Resources for Christian Study and Formation

Rector’s Rambling September 2012

The Learned and Godly Richard Hooker
outside Exeter Cathederal
One of the Patrons of Excellence in Biblical and Theological Education

With the coming of the new school year, I thought it might be a good time to remind everyone of some of the opportunities for Christian growth and formation which are available here at St. John’s. I hope and pray that everyone will peruse these resources and prayerfully consider ways in which you might draw closer to God in this coming year.
+Perhaps the most important thing you can do is to attend services every week. Our services on Sunday and Wednesday afford us the opportunity to hear and experience the Scriptures through confession, praise, listening to God, and receiving Holy Communion- all things He has commanded us to do.

+Become more familiar with the Bible by participating in the “Essential One-Hundred Bible Reading Plan” http://www.scriptureunion.org/ from Scripture Union. Materials are available at the back of the church or in my study.

+Attend our mid-week Bible study on Wednesdays at 10:30 in the undercroft beginning in September. We generally discuss a book or section of the Bible over coffee or tea.
+Enroll in “Education For Ministry” http://www.sewanee.edu/EFM/ , a program for education of the laity sponsored by St. Luke’s Sewanee, my alma mater. The group meets on Wednesday nights for a gourmet meal and to study the in depth texts provided by the Divinity School. Kathy Heim and Carole Bailey are our mentors. Call Kathy at 205-3397 for more information.

+If you are in middle school, plan on attending our “Pizza and God Talk” nights on Monday at 5 at Nick’s Pizza on West Wheeling Street (STARTING SEPTEMBER FIRST WE WILL BE MEETING IN THE CHURCH UNDERCROFT.) Bring your Bible and your appetite. We are usually done by 6:15 at the latest.

+We invite all Junior and Senior High Students to meet at Four Reasons at 9AM on Sundays for breakfast and discussion of spiritual topics beginning in September. There is no cost to the teens, and we hope you will attend in conjunction with the regular Communion Service of your choice.

+If you like online resource study, check out “The Global Anglican Theological Institute" http://www.globalanglican.org/ . It will soon be accessible from our Church Web Site http://www.stjohnlancaster.org/index.html . It has scores of articles with links and references about all sorts of Biblical and Theological issues from an Anglican perspective.

+The Anglican Library http://www.anglicanlibrary.org/  has a great collection of sermons,commentaries, and other works illustrating what we believe. Project Canterbury http://anglicanhistory.org/ is another great source for online anglican resources.+Watch your mail box for a complimentary annual subscription to “The Anglican Digest” http://www.anglicandigest.org/ , a quarterly miscellany reflecting the words and works of the Churches of the Anglican Communion, provided through an agreement between St. John’s and the Trustees of Hillspeak, an Anglican retreat center in Eureka Springs, Arkansas.+Plan on attending "Mere Anglicanism" http://www.mereanglicanism.com/ January 24-26, 2013 in Charleston, SC.  It will refresh your soul. +Some folks at St. John’s have indicated an interest in seeking a formal spiritual director or participating in sacramental confession. If you are interested in these more intensive ways of knowing yourself and our Lord, please call me at 215-3900.
I hope these resources will help you as you seek to draw closer to God in this coming academic and church year. May we all commit to live together in peace and harmony, that true religion might flourish among us as we order our lives to more readily recognize and appropriate his grace.

Faithfully,
Bill+