Adult Education
Lectionary Bible Study
Parishioner Larry Sibley, theologian and lectionary study leader, holds Lectionary Bible Study periodically throughout the year. While the business of the program year has settled down, the summer months can be a great time for meditation and spiritual growth. Larry has provided downloadable Sunday readings and reflection questions for this quiet season. This season after Pentecost is also referred to as Ordinary Time. Access study material HERE.
Book Studies - Learning in Faith Together
Reading a book can be helpful in living our lives. Reading a book along with others in a book study amplifies the pleasure and concentrates the time and effort needed in our busy lives to make the experience more worthwhile. Come talk to others about what you have read in a safe, respectful setting; hear others’ responses; enlarge your thinking; understand more; realize different points of view other than your own; maintain contact with a small community of folks who share this experience. It all makes the book come to life. Try it and see for yourself.
Learning in Faith Together (LIFT) meets the first and third Tuesday of each month from 10 to 11:30 a.m. in the Good Shepherd room (off of the Narthex). Over the summer we have been reading from "Holy Moments - A Handbook for the Rest of Your Life" by Matthew Kelly. We will begin a new book in the Fall and provide the title and author information here on this page. All are welcome to join us; if you would like Sue Gordon to order a book for you, contact her at gsgordon115@comcast.net.
Parish Forum
The Sunday Forum features learning and discussion led by visiting speakers or parishioners on topics ranging from spiritual growth and parish identity to issues and outreach. The forums generally meet following the 10 a.m. service at 11:30 in the Parish Hall or the library. Upcoming forums are announced here and on the EVENTS page.
Education for Ministry (EfM)
If you want to deepen your faith with a lively group of fellow seekers, consider joining parishioners from local parishes in the Education for Ministry (EFM) Program. This is a four-year certificate program sponsored by Sewanee University. Year One is a study of the Hebrew Scriptures; Year Two, the New Testament; Year Three, Christian Church History, and, Year Four various Topics in Theology. Classes meet each Monday evening from 6:45 to 9:15 at St. Martin-in-the-Fields Episcopal Church, 8000 St. Martin’s Lane in Chestnut Hill, with appropriate breaks during various holidays. The tuition cost is $325 per year and financial aid is available. The program and the committed community of fellow students, encourage independent thought and critical thinking. If interested or have any questions, please call Jim Rowley at 215.837.7790 or email at jrowley916@gmail.com. Here’s the link to the official EfM website: https://efm.sewanee.edu.
Education for Ministry (EfM): Discern and Discover event on Thursday, July 25
Learn more about the EfM program by attending this event on Thursday, July 25 from 7p.m.-9p.m. via Zoom. Use the link here to register.
Listening Circle
The Listening Circle is a small group that offers a place of safety and trust where participants are better able to connect with the place of inner wisdom, or the God within. Our goals are to deepen our relationships with each other, be able to identify and connect with the place of God/Truth within us, learn to listen more deeply, and to be nourished and strengthened within ourselves and also in our relationships with others.
While this group is open to anyone interested in deepening relationships, its size is limited to provide more generous time for each person’s participation.
Each person brings to the Listening Circle a desire to experience and practice deep listening and a willingness to attend as many sessions as possible so as to build trust within the group. We meet monthly in the evening.