LENT Wednesday Night Classes

1) Baptized to Preach: Prayer, Mission, and the Christian Life as a Sermon (Led by the Rev. Blake Singer)

What if preaching isn’t just what priests do in the pulpit on Sunday mornings? What if it’s so much more than what happens in those 10-15 minutes? This course suggests that preaching is fundamentally the discernment of both God’s activity in a particular context and how to join in that activity. What we see on Sunday mornings is just one example of preaching, but preaching is also discerning and responding to what God is doing in your own life and in the life of the world. Ultimately, the entire Christian life is one of preaching, and the totality of that life is a sermon. While only some are called to preach in pulpits, all followers of Jesus are called to preach, in both word and deed.

This course will begin by introducing participants to this understanding of preaching. Next, they will learn and practice the first steps of the traditional preaching process. Then, they will learn how to use the preaching process as a spiritual discipline in their own prayer as a means of discerning what God might be doing in their life. Finally, the class will use the preaching process to discern how they might faithfully engage and minister to the church’s surrounding neighborhood and their own neighbors. Note: Participants will not have to actually preach a sermon in front of anyone.

Register here.

2) Living Buddha, Living Christ (Led by the Rev. Dr. Doug Wigner and Nancy Hein)

Prior to beginning my birding trip in Thailand, I had several days to tour Bangkok and I learned a great deal about Buddha. I was intrigued that he lived 500 years before Jesus and some of the stories and sayings are very similar to Jesus’s. Was the period after Jesus’s time in the Temple until his beginning of his ministry a time when he may have heard of the Buddha’s teaching?

Nancy and I will lead a course using Thich Nhat Hanh’s Living Buddha, Living Christ. The intro to the book states ‚ÄúBuddha and Christ, perhaps the two most pivotal figures in the history of humankind, each left behind a legacy of teachings and practices that have shaped the lives of billions of people over two millennia. If they were to meet on the road today, what would each think of the other’s spiritual views and practices?‚Äù The author states ‚Äúon the altar in my hermitage, are images of Buddha and Jesus, and I touch both of them as my spiritual ancestors.‚ÄùYou are welcome to read the book, but we will use excerpts from it to enliven our discussions on the similarities/differences and perhaps discover if it possible to be a Buddhist Christian?

Register here. 

3) Episcopal 101 (Led by the Rev. Penny Nash)

Are you new to the Episcopal Church? Would you like to learn more about our beliefs and how we practice our faith? Are you interested in confirmation or reception into The Episcopal Church? Join our interim rector Penny for “Episcopal 101”. In addition to beliefs and practices, we will also explore the history, theology, and structure of The Episcopal Church. The class is open to everyone, whether you are new to us or want a refresher. The course is required¬†for adults who wish to be confirmed or received (if you were confirmed in another tradition but wish to be considered confirmed in our denomination) when Bishop Goff visits St. James’s on May 18th. That Sunday will also be an opportunity for those already confirmed to reaffirm their commitment in the presence of the bishop, and while participating in this class is not required for reaffirmation, it is recommended.

No registration required for Episcopal 101.