Adult Education 2009 Annual Report

When Jesus called his original disciples, there were no classes to take, lectures to attend, or books to read: only the call to “Follow me.” There were, of course, miracles to observe and wonder at (Water changed to wine! Lepers healed!), some good stories to hear (That prodigal son! That feckless steward!), and people to meet (the Samaritan woman, the rich young ruler). And, of course, there was one remarkable man on whose life they were expected model their own.

St. Clare’s Adult Education Commission offers people at all stages of their faith journey opportunities to hear the stories, meet the people, and occasionally even to witness miraculous healings present in a community of faithful disciples. We invite you to learn more about the stories of Christian faith through classes and small groups, to develop deeper relationships with Christ and with each other over communal meals, and to experience healing, wholeness, and flourishing as we share our gifts with each other.

For folks new to our community, St. Clare’s offered in the spring a four-week Newcomer’s Class, centered around a meal, to explore the three articles of our mission statement, as well as the role of stewardship in the life of faith. We are currently experimenting with a new single-session format, to be offered more frequently.

Over the past year, those seeking additional opportunities for learning about the Bible could join one of two different year-long Disciples classes, led by the Rev. James Rhodenhiser and the Rev. Beth Scriven. In addition, numerous small groups offered the opportunity to learn about more specialized topics and to develop deeper relationships with others. In 2009, these groups included Introduction to Islam (a joint program with TBE, offered by Grant Shafer); “Giving to God” (offered by the Stewardship and Adult Education commissions); “Eclipsing Empire: Paul, Rome, and the Kingdom of God” (offered by Jim Downward); “The Un-Group” (offered by Chris Curtis); “The Writing Group” (offered by Judy Avery); “Parents of Tweens and Teens” (offered by Ilene Smith and Christine Modey); and “Open the Door” (offered by the Rev. Beth Scriven). Many of these groups are ongoing and welcome additional members as space allows. See our website for more details.

A number of St. Clarians invite small groups of parishioners into their homes during our Lenten and Fall dinner groups. A great way to deepen relationships with others, these dinner series are offered on Friday evenings and include plenty of time for relaxation and fellowship, a shared potluck meal, and an informal program.

Special events also offer the opportunity to come together as a community to learn and grow. The Adult Education Commission was pleased to sponsor (jointly with TBE) a lecture on Islam by Professor Juan Cole of the University of Michigan. We also participated in the planning of our two congregational meetings last year, which have become so important in discerning future directions for St. Clare’s at this time. In October, we offered the annual Intergenerational Parish Retreat (directed by Bob Blackburn with workshops by David Clifford and Janene Ternes) in conjunction with the Children’s Choir Overnight (led by John Goodell).

Many St. Clarians enjoy reading, and we’ve developed a couple of ways to support and encourage this habit. Thanks to the work of Judy Avery, we now have the St. Clare’s book cart available at all services, with books to borrow from our library. Look for new features (such as “Take a book, leave a book” and the magazine exchange) coming soon. In addition, we’ve started the St. Clare’s book blog (stclaresbookblog.wordpress.com), where parishioners can post reviews of books relevant to the Christian life. We welcome new contributors!

St. Clare’s takes our mission to “Grow in Faith” seriously. As we anticipate the year ahead, we expect that, like the original followers of Jesus, we will be called to grow and change, to move from doing something good to doing something better, in order to become the Christian community God wants us to be. The members of this commission are Judy Avery, David Clifford, Chris Curtis, Jim Downward, the Rev. James Rhodenhiser, Barbara Scoville, Nikki Seger, and Debra Stevens, We invite you to join us on the journey!

In Christ’s love,
Christine Modey, Chair