“God hasn’t finished with us yet” is a well-known saying among Christians. At St. Paul’s, we take it as a reminder that our Christian education does not end with us always being formed and informed by our study of scripture, our study of our Christian tradition and our awareness of our spiritual journey and its twists and turns.
Ministry of Education
Opportunities to participate in the Ministry of Education
The gentlemen of St. Paul’s Men’s Bible Study are on a continual journey to shared learning, service, fellowship, and fun. We do our best to support one another, with kindness, in our St. Paul’s family and surrounding communities. Our group continued its tradition of meeting on the first and third Saturdays of the month. We start with a hot breakfast and believe in the spirit of the Prayer of St. Chrysostom, “when two or three are gathered together in his Name thou wilt be in the midst of them.” Then we enjoy the many tangential, insightful discussions our scholarly studies take us on!
During the year, we continued our SPUDS (& SUDS) gatherings – with SPUDS being an acronym for St. Paul’s Uniting Dads Socially. Please join us to discover the surprise meaning of SUDS. Our goal is to encourage each other to come out of man caves and provide opportunities for dads (and others) to gather socially for fun fellowship, alternate bible study, and activities. The Men’s Bible Study meets the first and third Saturdays of each month at 7:30 AM.
Coordinator: Kirk Mislick – kdmislick@verizon.net
Here at St. Paul’s we welcome children to come and experience the sacred in a way that fosters their curiosity, and wonder. Sunday School is held from 9:45-10:25 and coincides with the Adult Forum. Our Sunday School and Children’s Chapel are both lectionary based. Children participating in Sunday School will hear the same gospel reading that adults will hear during the service. Children’s Chapel occurs during the 10:30 church service. Children begin with the congregation and are then invited after the collect to go and experience the sacred in their own space. Children participating in Chapel will hear the same Old Testament reading as the adults in church. Children will rejoin the congregation during the peace to participate in the liturgy of the table and communion.
Coordinator: Liz Longua – liz@longua.com
The Adult Forum takes place every Sunday from 9:45-10:25am during the school year. Led by Dr. Patrick McCauley, Assoc. Professor of Religious Studies at Chestnut Hill College, the Adult Forum is the place where you can raise your hand and ask any question (or listen to someone else’s). The Adult Forum welcomes anyone from any perspective or point of view. For many of us, faith is a process, a journey. As we go through life, the way we see things can shift and adjust. Sometimes it’s not easy, but it can help to see that we are not alone on our path. You might just find that the person sitting next to you is curious about the same things you are. And, it comes with breakfast
St Paul’s Youth Group comprised of two age levels, Middle School (6th-8th) and High School (9th-12th).
This group participates in several community service projects. Some of the things we are involved with – hosting the annual Chrissy’s Race for Hope, Youth Sunday, cooking meals together, sponsoring Christmas for Pathways Families, Christmas Caroling, baking and decorating Valentine’s Day Cookies for college students, organizing the Easter Egg hunt with a special visit from the Easter Bunny.
Contact Pastor Maxine for more information.
Education for Ministry (EfM) is a unique four-year distance learning certificate program in theological education based upon small-group study and practice. EfM helps the faithful encounter the breadth and depth of the Christian tradition and bring it into conversation with their experiences of the world as they study, worship, and engage in theological reflection together. Mentored this year by Alan Lindsay, the group meets on Tuesday evenings in the Library.
Coordinator: Alan Lindsay – ralanlindsay@gmail.com
When our young people are unhappy and struggling, the Narthex has a rocking chair and soft toys which may help them to settle down. The glass doors allow parents to see what’s happening in the service and the speaker above the door allows parents to hear all that is spoken. We have added to our staff, mature teenagers who will be in the Nursery in the Lockwood Reilly Building to allow our more active youngest members to move around without being restrained. When you leave your child in the Nursery, you will be requested to leave a cell phone number so that you can be contacted if you are needed. St. Paul’s is an intergenerational worship community and we want everyone to be comfortable during service and leave with a smile on their face.
