Adult Formation
Fall 2007
Education opportunities to support modern-day
disciples…
Sundays, evenings and weekdays
Fifth Annual The Bible & The World Lecture
Sunday, November 4, 5 p.m.
Professor Emeritus of Columbia Theological Seminary, Walter Brueggemann says his life text is Psalm 119:105: "Your word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." These words, given to Brueggemann at his confirmation by his preacher father, taught him "the artistry as well as the authority of scripture." The Bible, for this scholar, is "essentially an open, imaginative narrative of God's staggering care for the world, a narrative that will feed and nurture into obedience that builds community precisely by respect for the liberty of the Christian man or woman."
The title of Brueggemann's lecture is "Journey to the Common Good: The Summons beyond Red and Blue." He writes, "There is among us now a great impetus to withdraw from the common good into party, sect, and ideology that may keep us safe. But the primal story of the Bible is the story of the journey from such fearful safety to risky engagement for the common good. It is a journey that all persons of faith must make."
Attend the lecture, sponsored by the Diocese of Rochester and St. Paul's, in the sanctuary at 5 p.m. on Sunday, November 4. The lecture is to be preceded by a Choral Evensong at 4 p.m.
Both events are free and open to the public.
October Series - Focus on Brueggemann
| Thursdays, October 11, 18 & 25, 7 to 9 p.m. | East Room |
Read and discuss Brueggemann's latest book Mandate to Be Different: An Invitation to the Contemporary Church. Tom Hanson, who is to facilitate the discussions, asks that you read at least the first two chapters for October 14. Copies of the book are available at The Good Book Store.
Sunday Morning Studies
Bible Study - The Jesus I Never Knew
| September 16-December 16, 9 to 9:40 a.m. | East Room |
Take a look at the teachings, person, and life of Jesus Christ from the perspective of Philip Yancey, editor at large of Christianity Today. Press beyond notions and stereotypes of Jesus to obtain fresh, uncluttered perspectives on history's central figure - his radical claims, his challenging teachings, and his effect on others… including you.
Be part of a unique approach to Bible study this fall with facilitator Leslie St. Louis.
TEC & WWAC - The Episcopal Church &
The World-Wide Anglican Communion
| September 16-December 16, 9 to 9:40 a.m. | Wainwright Parlor |
What is the status of dissention in the Anglican Communion and what effect is it having on the American church? Who will gather for the Lambeth Conference in 2008? Meet with Tom McCart for an up-to-date report.
What Do Mormons Believe?
| October 14, 28; November 11, 18, 9 to 9:40 a.m. | Wainwright Parlor |
In the spring of 1820, Joseph Smith Jr. went to the woods near his home in Palmyra, New York, to offer a simple prayer that set into motion a series of events that brought forth The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Join Fred Reynolds to look at this church that has grown from obscure beginnings in upstate New York into a worldwide communion. In coming to understand others' beliefs, Fred says, we can more fully understand our own.
Christian Pathways
| Ongoing Sundays, 9 to 9:50 a.m. | Church Conference Room |
A public group for anyone (high school and up) including those of other faiths or none. Reading the assignment is not required to attend or necessary to have a good time. Visitors are welcome, and after a twelve-year run we are still experimenting with format. For spring 2008 we plan to read from the Church Fathers and St. Augustine. We believe there is a bedrock religious experience that can be shared, negotiated, interpreted and expressed in a bewildering variety of ways, and that is best approached through small groups in face-to-face discussion.
Contact Linda White (585-482-2616 or david@bishopbutlerbooks.com).
Sunday Morning Forums
| 9 to 9:40 a.m. | Wainwright Parlor |
| October 7 | Meet St. Paul's Director of Music, Robert Poovey |
| January 13 | Fred Reynolds talks about the Search for a Bishop |
| 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. | Vestry Room |
| October 14 | Christian Dialogue and Contemporary Issues: The Latest on Global Warming |
| November 11 | What We Believe: David and Kathleen Cook, Leaders in the Mormon Community |
See the Blue Notices in the Sunday bulletin and the Epistle for more about these forums and others.
Evenings
Via Media - Questions of Faith
| Fridays, beginning September 21, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. | Vestry Room |
(A light supper is provided.)
Learn To Speak Episcopalian - How does God speak to us and we to God in the 21st century? Both newcomers to the church and more experienced members come together to explore the history, traditions and theology of the Episcopal Church.
Enjoy Via Media, an 8-week program about the Episcopal Church, using video and discussion. Encounter the basic principles of Christianity through the Anglican approach to Scripture, Tradition, and Reason. Participants are encouraged to ask questions and to learn how to answer their own questions of faith. Based on the group meeting last spring, the program evokes lively discussion and meaningful interaction among participants.
Please sign up by calling the church office, or signing up in the Activities Book in the Sunday office.
Contact Nancy Grear 262-3925 evenings or ncgrear@frontiernet.net.
Advent Series - From Metrical Psalms To Hymns
| Thursdays, November 29; December 6, 13 and 20 | 6 p.m. Evening Prayer in the Chancel |
| 6:30 p.m. Supper in the Parish Hall | |
| 7 to 8 p.m. Program |
Join Robert Poovey and Tom McCart in singing through 450 years of the development of Anglican hymnolgy/hymnody.
Thursday Daytimes
ECW (Episcopal Church Women - and Men)
All Programs in the Parish Hall
| September 20, 1 p.m | Joyce Bogdanski Plays Cole Porter |
| October 4, 7 p.m. | Stem Cell Research |
| October 18, 11 a.m. | The Rev. Thomas McCart: Church History #1 |
| November 1, 1 p.m. | Knowledge is Power at any Age |
| December 6, 1 p.m. | Richard Gladwell: With Heart and Voice - The Inner Workings |
| January 3, 1 p.m. | The McKelveys on Rochester |
| January 17, 11 a.m. | The Rev. Thomas McCart: Church History #2 |
A complete schedule of meetings, luncheons, and programs is available here.
Contact Mary Critikos 442-3369.
REAPers - Listening For God In Literature
| Second and Fourth Thursdays, Beginning September 13, 10 to 11:15 a.m. | Wainwright Parlor |
Joyce Carol Oates, Salmon Rushdie, Amy Tan, Alice Walker - read and discuss fiction by these and other writers of contemporary fiction in Faith Stories (available at the Good Book Store). The stories stimulate the intellect and open the way to hearing God from many perspectives. Following each meeting, participants are invited to have lunch together at an area restaurant.
Try the REAPers this fall for a rich harvest of ideas and fellowship.
Schedule of Readings
from Faith: Stories. Ed. C. Michael Curtis. Mariner Book / Houghton Mifflin. 2003. Available at the Good Bookstore.
| September 13 | James A. Michener | Voyage Four: 1661 |
| September 27 | Yukio Mishima | The Priest and His Love |
| October 11 | Joyce Carol Oates | At the Seminary |
| October 25 | Edna O'Brien | Sister Imelda |
| November 8 | Katherine Anne Porter | The Jilting of Granny Weatherall |
| December 13 | TBA | |
| January 10 | Reynolds Price | Full Day |
| January 24 | Tova Reich | The Third Generation |
Contact Barbara Warner 271-2240.