Adult Christian Formation
In our busy and competitive culture, still reeling from the impact of a global pandemic, one of our greatest challenges for each of is regularly setting time aside to nourish our souls. The ministry of Adult Christian Formation recognizes that each of us yearns to know more about God, spirituality in daily life, prayer, church traditions, and how to nourish our faith in a changing world. Our many volunteers and clergy strive to meet this challenge by offering creative opportunities for ongoing spiritual practice through adult education programs, retreats, quiet days and special forums. We also offer the four-year program of study Education for Ministry.
We all must be involved in lifelong and intentional faith development to increase our knowledge of God and to deepen our understanding of what it means to be a Christian in the contemporary world. In acknowledging that faith formation happens largely out in the world, outside the walls of our parishes, our goal is to better engage our own parishioners and newcomers in the journey of lifelong formation through a variety of educational opportunities that inform, inspire and transform our members. In addition, we provide a forum for our vestry ministries and external community groups to share their goals and needs. Members and non-members are invited to attend any of our offerings.
Sunday Morning Adult Forum Presentations (9:00 AM): Occasional series on a variety of topics are selected by our adult Christian formation team and presented by members of COHS, our priest, and guest speakers. Forums often focus upon concerns of spiritual, physical, and mental health; our lives as Christians in community with our family, neighbors and nation; and better understanding our own faith traditions - as well as many other topics.
First Friday Adult Formation. FFAF as it is better known offers a wide variety of speakers and presentations in the context of a potluck dinner and good conversation. We explore everything from theological issues to contemporary concerns with open minds, curiosity, and the willingness to meet new people, make new friends, learn, grow, and change. We meet at the church on the first Friday evening of each month – unless this falls on a holiday weekend, when it moves to the second Friday. Check out the current month presentation.
Bible Studies and Workshops. A variety of group studies are offered both in-person and online at various times throughout the year, including New Testament studies, fiction book studies, forums on financial management, centering prayer workshops, topics related to current events and faith, retreats, and numerous other creative programs. Our creative Adult Christian Formation Team is constantly identifying new topics, speakers, and forums for engaging, challenging, and life-changing faith formation.
Book Group. Our book group meets via Zoom on Wednesdays from 11:00 AM-12:30 PM. We read 4-6 books each year on a variety of topics; after we complete a book, we take a few weeks off, then begin another one—often of a completely different genre! Our conversations are lively, respectful, and thought-provoking. Everyone is welcome! View our current book here.
Education for Ministry. Do you have questions about your faith? Most people do, and most find it challenging to get answers. Education for Ministry (EfM) was developed by the School of Theology in Sewanee, Tennessee, to provide a mechanism for people to work through those questions. This four-year course of study provides the framework for the group to connect faith to their daily lives through reading and discussion. Meeting once a week in small groups, led by mentors trained to facilitate the experience, you will begin to think theologically, reflect faithfully, and communicate with mutual respect about challenging issues. By being an EfM participant, you will learn how to articulate your faith. You will learn how to shape your faith into action. You will become involved in ministries in your community, and you will make a difference. For more information, go to the EfM website: http://efm.sewanee.edu/ or contact the church office.
A new EfM Group is starting this September. Please contact Barb Broadbent with questions.
MEN’S SPIRITUAL GROWTH GROUP
On the first Thursday of each month at 7:00 PM, men of all ages gather to share our journeys and explore ways to grow ever deeper in our relationship with God as found in community, personally, and through our lives. We do this by reflecting on and sharing any part of our lives that has our attention, from the sorrowful to the joyful, the exciting to the peaceful, the simple to the magnificent. This sharing is often done through story-telling of our journey, as well as through book and article study and how the topics are pertinent to our life, and therefore to our relationship with God.
Contact Eric Frankhouser for more information.
ENCORE:
ENGAGING NEW CORRIDORS OF RECREATION & EDUCATION
ENCORE is for adults in the second half of life and offers opportunities for community formation through recreation, education, and spiritual exploration. The group focuses on sharing cultural and social events such as concerts, plays, tours, movies, museums, and special events in our region. ENCORE is a wonderful way to make friends, explore new places, and get to know our community in a new way!
SPIRITUAL FRIENDS MEDITATION GROUP
The Spiritual Friends Meditation Group offers a time for mindful movement, guided reflective practices, meditation, and discussion. The group meets the first Monday of the month at 7 PM from October to June.
We enter in silence as we listen to Gregorian Chants and as we let go of concerns of the day and calm our mind. There is always time at the conclusion for discussion to share our experience. All are welcome.
CENTERING PRAYER
Have you ever wondered what it means to be still and know God, or how to be still and know God? Have you been attracted to the idea of just being still with God, with no demands? Rooted in the Christian tradition, Centering Prayer is one method that can lead us to being still, with the intent to open our being to God’s presence within, and God’s healing action, leading to a deeper relationship with God, with Self, with Others, with all of Creation. Centering Prayer is based on the wisdom saying of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount: “Whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”
Centering Prayer is a receptive method of silent prayer that prepares us to receive the gift of contemplative prayer, prayer in which we experience God's presence within us, closer than breathing, closer than thinking, closer than consciousness itself.
Join either or both of our Centering Prayer Groups:
Weekly on Wednesdays
4PM at Eric’s place; or
4th Mondays
7:00 PM via Zoom only.
Come as often as you like. Contact Eric Frankhouser (frankgen6@gmail.com, 267-261-3512) for more info.