St. Paul's is committed to offering programs that provide a church home where all generations of the congregation - especially children and youth - are loved and love to be.
For information on any program for children and youth, contact the Church Office.
Church School for children from preschool through high school is offered on Sunday mornings during the program year from 10:00 to 10:45 am. All classes meet on the lower level, in individual classrooms, each staffed by experienced and loving teachers.
Preschool-K, grades 1-2, and grades 3-5 use a lectionary-based curriculum. The Preschool-K and 1-2 classes begin each class with a music session.
The Youth Program (grades 6-12) is offered as a comprehensive experience, combining the components of a traditional church school curriculum with a youth group experience. They are offered a program combining physical, social, service and discussion activities to help develop a clear sense of identity and build a strong sense of community. Education, fellowship, fun and food are always part of the program! Youth meet Sundays 10:00 to noon, as well as other times to be announced!
Church School Special Events are held monthly throughout the year. These events allow the entire Church School to gather together once each month and join in activities including arts and music projects, bulb planting, Advent wreath-making, social service projects, and the Christmas pageant.
A High School confirmation class will be offered on Sunday afternoons from 4:30 to 6:00, beginning December 18 and continuing through Holy Week. Confirmation by Bishop Ely will take place at the East Vigil on April 7. Stan Baker and Allison Neal will co-lead the class. Please contact Stan Baker for more information.
Adult Formation Programs
Adult Education, Spring 2012
This spring will feature three 4-week series in the Adult Forum. The first series, which we are calling, "Jesus for President," begins on January 29 and continues until February 19. It will be held during the 10 o'clock hour on Sunday mornings and will be co-led by Lisa Schnell and Bob Brenneman. The series takes up the idea of "emergent Christianity" that some of us investigated last fall with Phyllis Tickle's book The Great Emergence. In the first session we will discuss the idea of "emergent Christianity" in general - what is it? Where did it come from? The last three sessions will function as a kind of "case study" of one form of emergent Christianity, focusing on the question of how Christians can and should relate to kings and presidents. The series takes its name from a book of the same title by Shane Claiborne and Chris Haw. Folks who are particularly interested might want to take a look at it.
The second series, called "Ecological Healing," is also named after a book of the same title, this one by the Rev. Nancy Wright, pastor at Ascension Lutheran Church in South Burlington. In this Lenten series, St. Paul's parishioners can choose to attend the Sunday morning book discussion of Ecological Healing, led by Bob Brenneman, and/or the 4:00 p.m. Sunday afternoon sessions led by Nancy Wright which will build on the book and at which we will be joined by parishioners from Ascension Lutheran (and perhaps other Episcopal churches). Both sessions will be focused on the book, used copies of which are available online from Amazon and which will also be available from the Hopkins Bookshop. The morning session will operate more like a book group; the afternoon session with Nancy as leader will spin off the book into a few other areas related to environmental theology. This series will have a blog associated with it so that people can share the wealth of resources associated with Christian environmentalism. Look for more information about the blog as we get closer to the beginning of the series. Please take note of the difference in dates between the morning and afternoon sessions. Because Bishop Ely will be with us on the morning of March 11 to discuss the transitions at the Cathedral, there will be a one-week hiatus in the Sunday morning session, but not in the 4:00 p.m. session. Sunday mornings: February 26, March 4, 18, 25. Sundays at 4:00: March 4, 11, 18, 25.
The final series of the spring, extending from April 23 to May 13, will take us into another book, the Book: the Bible. This Sunday morning series, facilitated by Bob Brenneman and Lis Schnell and called "Four Ways to Ruth," will focus on the Old Testament Book of Ruth (and possible also Esther) and the very rich possibilities it opens up to Christian and Jewish interpreters.
Journey in Faith - Christian Initiation Process
This program is divided into two distinct parts. The first, Exploring the Episcopal Church, or Episcopal Church 101, meets five times during the fall. It is open to anyone interested in learning more about how the Episcopal Church lives out its Christian faith. topics include worship, prayer, church history, ethics and social justice ministries. opics include History of the Church, the Worship of the Church, A Life of Prayer, Christian Morality, and the Church's Ministry to Creation and Society. The second part is modeled on the way the early church prepared candidates for baptism. Christian Initiation Program (CIP) offers a time and place for adults of whatever background to reflect on their faith, examine their spiritual journeys, and deepen their commitment to Christ and the Church. Through weekly meetings for prayer and study, reading and reflection, and through liturgical particiation during Lent, Holy Week and the Great Vigil of Easter, particiants prepare to take the next step in their Christian lives. That next step may be Baptism or Confirmation, or it may be Reception into the Church or a Re-affirmation of the Batismal Vows. This year's CIP met from 7 to 8:30 pm on Wednesdays beginning January 11 through April. Breaks coincide with school vacations. If you are interested in participating, or if you simply want to know more about the program, please contact one of the coordinators, Henry Maciejewski. or Sarah Howe. Education for Ministry EFM is an intensive theological education program during which participants study the Bible, church history, and twentieth century theology. Participants commit to one year at a time to meet regularly in seminars led by trained mentors. Providing a comprehensive, experiential education in the foundations and message of our Christian faith, EFM is for the laity of the church. Every Christian receives the call to Christ's ministry at baptism. EFM provides the basics of a theological education in order to develop knowledge and confidence about the ministry we all share.
Wednesday Morning Bible Study Bible study meets at 7:00 am in the Commons Room each Wednesday throughout the year, as adults study together different books from the Bible. The group is always open to new members.