“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.
Opportunities to participate in the Ministry of Education
Men’s Bible Study
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.
Women's Group
The Women’s Group at St. Paul’s, known as W3 (The Word, Women, and Wine), allows women of all ages the opportunity to get to know each other.
The Women’s Group meets the second and fourth Saturday of each month at 9:00 AM.
Sunday School
St. Paul’s Sunday School is held at 9:45-10:25 am during our regular Service Worship Services – September through mid June.
Sunday School at Saint Paul’s has been designed to welcome all children to learn more about the world around them as reflected through the teachings Christ as found in the Bible. The program we use is Living the Good News, this is a lectionary-based curriculum meaning the lesson for each week in Sunday School is the gospel reading the congregation hears. There are three classes Pre-K, Primary, and Intermediate. Children are placed by age and ability with our youngest children in Pre-K at age 3 and our oldest in age in Intermediate at ages 11-12. In Sunday School each child is invited to experience the gospel through story, discussion, prayer, and special projects designed to resonate and reaffirm that week’s message.
Children’s Chapel is a special program designed to give children an opportunity to experience the sacred during the 10:30 service. After the collect, the children are invited to come and worship in a special space designated for them. Children’s Chapel parallels the regular worship service with children returning to church during the passing of the peace. They have their own special altar, pews, and music. While in Children’s Chapel the children hear a reading reinforcing what they learned about the gospel in Sunday School, or a special lesson reflective of what’s happening in the service. There is a project to help illustrate that week’s message. The children are invited to pray during the prayers of the children, encouraging them to pray for whatever or whoever they would like to. The children pass the peace and receive their version of a feast (unconsecrated). They return to church during the congregation’s passing of the peace and experience the rest of the service including communion. This program is especially geared toward welcoming all children 3-12 having a strong focus on interaction, engagement, and reinforcement of the teachings of the Bible, and the foundation of the Christian values and community found at Saint Paul’s.
Adult Forum
On Sunday mornings from 9:45-10:30, we offer an Adult Forum class. Relax with a cup of coffee, relax and learn something new! We discuss many interesting topics – from the different religions of the world to the events of everyday life. This well-attended class is lead by Patrick McCauley, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Religious Studies at Chestnut Hill College.
Youth Group
St Paul’s Youth Group comprised of two age levels, Middle School (6th-8th) and High School (9th-12th). The group meets together every Sunday from 5-7pm.
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.
Nursery
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.
