Faith Formation For Adults
Spring 2013
Lenten Programs 2013: Click here to see offerings for faith formation in Lent.
Coffee and Conversation: On Sunday mornings at 10:15 (between worship services), join us to discuss, learn, debate, and share. In the parish hall. All are welcome!
Faith Exploration Class: Every year, St. Thomas offers a spring course for adults who desire to deepen their connection with God, with the parish, and with our Anglican practices, history, and identity. This course offers an opportunity to delve into questions of faith and scripture as well as inquiry into the particular mechanics of worship, church leadership, community, and service. If you are new to St. Thomas, this class is an ideal way to get plugged in. Long-time and less new parishioners also find it a chance to re-examine questions and re-engage with their life of faith. All are welcome to join us on this journey! The Faith Exploration Class will take place in April/May of 2013. Click here for all the details.
Mental Health First Aid: Click here to learn more.
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PREVIOUS PROGRAMS: Fall 2012
Weekly Contemplative Bible Study: Each week at the 5:30pm Wednesday service, participants engage the ancient practice of lectio divina--a way of reading scripture with the heart as well as the mind. We take the Gospel for the upcoming Sunday as our text for lectio divina. Join us for this weekly opportunity to encounter Scripture.
Parish Reads: Reading a book together leads to shared conversation at coffee hour, in the neighborhood, and at home. Check out the information here on our Parish Reads series.
Congregational Forum: Mental Illness | November 11, 18, and 25 at 10:15am in the Parish Hall
For many congregations, mental illness is an invisible affliction, something that individual members and their families cope with secretly. At St. Thomas, because of our involvement with the adult homes on Chamberlayne Avenue, mental illness is a visible and sometimes challenging part of our congregation’s life together. And in addition to the very visible aspects of mental illness, the reality is that many St. Thomas folk live with depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia in isolation. Our parish still has much to learn and many stigmas to overcome about life with mental illness.
Please join us for a community forum on mental illness in our congregation at 10:15am in the Parish Hall on three Sundays, November 11 – 25. Parishioner Daniel Rigsby, who works with Henrico County’s mental health services, will lead us through material and discussions designed to help us deepen our understanding of life with mental illness, and to discover how our congregation can be a safe and loving place for all.
We urge all parishioners to prioritize these events as a matter of membership in the congregation. Please make every effort to join us for these important conversations.
A Year with the Bible: By popular request, St. Thomas’ has been offering a year long course about the Bible – what it is, how it came to be, how we interpret its contents and what it actually says, including its major themes and concerns. The course is divided into four parts each six weeks in length.
The course is 24 sessions divided into four six-week classes. The class will meet for the second session beginning on Tuesday, April 24 from 7-9pm and for the following five Tuesdays. Material covered in the second part includes a study of the great themes of the book of Exodus and an exploration of the nature of prophecy and its place in religious life.
The class is directed towards those who would like to know more in general, have lots of questions and confusions, and will provide the opportunity to explore some things in depth. This is a program for which pre-registration is required. Attendance at all sessions will be the most fruitful for participants but
the four parts can be taken separately. If you think you might be interested in this program contact Sue at seaves@stthomasrichmond.org or 321-9548.
Conversations on Grief: Tending to our spiritual lives when we lose someone we love.
A six session discussion group, Conversations on Grief, will be starting on Sunday, April 15th at 6:00pm. The group will meet bi-monthly from 6:00-7:30pm and will offer a brief reading/meditation on the week's theme, followed by a group conversation surrounding common emotional encounters along the path of grief. The hope of this group is to come to know ourselves more deeply during a time of loss, while becoming aware of God's presence in this journey with us. The meeting dates and themes are:
April 15 Daily Life and Daily Grief | April 29 Birds of Sorrow | May 6 Pathways of Regret | May 20 Anger and Acceptance | June 3 Transformational Love | June 10 Continuing the Journey
Please contact Sarah Kye Price(skprice@vcu.edu, at 804-266-2324(home) or at 804-828-0579 (office) for more information or ask Sue, Susan or June.
Other opportunities for retreats, quiet days, films, and presentations take place over the course of the year.