An Invitation to
THE WAY
An ancient path of spiritual exploration for adults who:
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sense a yearning in their lives they suspect only God can satisfy
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are seeking a safe and caring place to give the God made known in Jesus a deeper look
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are newly committed Jesus-followers eager to acquire a grounding in the Bible, prayer, and worship
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have been officially connected to the church for a while and yet feel ill-equipped to put words or actions to their faith
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never got a chance for religious training as a youth, or had a bad experience, or want to try again as a grown-up
…alongside others in a community of friends.
How does it work?
A Time of Inquiry
Over the course of seven Wednesday nights at Grace Lutheran Church (Oct. 29 – Dec. 17, excluding Thanksgiving Eve) from 7:10-8 pm, participants, or “inquirers,” will gather with Guide Greg Alleman, a local Dodgeville math teacher and Grace member, to ask open-ended questions about the nature of faith, God, the world, the Bible, and the church.
Questions might include: “What is the place of faith in my life? ”“What have I been put here on earth to do?” “How can I listen for God’s voice?” “Where did the Bible come from?” “Why would someone practice their faith with a group like a church rather than just privately?” “What may I hope for in the face of death?” and more.
Inquirers themselves will guide the discussions with questions that are meaningful to themselves. Your Guide will listen and facilitate nonjudgmentally. There will be hot drinks and snacks. There is no cost. Participating each week will help you get to know others, but you may also drop in at any point during the seven Wednesdays.
Those who wish to come early to join in on the 6:30 pm worship service—a simple service of Word, song, and prayer—will be welcomed, but this is not required. Maybe others in your group will want to try it together.
Where is this going?
Following this Inquiry stage of The Way, those who desire to continue to the second stage of Deeper Exploration will enroll in a six-week winter course with Grace’s pastor, Mark Williamson, also on Wednesday evenings, from Jan. 6 – Feb. 11, 2026. At this stage, participants will be presented with a Bible, given a “sponsor” from Grace to learn alongside of, and will be prayed over by name by the Grace congregation.
A third stage called Baptismal Living will also be offered during the Christian season of Lent (starting Feb. 18) and will offer training in practices like prayer, spiritual reading, sacraments, hospitality, and serving the poor.
Those who desire to receive baptism into Christ or, if baptized already, make a public “affirmation of the vocation of the baptized in the world” will be given an opportunity to do so as a group in Eastertime, and be received joyfully as fellow pilgrims of faith by the wider congregation.
Those who wish to stop after the season of Inquiry will be blessed and given an open invitation to return later.