ADULT FORMATION
We take care of our relationship with God and with each other by studying together. Through discussion and reflection, we hope to understand how God works in the world and how we are being called to respond. Within our discussions, we learn with certainty that God is calling us to act and all that we do in this world matters.
Sunday Mornings
On Sunday mornings at 10:00AM, adults assemble in the Julliette Kinzie Room we for formation. We hope to deepen our spiritual life. By studying scripture, tradition, and reason, we learn how the world in which we live in influences our decisions and actions. By discovering how God acts in the world we discern together how God expects us to live.
Monthly Workshops
Monthly Workshops are three-hour intensive gatherings discussing spirituality, the Church and the world in which we live in. They are held on the first Saturday of each month beginning at 9:00AM in the Julliette Kinzie room.
Education for Ministry (EfM)
Education for Ministry (EfM) is a seminar group which meets 36 weeks out of year to study, pray and reflect together in order to move towards a new understating of the fullness of Godís kingdom.
Participants are given weekly assignments to study with the help of resource guides.
- Year 1 is dedicated to study of the Hebrew Scriptures.
- Year 2 moves through the Gospels and The New Testament.
- Year 3 is a journey through Church History.
- Year 4 is an inquiry into Church theology.
The participants spend between four and six hours in study and preparation each week. In the seminars, participants have the opportunity to share their insights and discoveries as well as to discuss questions which the study materials raise for them. Through discussion and guided reflection, the seminars furnish an opportunity to deepen understanding of the reading materials.
More important is the development of skills in theological reflection. The goal is to learn to think theologically. By examining their own beliefs and their relationship to our culture and the tradition of our Christian faith, participants can learn what it means to be effective ministers in the world. In coming to terms with the notion that everything we do has potential for manifesting the love of Christ, we discover that our ministry is at hand wherever we turn.
The seminar is supported by a life of prayer and regular worship. EfM groups are encouraged to develop a pattern of worship appropriate to their situations. Liturgical materials are furnished with the course materials.
EfM at St. James Cathedral meets on Wednesday evenings from 7:00 ñ 9:30. Yearly tuition is $395. Participants must commit to attending the seminars and being adequately prepared for the discussion.
Inquirer's ClassEvery spring, Cathedral staff lead an Inquirer's Class for those interested in exploring their faith within a community context. The early history of Christianity and the Episcopal Church are explored as well as prayer, faith and the vision of the Church in the 21st Century. The Inquirer's Class in a wonderful way to prepare for baptism, confirmation and reception at the Easter Vigil.
