Teens are invited to sharpen their writing skills, by becoming more familiar with the great themes of the book of Genesis.
Each week has two classes: an in person class on Sunday morning at 10 a.m., where the student comes to take notes, ask questions, etc. about a theme in the book of Genesis (see syllabus). For the second class, students (and their parents) attend a Thursday night class, where they actually write a one to two page paper on Sunday's content.
Pastor Wagenmaker (who has also served as a classical Christian school headmaster and teacher, and who is an attorney) will give personal instruction on how to write the paper, and after the student hand writes the paper, the student will give the paper to Pastor Wagenmaker for grading and feedback. Writing the paper by hand ensures that the student, not the parent or A.I., develops analytical and writing skills.
For safety's sake, the Sunday morning class happens with many people present at Covenant Presbyterian Church, and the Thursday night class also takes place with many AND with the ability for parents to watch the class via zoom if they cannot attend in person.
Thursday, September 10, 2026 at 6:30 PM, Covenant Presbyterian Church
Please email todd.wagenmaker@gmail.com if you are interested in attending, or with any questions.
There is no cost; this is a labor of love to encourage students to think and to develop writing skills (and the content is also an important-but-neglected topic: basic Biblical literacy).
| Date | Passage | Theme | Writing Assignment |
|---|---|---|---|
| September 13 | Genesis 1-2 | God's Temple | Confirmation: The Temple |
| September 20 | Genesis 3 | The First Adam | Invective: Adam and his failure |
| September 27 | Genesis 4-8 | The Flood/T.B.O. | Encomium to Noah |
| October 4 | Genesis 9-12 | Moral chaos/Abram | Refutation: Man's City will Last |
| October 11 | Genesis 12-17 | Abram's (Faltering) Faith | (break) |
| October 18 | Genesis 18-22 | Abram's Sons | Confirmation: The Blood Sacrifice |
| October 25 | Genesis 23-27 | The Patriarchs | Invective: Jacob |
| November 1 | Genesis 28-34 | The Patriarchs II | Confirmation: God saves sinners |
| November 8 | Genesis 35-41 | The Joseph story | Refutation: God helps those who help… |