Somebody’s
Calling Me...and It
Isn’t
Avon
Over
the past 20 years
(wow – has
it been that long?)
that Jeff and I have
been members of St.
Aidan’s,
I have felt “needed”, “wanted”,
and “useful” in
so many areas of our
church. These feelings
have come from teaching
Sunday school, working
with the kids in EYC,
Rite 13, working with
the vestry, and reading
lessons on Sunday. All
these adjectives fit
how I was feeling about
what I was doing and
seemed adequate at the
time. Until recently,
and aside from working
with the kids, the one
thing I hadn’t
felt or knew to miss
was the feeling of being “called”.
Something changed at
some point and, as I
began to pray and have
discussions with others
such as my husband,
my spiritual director,
a good friend, and Mark,
I came to the conclusion
that the nudges and “brain
dusters” I
was getting were God’s
way of telling me
I am being called
in another direction.
That direction is
to assist with coordinating
and helping to grow
our Christian Formation.
During the vestry
retreat, I said as
much to Mark and
he said it made sense.
So,
what does this
mean?
It means that
I will
be talking with
all
those who currently
work with Christian
Formation and
those
who would like
to
be a part of
building
up our offerings
here at St. Aidan’s
to answer the question, “What
else?” Aside
from Sunday morning
classes, 2 EFM classes
with 12 people in each,
yearly Lenten programs,
and some ad-hoc sessions,
such as the Popcorn
Theology discussions,
we currently don’t
have many other options.
Christian Formation
is a lifelong endeavor
to make and equip people
to be disciples. We
never “graduate” from
the need for Christian
Formation, which is
why we must continue
to ask, “What
else?”
It
also means I have
some questions for
my fellow members
of St. Aidan’s:
what would YOU like
to see happen in Christian
Formation? What areas
in our church are not
currently being fed?
Are there other areas
and options we haven’t
explored before? Some
suggestions I’ve
been given are: a monthly
book club, a “Theology
on Tap” series
held at a local pub,
and praise through art
and music sessions.
What else might interest
you and others who may
not be coming to church
as much anymore because
they aren’t
being fed by the more
traditional avenues?
Together I’m
sure we can come
up with the answers
for today and learn
when we need to ask
new questions for
tomorrow.
I
would like to invite
everyone to think
on these questions
and talk with me
either
at church or give
me a call with
your
thoughts. Let’s
explore the gifts we
have and can share with
others. Then, let’s
meet as a larger group
to discuss any specific
areas we’d
like to see put into
place. As the coordinator,
I’m
hoping to help get
some new programs
off the ground tapping
into the gifts each
of us have been given.
And I hope you are
as excited as I am
by the prospect of
finding new ways to
interact, learn, and
pray.
In
Christ, Becky Rankin
SUNDAY
MORNING
We
offer an adult Christian
Formation Class from
September through May
at 9:30 in the Hospitality
Room. Led by the Rector
and members of the parish
this class considers
a wide variety of topics,
from current church
issues, to studies of
specific books of the
Bible.
THURSDAY
BROWN BAG BIBLE STUDY
This
class looks at the coming
lectionary passages.
The class follows the
11:30 weekday Eucharist.
Bring something to eat
and a bible. The class
will meet once a month
for June, July and August,
on the second Wednesday
of the month.
EDUCATION
FOR MINISTRY
EfM
is a program from the
seminary at the University
of the South and includes
comprehensive study
of Hebrew Scriptures,
New Testament, Church
History and Theology. Click here to learn
more.
|
Education
Ministries
for Adults
