Foundations Classes
A variety of classes will be offered in 2010 which focus on our Anglo-Catholic ethos as well as the Gospel of Luke which will guide us through the Sundays and Holy Days of the year. Each class is held from 12:30-1:15 in All Saints Chapel. Sunday classes are designed for anyone who wants to deepen their understanding of the core “centers” of Anglo-Catholic Christian life.
Fall 2010
Composing Spiritual Practices for Daily Life:
Modern Inspiration from the Rule of Benedict
Wednesdays, September 15, 22, and 29 from 6:30-8:30 p.m.
in the
Parish Hall
What are spiritual practices for busy people?
Are some of us already engaged in spiritual practices
and don't even know it?
With greater intention, how might we live balanced spiritual lives?
In this course, participants will explore spiritual practices and create their own "practice" of Christian spirituality—all with some helpful advice from St. Benedict and Anglican spiritual guides. You might just be surprised by some of the ways in which faith meets life. Nursery care provided.
For more information or to sign up,
Sunday classes
Sunday, September 26: Saint Paul's 101
A brief introduction to our worship and way of life. 12:15 in the church nave.
The Spirituality of Anglo-Catholic Christians – II
February 14, 21, 28
If you missed one or more of the amazing classes on Anglo-Catholic spirituality offered in Fall 2009, you’re in luck: each class will be offered again the early Spring. These classes invite participants to deepen their understanding of the distinctive elements in Anglo-Catholic/Episcopal life. Participants will explore Anglo-Catholic worship; our distinctive spirituality; and the challenge to live as the presence of Christ in daily life. Leaders include Stephen Crippen, Samuel Torvend, and Richard Buhrer
Parables of Forgiveness and Reconciliation
March 7, 14, and 21
In three classes during Lent, we will explore rare gems and challenging stories: selected parables of compassion and forgiveness drawn from Luke’s gospel. These are remarkable images, drawn from daily life, which invite us to nourish a resilient spirit of compassion and forgiveness in a culture and time marked by much litigation and divisiveness. Participants will consider what makes a parable a parable and why they are central to Jesus’ public life and our faith; why parables, read in their historical context, turn conventional wisdom about God and humanity upside down; and why the virtues of compassion and forgiveness – viewed by some as “weak” – nourish remarkable strength and courage within us.
The Spirit in the Christian Life
May 9, 16, 23
While some Christians might think of the Spirit as the “overlooked” member of the Holy Three, others experience the Spirit loudly, deeply, exuberantly, and quietly. In this three week series during Easter, participants will be introduced to a Spirit who is anything but a wall-flower. Drawing on our own experience of the Spirit, the Bible, the Prayer Book, and other sources, participants will be able to “drink deeply” of the One who is present in the most ordinary and unexpected ways in daily life. Mark Taylor will lead this class.
Previous Foundations Courses have included:
Previous classes and materials:
Eating and drinking with Jesus: Why meals matter at home, in the church, and in the world
Teach us to pray: Exploring diverse forms of prayer in a busy world
Reading Materials (.pdf):
"Varieties of Prayer" and "Finding God in the Ordinary" from Margaret Guenther's, The Practice of Prayer (1998)
Subversive, Unsettling, and Sublime Songs
We explored three texts from the Gospel of Luke which we regularly sing: the Magnificat (or Song of Mary), the Gloria (or Song of the Angels), and the Nunc Dimittis (or Song of Simeon). Join us as we consider the subversive and liberating aspects of Mary’s song (Luke 1:46-55) and its power to shape our contemporary sensibilities about women, wealth, and power (December 6); a song inspired by the angelic announcement of Christ’s birth (Luke 2:14) to a group of nobodies and the surprising political dimensions of this beloved hymn (December 13); and a poignant text sung by a man preparing to die who holds an infant in his arms (Luke 2:29-32), a song about hope and the desire for a peaceful death (December 20). Leaders included Melissa Skelton, Samuel Torvend, and Stephen Crippen.
Anglo-Catholic Sources of Social Action
The Way of St. Benedict: Benedictine Thought and Practice
Gifts Differing: Personality and Spirituality
Picturing God: Exploring Images of the Holy One
Anglo-Catholic Identity
and Practice
How Can I Forgive?
Forgiveness and its Place
in Spiritual Life
Re-Pitching the Tent: Holy Spaces as Formative
of the People of God and the People of St. Paul’s.
Sacramental Living:
The Re-enchantment of Everyday Life
Holy Living And Holy Dying
Shaping a Listening Parish:
Communication & Group Skills in Community |
