“Manna and Mercy” is the name of a book written by Daniel Erlander. Using Erlander’s book, Rev. Alan Storey, has developed a journey from Genesis to Revelation over the course of one weekend, with sensitivity to the contexts in which the scriptures were written and of our present day.
The Bible is meant to be an instrument of God to enable abundant life for God’s creation. Yet sadly through the ages it has been read and interpreted in such a way that it has been used as an instrument of human domination and death. It has been used to cheer on the crusades, support slavery, advocate Apartheid, glorify genocide, sanction sexism, bless war and worship prosperity in the face of the poor, to name just a few horrors of our human history.
During the Manna and Mercy retreat, we will take a fresh look at scripture through the interpretive lens of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection and God’s overall call for each one of us to partner with God in mending this fractured world. The hope is that after we have done so, our interpretations and use of scriptures will be truly liberating and life-enabling.
Participant Remarks:
“Manna & Mercy helped me gain much more clarity about the Bible’s over-arching story of God’s great love for creation. It’s easy in Bible studies to lose sight of the forest for the trees. I participated in the retreat, and I’ll be teaching Manna & Mercy for the second time this year!”
Rev. Bruce Case
Parkway Heights UMC
Brandon, MS
“Alan forces us to dig deeper into the expansiveness, relevancy, and the culturally imposed limits that our social locations placed upon our faith journeys. Come in humility, leave challenged..”
Rev. Joey Shelton
Galloway UMC
Jackson, MS
“Manna and Mercy- Great themes of scripture - are opened up in wonderful ways by Alan Storey. I was richly blessed and given new courage by this remarkable journey through the Biblical narrative. May this be true for you!”
Bishop Hope Morgan Ward
Presiding Methodist Bishop
Jackson, MS
“It amazes me, how I learn something new every time I have participated in one of these retreats. I can’t think of a better way to kick off the Lenten season than to take a journey through the Bible with Alan Storey. He is a gifted teacher who will lead you right into a love affair with the word of God!”
Rev. Michelle Shrader
Gateway UMC
Gulfport, MS