter reaches the top, a great storm erupts and a disapproving voice is heard. "Repaint," the voice says, "and thin no more." So the joke goes. It's a favorite of the Rev. David Carlton, associate pastor at Palos Park Presbyterian Community Church, and his reason for liking it is clear. Carlton presides over the area's Alpha course, a program designed to transcend denominational lines and welcome a post-Christian era of Christianity — one that embraces humor, fun and open-mindedness rather than rigidity. "The nature of groups is that they're going to scatter and divide and there's …
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