Formation
Sundays @ 9:00 am | Adult Formation Class
Sundays @ 10:00 am | Children’s Sunday School: Godly Play
Wednesdays @ 5:30 pm | Evening Prayer
Wednesdays @ 6:00 pm | Discussion Group
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
Children’s Sunday School: Godly Play
Fall Sunday School will run from Sept. 7 - Dec. 21
Winter/Spring Session will run from Jan. 11 - May 24.
We will not hold regular Sunday School during the Christmas Holiday
or Easter Sunday.
September 7 is the beginning to our regular Godly Play Sunday School Sessions that begin at 10:00 am, the children joining worship at the Peace. This Fall session, children will explore the Sacred Stories of the Old Testament which will culminate in the Advent stories. We are so excited to welcome the children, storytellers, and doorkeepers back to the circle! If you are interested in volunteering for our children's program, please reach out to Kathy Smith (please email the office for contact information).
Sunday Morning Adult Formation Class
Sunday Morning Adult Formation takes place in the parish hall at 9:00 am. Fr. Michael is currently leading a study on the Acts of the Apostles.
Acts is the only book of its kind in the New Testament. Written by the same author who gave us “The Gospel of Luke,” Acts serves as a sequel to that work, chronicling the life of the early Church after Jesus ascended into heaven. It gives us great insight into how the original disciples spread the good news of Christ in a world that was alternatively receptive and violently hostile to the message they shared.
Learning about Acts helps us connect with our deepest roots as a Church community and offers us guidance and comfort. The first Christians encountered a challenging mission field, a crowded marketplace of conflicting ideas, just like we do, and they employed creative solutions to break through the clutter and narrow-mindedness that often prevailed in their society. They enjoyed very fruitful moments and endured struggles and internal conflict, as we often do today. Acts provides a fast-paced narrative punctuated with little speeches, mainly from Peter and Paul, that reveal an energized movement anchored in a sound understanding of who Jesus is and what he means. In studying Acts, we learn more about who we are and who we are called to become as the modern inheritors of the call the proclaim the Gospel.
This class will last for three or four months, but copious notes are provided for each session, so if there are dates when you can’t be here, have no fear. We can get you caught up quickly. And as always, questions and contributions are most welcome.
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On Sunday mornings at 9:10 am beginning January 4th, we will start the Book of Daniel. It’s a fascinating work of twelve chapters, divided into two equal parts. The first half, most of us know well from Sunday School as children: Daniel and the lions’ den; Daniel and the fiery furnace; and many more stirring stories. The second half of Daniel, most people know less well, but it’s no less intriguing, consisting of the largest repository of apocalyptic literature in the entire Old Testament. It’s wild and fierce and hard to figure out, but part of the fun is exploring what such things might mean for us in the present day. As always, questions are most welcome.
We will spend seven Sundays listening to and questioning Daniel and each other, which will take us straight through the season of Epiphany, and if you miss a Sunday here or there, no worries. We provide notes so you can catch up quickly. Come and learn more about the Bible and how it applies to daily life, right here Sundays at 9:10 am.
Wednesday Evening Prayer & Discussions
Current Schedule:
5:30 pm Evening Prayer on Wednesday Nights
6:00 pm Discussion: Christmas Music Wine Club
Seasonally we have Evening Prayer at 5:30 pm in the church on Wednesday evenings. One of our four daily offices, this is a service of prayer and scripture that concludes a day nicely. At 6:00 pm, we transition into the parish hall for a discussion group, which finishes at 7:00 pm.
You can choose between worship or study or do both.
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For weeks now, it’s been hard to go anywhere without hearing over-early Christmas music, and much of it fails to focus on the reason for the season, but we have a remedy on Wednesday nights: the Christmas Music Wine Club, where we listen to awesome sacred choral works, most of them Anglican, written specifically for the seasons of Advent and Christmas.
We start at 5:30 pm with Evening Prayer, followed by beautiful music and thoughtful discussion in the Parish Hall, and yes, there is wine. As we prepare for Jesus’ birth during Advent, this can be an opportunity to enjoy some glorious singing of sacred texts by the best choirs in the world. It’s a mix of old favorites, and some newish meaningful pieces you may have never heard but could come to adore.
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.
