I want to studyThere are numerous opportunities at St. Stephen's to engage in study of the Bible, the church, theology and more. Groups range from Disciple Bible Study, a 34-week program that begins at Genesis and continues through Revelation; to a Wednesday morning study especially for mothers of young children (childcare is available); to a Thursday morning study led by different members of our clergy staff. In addition, many of our Emmaus Groups--small covenant groups that meet weekly for spiritual reflection, mutual care and support, prayer and service--focus their reflections on the Gospel reading for the coming Sunday.
The Rector provides weekly discussion guides for Emmaus Group facilitators, and you are welcome to use these guides on your own as well.
All Christians need the support, accountability, and prayer that come from belonging to a small group of spiritual companions. At St. Stephen’s, Emmaus Groups are made up of six to 10 people who pledge to meet for an hour and a half each week for 10 weeks. There are three ten-week “covenant periods,” and you can decide each covenant period if you wish to join or remain in a group. Our hope is that every adult in this parish will participate in a group for one or more of the three covenant periods.
Covenant periods
Fall: Week of September 26-Week of November 28 Winter: Week of January 2-Week of March 6 Spring: Week of March 27-Week of May 29 Contact Gene LeCouteur for more information on these offerings.
Disciple Bible Study | September-May | Register online Led by Gene LeCouteur, Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m. A 34-week study of the Bible from from Creation in Genesis to the founding of the New Jerusalem in Revelation.
Mothers Bible Study | Wednesdays, 9:30 a.m. Contact: Alice Reiniger, 360-0179
This Bible study is lectionary-based and leadership is shared among members of the group. Child care is available if requested in advance.
Thursday Bible Study | Thursdays, 10:30 a.m. This weekly group, open to all, focuses on specific books of the Bible, September-May and is led by members of the parish staff.
Fall Covenant Period: Matthew, led by Claudia Merritt | Register online
Winter Covenant Period: Esther and Ruth, led by Gene LeCouteur
Spring Covenant Period: Hebrews, led by Weezie Blanchard
Sundays at St. Stephen's
Adults may attend the Rector's Forum on Sundays at 10:10 a.m. in the large Fellowship Hall. No registration is required.
Inquirers Class: Real Questions for a Real Faith | Register online
Led by Gary Jones
Fall Inquirers Class: October 13-December 1, 2010
Winter Inquirers Class: January 19-March 2, 2011
Spring Inquirers Class: March 30-May 11, 2011
Bishop’s Visit: Sunday, May 15, 2011
What do I have to believe to be a Christian? What does it mean to be “saved”? Who gets to go to heaven? What about people who are from different religious traditions or who are atheists? What do Episcopalians believe about the Bible? What is Baptism all about? Do I have to believe everything in the creeds? Do Episcopalians believe that Christ is really present in Communion, or is Communion just a symbol? How does prayer work?
These are just some of the questions that make for fascinating discussion in the Inquirers Class with the Rector. In fact, this class is based on questions—your questions—and any question is fair game. The history behind some of the answers will surprise you, and your own capacity to handle these questions with integrity and faith might well inspire you. Join the rector for this seven-week course on the basics of Christianity and the richness of Anglicanism and The Episcopal Church. If you think you would like to be confirmed in the Episcopal Church, this class is for you. If you have been an Episcopalian all your life and would like a refresher—or you just have lots of questions!—this class is for you, too.
Contact Janet Allen for more information or to register.
Broken and Blessed | Fall Covenant Period | Register online
Led by David Anderson, Mondays, 7 p.m. October 11-November 8
This class will meet in Palmer Hall Chapel (the small brick chapel behind the main church building)
Life becomes broken and blessed in many ways – the loss of a job or relationship, death, relocation, birth of a child, a new relationship. In each case not only is our life changed but so is our relationship with God. This small group will offer a time for reflection and discussion as we each seek to learn how we are growing and changing in response to our brokenness and blessings, and how our relationship with God has the opportunity to grow and deepen.
Education for Ministry (EfM)
This four-year program offers the basics of theological education covering the Old and New Testaments, church history, liturgy and theology. The current group has reached the maximum number of participants, but if there is sufficient interest, we will explore the formation of a second group. Contact Catherine Whitham (282-0414 or cwhitham@comcast.net). Cost: $340 Catechesis of the Good Shepherd training | video
Catechesis of the Good Shepherd has been a transformative experience for the young children who have experienced it here at St. Stephen’s–and just as much for the adults who have participated as catechists (guides). This is not traditional Sunday school, and the role of the adult in the Atrium is not that of a traditional teacher. Not only will you find the training a profoundly spiritual experience, you will enjoy deepened relationships with your fellow catechists. St. Stephen’s annually offers training for catechists in both Level I and Level II, led by one of the premier Catechesis trainers in the world, Anna Hurdle. For information about upcoming opportunities to participate, contact Gene LeCouteur or Abigail Whorley in the parish office.
Mary, the Mother of Jesus | Fall Covenant Period | Register online
Thursdays, October 14 - November 18, 2010, 7 p.m. Led by Claudia Merritt Throughout the year at daily Morning Prayer we pray the Angelus, a prayer celebrating the incarnation of Jesus, but it is a prayer in which Mary is central. Who is Mary? Who was she in biblical times and how have we seen her throughout the ages? Who is she for us today? As we begin to look to Advent and Christmas, meet this woman who has been so important to our Christian story.
