Current offerings
Seeker to Servant
Tuesdays, 7:00-9:00 p.m., beginning Sept. 14, 2010
Led by the Rev. James Rhodenhiser
Seeker to Servant, a fourteen-week course designed and taught by the Rev. James Rhodenhiser and a team of St. Clarians, invites participants to grapple with the challenging aspects of Kingdom life–relying on Jesus as Lord and Savior, embracing and participating in the work of the Holy Spirit, working for peace and reconciliation among peoples, welcoming the stranger, practicing spiritual disciplines, and taking up the cross. Each Tuesday evening this fall, through witness talks, reflection on readings, worship, small group discussions, and prayer, participants will begin to move toward fuller individual and communal identity as servants of God.
Disciple I
Wednesdays, 7:00-9:00 p.m., beginning Sept. 15, 2010
Led by The Rev. Beth Scriven and Ms. Christine Modey
Disciple I, taught this year by the Rev. Beth Scriven and Ms. Christine Modey, is a 34-week, intensive course that introduces participants to the breadths of the Hebrew Scriptures and the Christian Testament and encourages them to see their personal story intertwined with God’s story. Many St. Clarians have taken Disciple courses over the past six years and have discovered the abundance gained by wrestling with Scripture to receive its blessings. As Jesus reminds us in the parable of the sower, “The seed is the Word of God . . . the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.”
Book Study: Christ on Trial by Rowan Williams
Led by Mr. Matt Ranville and Ms. Barbara Scoville
Mondays, 7:00-8:30 p.m., beginning September 13, 2010
This small group of St. Clarians will join together to discuss a book by Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury, Christ on Trial: How the Gospel Unsettles Our Judgment. Williams retells the gospel accounts of Jesus’ trial and highlights what can be learned about Jesus from each story. These revealing discussions are followed by reflections on martyrdom, tyranny, freedom and truth, drawing on not only the Bible but on fiction, drama, and current events as a means of showing that society today continues to put Christ on trial. Each chapter is followed by questions for group discussion and a concluding prayer. Please join us!
The MM Group
Alternating Mondays
Contacts: Ms. Sarah Plum and Ms. Mary Margaret Hatt
The MM group is a group of women whose purpose is to learn, pray and share together. This group will be reading The Not So Big Life: Making Room for What Really Matters, by Sarah Susanka, starting in September. Susanka, an architect and author of The Not So Big House, addresses a common problem: ”The bigger-is-better idea that triggered the explosion of McMansions has spilled over to give us McLives. . . . In The Not So Big Life, Susanka shows us that it is possible to take our finger off the fast-forward button, and to our surprise we find how effortless and rewarding this change can be. . . . Through simple exercises and inspiring stories, Susanka shows us that all we need to do is make small shifts in our day–subtle movements that open our minds as if we were finally opening the windows to let in fresh air.”
Parents of Tweens and Teens
Once a month, during Youth Groups (Sunday, 4:00-5:30 p.m.)
Led by Ms. Ilene Smith and Ms. Christine Modey
Using the book How to Hug a Porcupine: Negotiating the Prickly Points of the Tween Years by Julie A. Ross, this small group is for all parents of kids ages 8-18 who want to share the challenges of parenting, to pray for their children and for each other, and to learn some compassionate and effective techniques for dealing with what can be irritating and baffling adolescent behavior.
The Un-Group
2nd and 4th Mondays of each month, 6-7 p.m., in Wisdom House
Led by Dr. Chris Curtis
Please drop by if you are interested in deepening your faith practice, prayer life, and spirituality in the fellowship of a small group of caring individuals gathered for similar purposes. The group will follow God’s spirit and guidance in providing the specific topics for the meetings, based upon a shared desire to grow in faith and service to God in the community of a small group of others. Open to all; no need to sign up!
Thursday Morning Bible Study
Thursdays at 10:30 a.m. at St. Clare’s
Led by our clergy
This group meets for Holy Communion at 9:30 a.m. in St. Francis Chapel, followed by coffee and treats in the Adult Lounge and a lively discussion of the lectionary readings for the upcoming Sunday. All are welcome!
Biblical Greek
Sundays from 12-1 p.m. at St. Clare’s
Led by Dr. Mark Wenzel
Was the point of the Good Samaritan story (Luke 10:25-37), told by a Jewish rabbi to a Jewish lawyer, that a Samaritan should help even a Jew? Is St. Paul claiming, in Romans 1:24-32, that “men burning for men” is a sin requiring moral condemnation, or that it’s a shameful punishment for the sin of knowingly rejecting God? What was the Syrophonecian woman’s response to Jesus calling her a “little dog,” and why did it compel a change of heart in Jesus (Mark 7:24-30)? Our weekly Biblical Greek study enables you to translate and interpret these and many other compelling passages. Offered year-round for new and old beginners and led by philosopher Mark Wenzel, the group meets one hour a week (more if interested). You’ll be reading and translating actual New Testament passages within a month and discussing strategies for interpreting the Gospels and the Letters.
