There are several opportunities beginning on Sunday for Christian formation, study and prayer, beginning on Sunday, March 1, with a new Lenten series with Associate Rector James Joiner. In addition to the gatherings listed below, please know that all are welcome for Evening Prayer every Wednesday at 6:30 pm. You can indicate your interest in opportunities for other weekday prayer here.
Lenten Sunday Forums Our Sunday Forums in Lent will explore the ideas of sin and mercy and how we can use each for self-examination and community accountability. We tend to have a very loaded idea of what constitutes sin in our tradition, and for good reason! The classification of sins has a notorious history for being used to dominate and manipulate the faithful with misplaced religious authority. Yet we still hold the idea that there is something good that we pursue in our spiritual lives, and part of that involves discerning which parts of our lives as individuals and communities are worth turning away from. Through a comparison with how other religious traditions approach this phenomenon, particularly the teachings from Buddhism on The Five Hindrances, we’ll look at fresh approaches for how to engage Christianity’s use and misuse of sin. In the process, we’ll develop practices for becoming fountains of God’s mercy in our daily lives. All are welcome in the Nativity Hall each Sunday at 10:15 am from March 1-29.
Gathered & Dispersed On Tuesday nights through Lent and into the first few weeks of the Easter season, Associate Rector James Joiner is leading a new program designed to allow us to develop more depth in our relationships with one another and in the understanding we share around our faith. Each week, we’ll gather for part of our time in small-group Bible study and check-in, and part of our time in large-group exploration of topics related to our faith and spirituality, book-ended at the beginning and end with prayer. This format mirrors our Catechumenate program but offers it over a shorter period of time, allowing folks who have been through the Catechumenate in the past to regroup for more connection. Our hope is that these gatherings will give folks who may not be able to make the full commitment to Catechumenate from Advent to Pentecost a taste of what that time together can offer. This time, we’ll be meeting from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm on Tuesday nights from March 3 to April 21. If you’d like to participate in these gatherings, you will find the registration here, or contact James.
Lenten Book Study on Wednesdays Join Rector Chris Craun for a five-week book group on Frank Ostaseski’s The Five Invitations. The group will gather for soup and discussion in the Parish Hall on Wednesdays at 12:00 noon. The dates are: March 4, March 11, March 18, April 1 and April 8. There are books available in the office to purchase for $9.
Online Lenten Devotional All are invited to join Chris Craun’s Google Classroom for Lent. We are posting every day and following the Living Compass Lenten Devotional. Folks can either email Chris to be invited into the classroom, or join the Google classroom with this class code: r5zf2iz.
