Saint Paul's Adult Christian Education

Mission

To offer forums, classes, and discussion groups designed to examine our faith, enrich our knowledge, deepen our relationship with Jesus, and “send us out to do the work God has given us to do.”

Part I. Sunday Forum: 10:00-10:45, Chapel or Berlin Room

This weekly program offers a variety of presentations for the parish including Bible discussion, outreach, liturgical topics, Christian living and ethics, Church history, and faith-challenging contemporary issues.

Date	Topic	Speaker
January 9	Great Anglican Personalities: William White	Bob Polglase
January 16	Child Enrichment	Dan Hillman
January 23	No Forum	Annual Meeting
January 30	Observations of Faith & Politics	Judy Woodruff
February 6	New developments at Heritage Academy	Linda Tucciaroni
February 13	Environmental Stewardship I: Faith and Care of Creation	Alexis Chase
February 20	Feedback from the Diocesan Convention	Parish Delegates
February 27	Kids for Peace Program (T)	Ethel Wright
March 6	Conversation with the Bishop	Scott Benhase
March 13	Lenten Reflections	Tim Owings
March 20	Lenten Reflections	Tim Owings
March 27	Lenten Reflections	Tim Owings
April 3	Environmental Stewardship II: Ecology of the Savannah River OR Mayor’s Vision for Augusta (T)	Tanya Bonitativus OR Deke Copenhaver
April 10	No Forum	Masters Sunday
April 17	No Forum	Palm Sunday
April 24	No Forum	Easter Sunday
May 1	Specialty Courts in Augusta	Ashley Wright
May 8	Environmental Stewardship II: Ecology of the Savannah River OR Mayor’s Vision for Augusta (T)	Tanya Bonitativus OR Deke Copenhaver

(T) Tentative, plans are not yet finalized on these presentations.

Part II: Lenten Reflections: Wednesday, 11:00-11:50, Parlor.

Jim Silcox will offer a Lenten Bible Study and reflection program on the following Wednesdays: March 16, 23, 30 and April 13. The program will focus on the previous Sunday’s lectionary readings for the five Sundays of Lent. Participants will need only Bibles and Prayer books. We will meet in the parlor from 11:00 -11:50, and encourage participants to attend the Wednesday healing service in the chapel immediately after as part of a Lenten discipline. This program will emphasize active participation and will not be a lecture format. The following Lenten themes will be addressed in the context of the lectionary study.

Reflection on Christ’s sacrificial service to humanity and his ultimate atoning crucifixion for our salvation.
Reflection on our mortality, inevitable death, and penitence for having failed to live as Christ would have us live as spiritual preparation for Holy Week and for the joy of Easter.
Emulation of Christ’s sacrifices and self-denial through personal disciplines.
Reflection on God’s plan of salvation and our role in that plan as a church and as individual Christians.

Part III. Evening Bible Study: Wednesday from 7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. at the home of John Clemens, 114 Altamaha Drive, N. Augusta.

This is an informal, participant-driven group that meets in members’ homes. The program
covers various books of the Bible. The study covers the scriptures with a sharing of
interpretations and individual viewpoints. Anyone is welcome to join the group at any time.
Contact John for more information: 803-295-7120.

Part IV. Saint Paul's Book Club (2d Thursday of each month): Start gathering at 10 a.m. in Tyler Hall, announcements and updates, book discussion followed by refreshments.

This is a monthly discussion of books being read by the group. The objectives of the group include Christian fellowship, exchange of perspectives and good fun. Come to one or meetings. We welcome new participation.

January 13--Death In Holy Orders by P. D. James,discussion led by Ernestine Thompson
On the bleak coast of East Anglia, atop a sweep of low cliffs, stands the small theological college of St. Anselm's. On the shore not far away, lies the body of one of the school's candidates for ordination. He is the son of Sir Alred Treeves, a hugely successful and flamboyant businessman who is accustomed to getting what he wants — and in this case what he wants is Commander Adam Dalgliesh to investigate his son's death.

February 10--Wild At Heart by John Eldredge, discussion led by Karen and John Luther
Every little boy has dreams, big dreams: dreams of being the hero, of beating the bad guys, of doing daring feats and rescuing the damsel in distress. Every little girl has dreams, too: of being rescued by her prince and swept up into a great adventure, knowing that she is the beauty. But what happens to those dreams when we grow up? In Wild at Heart, John Eldredge invites men to recover their masculine heart, defined in the image of a passionate God. And he invites women to discover the secret of a man's soul.

March 10--Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, and
A Man WhoWould Cure the World by Tracy Kidder led by Mary Kathleen Blanchard
Mountains Beyond Mountains takes us from Harvard to Haiti, Peru, Cuba, and Russia as Farmer changes minds and practices through his dedication to the philosophy that "the only real nation is humanity" - a philosophy that is embodied in the small public charity he founded, Partners In Health. At the heart of this book is the example of a life based on hope, and on an understanding of the truth of the Haitian proverb “Beyond mountains there are mountains”: as you solve one problem, another problem presents itself, and so you go on and try to solve that one too.

April 14--Sea Glass by Anita Shreve, discussion led by Hester Bliven
Shreve's novel concerns a hastily married young couple that set themselves up in a house on the New Hampshire coast on the eve of the 1929 stock market crash. Honora is virtuous, self-reliant, hardworking, thoroughly good; her husband, Sexton, is precisely none of these things. The relationship goes sour before there's been much of a honeymoon, and the story plays out at a deft pace.

May 12--Little Bee by Chris Cleave, discussion led by Janelle Walker
…Immensely readable and moving …two strangers, a British woman and a Nigerian girl, meet on a lonely African beach and become inextricably bound through the horror imprinted on their encounter—Cleave uses his emotionally charged narrative to challenge his readers' conceptions of civility, of ethical choice.

Part V. Rector’s Journey/Confirmation Course: Sundays 10:00-10:45, January 9 – February 27, Youth Room.

The Journey Course serves two functions. First, it is the educational basis for a process of formation to prepare and support persons for living according to the vows and promises of Christian Baptism. In this sense it is designed for newcomers to the Episcopal Church and Episcopalians who desire a refresher foundations course. Second, it is a means to prepare Episcopalians for Confirmation in April. The Catechism, spirituality, Episcopal liturgy, the Book of Common Prayer, and an overview of the history and tradition of the Episcopal Church will be covered.

Part VI. Lenten Study Program: Sundays in Lent 10:00-10:45, Parlor.

“What we pray is what we believe” is a basic foundation of Anglican theology. During Lent, what we pray can also be the starting point of our Lenten reflection. On Sundays during Lent we will look at the Lenten collects written by Archbishop Thomas Cranmer, editor of the first Book of Common Prayer. Bob Polglase will facilitate a series of small group discussions on Cranmer’s Lenten collects, their meaning, and how they apply to us, especially during this season of reflection and introspection on March 13, 20, 27, April 3 and 10. The book used for the program will be The Collects of Thomas Cranmer by Frederick Barbee and Paul Zahl. Handouts will be provided for each session and purchase of the text is not required.


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Worship Services


	Sunday 8:00 - Rite I 10:30 - Rite II Wednesday Noon - Rite II in Chapel