Are you ready to discover more about your faith? Are you ready to discover more about yourself?

St James Parish invites you to join us for:

Confirmation 09-10
Every other Sunday beginning September 27, at 9:00 am.

Why come to confirmation?

• You are interested in finding out more about the Episcopal Church
• You want to find a way to deepen your faith while enjoying the company of friends…
• You were baptized as an infant, and would like to explore your faith in a deeper way
• You want to be confirmed in the Episcopal Church

Interested? Contact
 

Want to know more about your faith? Read More...

Looking for a deeper meaning in your life, a place to belong, a vision worth pursuing? Get the long view by looking into the common life of a faithful church community. We will learn to use the tools for our faith journey through daily practice in the safety, support and company of others. The Saint James Inquirers' Class is an opportunity to form community, ask questions and make spiritual discoveries while exploring the faith and practice of the Episcopal Church. The Rev. Charlie Barton+ leads this class.

Our class is the way we prepare people for adult Baptism, Confirmation, or Reception into the Episcopal Church from other denominations. It is also a way for those who have attended church for years to become more intentional and to deepen their understanding. But our primary objective is to find and be found by God- everything else is just a means to that end. Enter with an inquiring heart and an open mind and you will discover the richness of the Anglican tradition. Come make the climb and seek the light with us!

Contact the Rector:

2010 Inquirer's Class Schedule

Norms

New this year is a series of lectures on Sundays covering a variety of topics both practical and spiritual. Each speaker comes for 1-3 weeks, meaning you can opt to come for some, or all of our year's speakers. We kick off the year with the theme Genesis and Creation. Our first lecturer is Dr. Philip Norman, speaking on the intersection of science and faith, beginning with a look at Darwin's writings on Evolution.

Other lecturers include:

• Dr. Pat Fosarelli, pediatrician and spiritual director.
• Dr. Michael Gorman, director of the Ecumenical Institute
• Dr. Cynthia Crysdale, professor of Ethics and Theology at the School of Theology in Sewanee
• The Rev. Charles Cloughen, Director of Planned Giving for the Diocese of Maryland
• The Rt. Rev. John Rabb, Bishop Suffragen

Lecture Schedule
Dr. Philip Norman's Lecture Transcripts: Science and Theology

Contact Loree Penner, ; Mrs. Kari-Ann Lynne; or Mrs. Suzanne Zantop, .

Education for Ministry (EfM) is the four-year program of theological education-at-a-distance of the School of Theology of the University of the South. It covers the basics of a theological education in the Old and New Testaments, church history, liturgy, theology, and contemporary issues facing the church, supplemented by personal explorations of spiritual growth, theological reflection, and opportunities for ministry. The program grants a certificate at the completion of the four years and 18 Continuing Education Units for each year's work.

If you are interested in being part of an EFM group, contact Suzanne Zantop .

For the past three years a group of 10-12 adults have met at 10:00 on Monday mornings to read the writings of CS Lewis and other spiritual writers. We have read both fiction and non-fiction, ending our last year with the writings of Madeleine L'Engle. This fall, we begin our study with Lewis' A Grief Observed. We will then read a related text, Sheldon VanAuken's A Severe Mercy before plunging in to Dante's Divine Comedy.

You may join the class at any time. Class format is an informal discussion of the current book. We also drink a lot of tea, and periodically treat ourselves to an English High Tea complete with scones and clotted cream. For information, contact Loree Penner, .

"Come, Follow Me." A Pilgrimage into the Gospel

We will contemplate the meaning of "walking with Christ." The common thread in our explorations of faith is that we seek a journey to the center of the soul. Our scriptures clearly tell a story of a pilgrim people who are searching for home. We are the descendents of those who walk upon the Way.

Our guides for this journey will be the following three texts.

• A Long Obedience in the Same Direction will help us wonder about what it means to persevere in discipleship as we read the Song of Ascents-Psalms sung while "going up" to Jerusalem.
• Glorious Companions lets us know about and walk with those faithful Anglicans that have gone before us.
• The Spiritual Landscape of Mark will give us visions about the setting of the Gospel terrain and what those places might mean to the stories as well as to our own journeys. Dr. Bonnie Thurston the author of this book will be our special guest at the Center for Spiritual Development.

Contact Debra Barton,

Our class is the way we prepare people for adult Baptism, Confirmation, or Reception into the Episcopal Church from other denominations. It is also a way for those who have attended church for years to become more intentional and to deepen their understanding. But our primary objective is to find and be found by God- everything else is just a means to that end. Enter with an inquiring heart and an open mind and you will discover the richness of the Anglican tradition. Come make the climb and seek the light with us! Contact the Rector,

Periodic training for ministry in and for the church will be offered at 9:00 on Sundays, and at other times as needed. Contact Loree Penner, , or Victor Hailey (acolytes), .

• Recommended Reading for the Inquirer's Class
• Suggested Reading List - Winter 2008