Formation
Sundays @ 9:00 am | Adult Formation Class on Romans
Sundays @ 10:00 am | Children’s Sunday School
Wednesdays @ 5:30 pm | Evening Prayer
Wednesdays @ 6:00 pm | Reflections
The Episcopal Church defines formation as “lifelong growth in the knowledge, service, and love of God as followers of Christ . . . informed by scripture, tradition, and reason.”
“Christian formation is a lifelong process, occurring in community, that shapes you into the person God created you to be.” — The Reverend Dr. Pamela Dolan
Wednesday Evenings: Evening Prayer & Reflections
We will have a series of seven gatherings for worship and study on Wednesday nights in Epiphany, starting on January 15.
We’ll begin with Evening Prayer at 5:30 pm in the Church. One of our four daily offices, and the most beautiful and relaxing one if you ask me, this is a service of prayer and scripture that concludes a day nicely. At 6:00 pm, we’ll transition into the parish hall for reflection on “Stories About Jesus for Daily Life,” a close look at some of the things Jesus said and did and how that can impact our daily faith journey in a positive, meaningful way. This will be a learning and sharing experience with a strong practical orientation. These will also be episodic sessions, one-offs. If you miss a week, no need to feel behind, but there will be continuity as well, each new story subtly building on the others. We’ll finish at 7:00 pm.
You can choose between worship or study or do both, and if members of the group want to organize snacks, that would be a great idea. When we reach the end of Epiphany, if people want to continue, then we will.
Sunday Morning Adult Formation Class: Romans
On Sunday, January 5 at 9:00 am, we will begin a study of Paul’s Letter to the Romans, his longest and most theologically dense work. We will work through it roughly one chapter a week, with the series ending around April 27. Notes for each session are distributed, so if you miss a week, don’t worry about being behind. Romans can be awfully hard to understand if read in solitude. Working with a group helps unlock meaning that might otherwise remain hidden.
Understanding Paul can be crucial to our faith. His writings comprise about one-quarter of the entire New Testament. Some scholars even dub him as “the inventor of Christianity,” though I think that takes it a bit too far. Paul was eminently practical in his thinking, a pastoral theologian responding to the needs of specific people and communities, so there’s plenty of practical life application to be gained from him, as we strive to live more faithfully day to day.
Foyer Groups & Prayer Circles
Foyer groups are monthly gatherings of 6-8 people who share a meal in someone’s home or out as a picnic or at a restaurant, going Dutch. Nobody needs to be Martha Stewart. Something simple and wholesome works just fine. The whole point of a foyer group is pure fellowship. No other agenda beyond sharing stories and strengthening friendships. Groups will be formed with an eye to geography and compatibility, while trying to help people meet others they may not know well. These are temporary groups, with fresh sign-ups and new groups being formed every 6-8 months.
Prayer circles are weekly gatherings of 4-5 people who meet somewhere for an hour to pray for and with each other. This is a more intimate and purposeful experience, which can also make it a very powerful experience. These small groups provide support and comfort during challenging times and encouragement as we try to live more faithfully in relationship with Jesus. Simple guides will be provided to help structure these groups, guidelines—not rules—that can be modified as the group decides. Prayer groups, because they are smaller and meet more often, tend to grow much closer, so they are not temporary groups and will not be reformed on a regular basis.
Sign-ups for both groups, on separate sheets, are on the table in the Narthex. We will take sign-ups through the end of January, quickly form the groups, notify you by email, and help you get started in February.
