Adult Christian Formation

It's long been said that one of the strengths of the Episcopal Church is that you don't need to check your brain at the door. In fact, we encourage you to bring your brain, to use it, exercise it, even stretch it. A variety of opportunities to grow in faith and understanding, or to explore ideas about God and issues in the world are available at Saint Mark's. Below you'll find information about our Emmaus program, the Sunday morning 10 am Forum for adults, Wednesday evening Bible Studay, and more programs as information is available.


The 10 am Adult Education Forum Sundays in the Parish Hall at 10 am

Fall 2009

“Continual Growth in thy Love and Service”:

Spirituality, Mission, Witness

 

October 18th

Can We KNOW God is Real? Part 4                       Dr. Roy Clouser

Dr. Clouser, Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at the College of New Jersey, will be concluding his examination of the philosophical considerations upon which belief in God is based.  Later on in the year he will be looking at evil from a philosophical standpoint.

 

October 25th

The Bells of St. Mark's Church                       Bell Ringers

A presentation on the art of bellringing, and the history of the bells at St. Mark's, to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the re-hanging of the bells.

 

November 1st

Christian Stewardship                          Stewardship Committee

Members of the Stewardship Committee will be presenting on issues surrounding stewardship and the Christian faith.

 

November 8th

The Treasures of St. Mark's Church                    Davis d'Ambly

Mr. d'Ambly will present on some of the liturgical treasures that St. Mark's has been given over the parish's long history.

 

November 15th

Pilgrimage and the Christian Life                                     Fr. Mullen

Fr. Mullen will discuss his experiences walking a pilgrimage route to St. James de Compostella in Spain, and discuss what can be learned from the metaphor of pilgrimage for the life of faith.

 

November 22nd

What we do on Sundays: The Mass Explained, Part I     The Clergy

The clergy of the parish will discuss the structure of the Sunday mass, the various portions of liturgy, and answer questions about why we do various aspects of the liturgy in the “high” way that we do at St. Mark’s Church.

 

November 29th

What we do on Sundays: The Mass Explained, Part II   The Clergy

The clergy of the parish will continue their discussion of the structure of the Sunday mass, the various portions of liturgy, and answer questions about why we do various aspects of the liturgy in the “high” way that we do at St. Mark’s Church.

 

December 6th

What we do on Sundays: The Mass Explained, Part III  The Clergy

The clergy of the parish will conclude their discussion of the structure of the Sunday mass, the various portions of liturgy, and answer questions about why we do various aspects of the liturgy in the “high” way that we do at St. Mark’s Church.

 

December 13th

Wrestling with the Hebrew Scriptures, Part 1         Matt Griendling

Matt Griendling, who has an MA in Old Testament will discuss the complexities of reading, interpreting and understanding the Hebrew Scriptures.

 

December 20th

Wrestling with the Hebrew Scriptures, Part 2         Matt Griendling

Matt Griendling, who has an MA in Old Testament will discuss the complexities of reading, interpreting and understanding the Hebrew Scriptures.

 

Wednesday Evening Bible Study

 

St. Mark’s Church

1625 Locust Street 

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 

 

Bible Study Schedule, 2009–10

Wednesdays, 6 p.m., top floor of parish house

 

 


The Story of Our Salvation:

Joseph Saves Israel

September 9 • Genesis 37, 39–40 • Joseph sold into slavery

September 16 • Genesis 40–42 • Joseph’s rise to power

September 23 • Genesis 43–45 • Joseph’s family restored

September 30 • Genesis 46–48 • The family settles in Goshen

October 7 • Genesis 49–50 • Blessings and forgiveness

October 14 • Exodus 1–2 • The birth of Moses

 

The Story of Our Salvation:

A Woman Warrior

October 21 • Judith 1–3 • Holofernes

October 28 • Judith 4–7 • Achior

November 4 • Judith 8–10 • Judith

November 11 • Judith 11–13 • Judith beheads Holofernes

November 18 • Judith 14­–16 • A hymn of praise

November 25 • Thanksgiving Eve • No Bible study

 

The Story of Our Salvation:

The Advent of Jesus

December 2 • Matthew 1–2 • Nativity in Matthew

December 9 • Luke 1–2 • Nativity in Luke

December 16 • Luke 3; Matthew 3 • John the Baptist

December 23 • Christmas break • No Bible study

December 30 • Christmas break • No Bible study

January 6 • Epiphany • No Bible study

January 13 • Luke 4–5 • Jesus begins his ministry 

 

The Story of Our Salvation:

The Easter Vigil Prophecies

January 20 • Genesis 1­–3 • The story of creation

January 27 • Genesis 7–9 • The flood

February 3 • Genesis 18–22 (selections) • Abraham’s sacrifice of Isaac

February 10 • Exodus 1–15 (selections) • Israel’s deliverance at the Red Sea

February 17 • Ash Wednesday • No Bible study

February 24 • Isaiah 1–39 (selections) • God’s presence in a renewed Israel

March 3 • Isaiah 40–55 (selections) • Salvation offered freely to all

March 10 • Ezekiel 1–36 (selections) • A new heart and a new spirit 

March 17 • Ezekiel 37–48 (selections) • The valley of dry bones

March 24 • Zephaniah 1–3 • The gathering of God’s people

March 31 • Holy Week • No Bible study

 

The Story of Our Salvation:

The First Church

April 7 • Acts 1–2 • Pentecost

April 14 • Acts 2–4 • Peter’s preaching

April 21 • Acts 4–6 • Persecution and organization

April 28 • Acts 7–9 • Stephen and Saul

May 5 • Acts 9–11 • Saul’s conversion; Peter’s vision

May 12 • Acts 11 • The beginning of Paul’s missionary journeys

 

The Story of Our Salvation:

The Epistle to the Romans

May 19 • Romans 1–3 • God’s righteousness

May 26 • Romans 4–6 • Faith

June 2 • Romans 7–8 • Sin and the law vs. life in the Spirit

June 9 • Romans 9–11 • God’s election of Israel • End-of-year party

 

Summer Session

June 30 • Summer session 1 • Lesser-known women of the Bible

July 21 • Summer session 2 • Lesser-known women, part 2

August 11 Summer session 3 • Lesser-known women, part 3

September 8 • Bible study begins again

 

 

Questions? Jay Blossom, 215-922-6892 or jsfblossom@yahoo.com