Jesus said, “I have called you friends.” This class focuses on what it means to be a friend in Christ, exploring the dynamics of our personal friendship with Christ and how that friendship informs and empowers our making and keeping friends with one another in the Body of Christ. Topics include the equality that is at the core of friendship, the loving bond that holds friends together, the belief and trust in each other’s commitment, and the sharing of a view of life that embeds friends in the pursuit of purposes and meanings held in common. Other questions to explore: Can loyalty to a friend ever supersede loyalty to family members? How can friends resolve conflict? Friendships from the Bible will be used to illustrate both the multi-layered blessings of friendship as well as the intense challenges that arise from growing within friendships.