Adult Formation, Bible Study, and Fellowship
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We human beings are created to be in relationship. We believe that God wants a relationship with each and every one of us. That connection to God is nurtured through prayer, worship, formation, Bible study, and fellowship. St. Christopher's offers opportunities to grow in relationship to God, to each other, and ourselves by connecting with others. You need not be a member of St. Christopher's to participate in these opportunities for learning and growth.
Adult Formation
Join us for "Common Grounds" on Sundays from 9:00 to 9:45 a.m. This Adult Discussion Forum meet in the Parish Hall.
Childcare is provided, giving parents with young children the opportunity to participate. The Common Grounds topics scheduled for the Sundays in September include: October 7 | Help - The First of Anne Lamott's "Three Essential Prayers
Father Stephen Christian writer Anne Lamott says that Help “is the first great prayer.” When we pray, most of us pray for a lot of things. In the church we talk about intercessions—requests for God’s blessings and healing grace for others. The Prayers of the People we use on Sundays—when we prayer for the church, our nation, the world, our community, people in trouble, or those who have died—are prayers of intercession. Or we talk about petitions—requests for God’s blessings and grace for ourselves—guidance in making a decision, protection from evil, or the healing of pain. Lamott lumps these prayers into a single category: Help. Prayers that fall into this single category will be our subject this week. October 14 | Thanks - The Second of Anne Lamott's "Three Essential Prayers Father Stephen When we express our gratitude to God for all the blessings and mercies God gives us, we are offering prayers of thanksgiving. For many of us, the grace we learned to say before we shared a meal was the first prayer of thanksgiving we ever said. “God is great. God is good. And we thank Him for our food. Amen.” Did you know that the word “Eucharist” is the Greek word for “thanksgiving?” So, the central act of worship for this community of faith is a prayer of gratitude. In the world as it is, maintaining an “attitude of gratitude” is very difficult. So, this Sunday, we’ll spend some time on Thanks. [Please note there is a break in the prayer series between October 14 and 28.] October 21 | The "E" Word: Evangelism Marty Torrance Does the word Evangelism make you anxious? Do you break out in hives? As Christians we are called to share the Good News of Christ, yet as Episcopalians we often find this a very difficult task. Join us as we discuss our perceptions of Evangelism, why it is difficult and ways in which we can more easily share our faith with integrity and grace. October 28 | Wow - The Third of Anne Lamott's "Three Essential Prayers" Father Stephen Most lists of prayers include a type called “adoration”—the kind of prayer that expresses our love for God and for God’s creation. A good example of this is the Gloria during a service of Holy Eucharist when we ask for nothing; we just praise God’s presence. Anne Lamott says “’Wow’ means we are not lost to wonder,” and she talks about “lower case Wows” like clean sheets or seeing a kid execute a dive at the town pool. Then, as she puts it, “there are the uppercase Wows. Yosemite. Fireworks. Watching puppies being born at the neighbors’ when you were six.” We’ll end the exploration of prayer with Wow! [Please note there is a break in the prayer series between October 14 and 28.] |