The Seeker’s Path: Moving Beyond Belief | Fall Covenant Period | Register online Led by Sam Davis, Monday evenings at 7:00 p.m. | Course outline
This group is for those seeking a deeper relationship with God beyond the doctrines and practices of mainstream religion. Through readings, poetry, prayers and a variety of spiritual practices, this group will provide seekers a spiritual pathway toward a greater understanding of an personal relationship with God.
Faith and Fiction | Fall Covenant Period | Register online Led by Bruce Birdsey, Tuesdays at 7:00 p.m. beginning October 5
Where does evil come from? Does prayer work? Can one's name carry divine power? Such questions, often the stuff of dry academic theology, can be as gripping as a good story. We'll ponder and discuss six tales from such masters as Flannery O'Connor, James Baldwin, and Bernard Malamud that invite meditation on religious meaning in everyday life. It is recommended that participants purchase the paperback anthology God: Stories, edited by C. Michael Curtis.
Letters to Malcolm by C.S Lewis | Fall Covenant Period | Register online
Led by John Gayle and Walker Buckalew Tuesdays, 7 p.m. beginning October 5
Letters to Malcolm was Professor Lewis's final book, and was published after his death. It represents his end-of-life thinking about many things, including the end of life itself (which he saw coming well before it actually arrived).
Celtic Spirituality | Winter Covenant Period Weezie Blanchard, Wednesdays, 6:30 p.m. This group will focus on Celtic spirituality through history, art, music and spiritual practices, and will explore its relationship to our own lives and spiritual journeys, as well as in the context of our Episcopal/Anglican tradition.
I Am…Biblical Women Tell their Own Stories | Winter Covenant Period Led by Claudia Merritt, Wednesday 6:30 p.m. This group will discuss I Am…Biblical Women Tell their Own Stories by Athalya Brenner, and learn learn more about such women as Dinah, Ruth, Zipporah, Rahab and even women without names. These are women whose stories are often overlooked, but played critical roles in the Biblical text. Understanding them and their stories makes the text richer and our story more complete.
Wellness and Salvation
The importance of wellness ministries at St. Stephen’s has its roots in the ancient Christian understanding of salvation. To be saved is not simply a matter of believing or doing the right things in order to go to heaven when you die. Instead, to be saved is, quite simply, to be made whole and well.
The New Testament word for “salvation” is the same word for “healing” and “making whole.” Our English word, “salve,” helps us to recover this ancient understanding of salvation. A salve, of course, is an ointment or other agent of healing.
We see our wellness ministries as extensions of the healing ministry of Jesus. These ministries encourage:
-Holistic approaches to health of body, mind, and spirit.
-Healing of our relationships with God, our neighbors, and ourselves.
-Greater balance, mindfulness, and centeredness in daily life.
-Healthy and responsible habits in daily living.
-Lives of Christ-like compassion, healing, and presence for a wounded world.
Into Stillness: Mindfulness Meditation and Stress Management October 14-November 18 | Morning class: 10:00 a.m. -11:30 a.m. (Register online) | Evening class: 7:00 p.m.-8:30 p.m (Register online).
Jo Ann Bibb, MS, Bon Secours Richmond, Cardiac Wellness Offered during each Covenant Period* Limited to 12 participants $25/person per Covenant Period
Learning to be still and present is a key component of wellness and growth in the spiritual life, and an important tool for anyone who wishes to learn classical disciplines of Christian meditation and to receive the gift of contemplation. This class is also valuable for people who are looking for new ways of dealing with stress, using the same principles used in Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), a proven method for reducing stress.
*The class is offered during the first six weeks of each covenant period, with opportunities in the 9th and 10th weeks of the covenant period for a reunion/refresher for any current or past class participants.
This course is recommended for any who wish to participate in the workshops and retreats offered this year by Martin Laird, Martin Smith and Margaret Guenther.
Food Rules | Winter Covenant Period Erin Wright and Cherry Jones, Wednesdays, 6:30 p.m.
This class combines presentations and discussion (and a little cooking and eating!) centered around Michael Pollan’s short book, Food Rules. Learn ways to eat more simply and healthily, as you discover the reasons behind some of the more important “rules.” You will also learn how dramatically the modern western diet has changed and why culturally indigenous diets have historically been so much healthier than typical practices today. This class, taught by Farmers Market manager Erin Wright and nurse practitioner Cherry Jones, builds on the assumption that caring for our bodies is inextricably linked to caring for our souls and our minds, and the goal is to give us tools and information for making healthy, life-giving choices.
Tai Chi and Yoga Tai Chi and yoga focus on stress reduction, movement, breathing and body awareness. The groups meet in Room 18 on the second floor.
Yoga | Register online Wednesdays at 9 a.m. , taught by Aimee Yowell
Tuesdays at 6 p.m., taught by Lynn Brooke beginning September 14
$10 per session
Yoga is for all and ages and levels and the benefits are many. It increases strength and flexibility, removes tensions, focuses the mind and teaches the practitioner to use breathing as a way to relax the body.
Tai Chi | Mondays at 1 p.m. | Register online Floyd Herdrich
$10 per session
Tai chi is a sequence of slow, gentle fitness exercises that focus on breathing and stretching. It increases stamina, strength, balance and concentration. It improves blood circulation, increases the utilization of oxygen, and fosters a calm, relaxed mental and emotional state.
Questions? If you have questions about any of these offerings, use the contact information provided for the specific offering, or contact Gene LeCouteur: 288-2867, ext 324.
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