Church book group meets Mondays

Sparta - The next meeting of the Sparta United Methodist Church Monday evening book study group will take place at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, April 24, at the church, located at 71 Sparta Ave. The group began a couple of years ago as a 10-week commitment with 12 people. When the initial 10 weeks were over, many participants opted to continue meeting. Each time a different book or study is begun, new people are welcomed to join, giving the group a steady influx of fresh voices and new perspectives. The new book is Good Goats: Healing our Image of God. It will be discussed for three consecutive weeks, beginning with the April 24 meeting. The book provides new insights and understandings of difficult bible passages, particularly those dealing with the God as either all-loving, all forgiving and all-gracious, or as the vengeful God who condemns people to hell for all eternity. All interested persons are welcome to join in this study. For information, call 973-729-7773 or log on to spartaumc.org.