Christian Formation
Forums are from 9:15 to 10:10 in the Guild Room on Sunday mornings. Please check the Event Calendar for a complete listing, times, and meeting information.
March 5: Disaster Preparedness
March 8: From Rome to Canterbury with Andrew Rank*
March 12: HIV/AIDS Ministry
March 19: Robert Ellsworth, former NATO Ambassador
March 26: The Passion Narratives, Part 1, with Canon Jack Lindquist
March 5,12, 19: Listening Hearts
March-April: Understanding Trauma & its Impact
Faith Leader for Peace
Dean Richardson will hold a listening session at 9:15 in the Fireside Room to hear questions and comments from the other side following the Faith Leaders for Peace Sunday program.
From Rome to Canterbury with The Rev. Canon Andrew Rank
His topic will be the revival of religious orders (communities of monks and nuns) in the Anglican Church and unique elements of this phenomenon. Andrew was president of the Conference on the Religious Life in the Americas from 1982 until 1988, during which time he oversaw the approval of the present national canons for religious orders in the Episcopal Church, and presided at the conference’s first revision of its constitution since 1948. He was a member of the Permanent International Ecumenical Consultation of Religious from 1983 until 1986.
About Listening Hearts
What I really lack is to be clear in my mind what I am to do, not what I am to know… The thing is to understand myself, to see what God really wishes me to do… What good would it do me to be able to explain the meaning of Christianity if it had no deeper significance for me and for my life?
--Søren Kierkegaard, 1835
Listening Hearts
Are you interested in reflecting on ideas about call, vocation and discernment (determining the source and nature of a call) with a small group? There will be a study of the short but rich book Listening Hearts: Discerning Call in Community for three Sundays in March.
Join us after the 10:30 service on March 5th, 12th and 19th as we reflect together on the collected wisdom of the Christian tradition. A copy of the book may be purchased through St. James Bookstore in La Jolla. Copies of the books will be on sale at the meeting. or the online bookseller of your choice. Cost is approximately $11. Please read chapters 1-3 before the first meeting (they’re very short.)
Has God called you? Become a trained discerner!
Listening Hearts team has been trained in a method of small-group prayer and conversation to help individuals clarify God’s call in their lives. St Paul’s is forming a pool of people trained in discernment techniques. The training consists of two Friday-Saturday retreats at St. Paul’s and a series of practical small-group follow-up sessions. Retreat weekends are April 28-29 and May 12-13, with the practical sessions to be scheduled later by participants. (The training will be repeated in October for those who are not able to attend in the spring.) Prospective discerners need to commit to attending both retreats and five follow-up sessions. A fee of $40 covers supplies and materials.
The first retreat, "Pondering the Implications of Baptism," draws participants more deeply into their lives with God. We learn to nurture prayerful listening, to practice ways of contacting God, and to deepen one's comprehension of the concept of baptism.
The practical workshops focus on aspects of working together as a discerning community and the mechanics of arranging and conducting a group discernment session. Participants then practice discernment together under the guidance of the Program Leader
For further information contact Caroline Morse at CHMorse@aol.com or 619-233-3747.
