Fall Pastorates Begin
September 10, 2017
All Day
As we “share in the life of God” together through our worship, prayer, and various spiritual practices, we must remember that our formation as a church is always for a purpose: to unleash God’s love into our broken world. Our Pastorates this fall semester are geared toward ministry efforts. Instead of viewing them as study groups, view them more like ministry teams, each one exploring and putting into practice ways in which we as a church can give ourselves “for the life of the world.”
Each Pastorate plans to meet at least five times on the day of the week it begins. It’ll be up to each group to determine how to schedule those five meetings from there. The Pastorates will run from mid-September to mid-November. Feel free to invite friends who aren’t a part of All Saints to attend, especially those without a church home. Sign up on Sundays in the foyer throughout the month of August.
Open Hands and Open Hearts
Kim Howerton and Lynn Binkley
Begins Sunday, September 10, 6:00–8:00 p.m.
All that we have is a gift from God. He calls us to be faithful stewards of our resources and caretakers of everything—creation, gifts, talents, money, time, and the Gospel. When we come to Him with our open hands and open hearts, He does beautiful things in the lives of His people. Please join us as we pray, reflect, and discuss what it looks like to live our lives with open hands and open hearts, being good stewards of His blessings.
Brewing for the Life of the World
Fr. Ross Guthrie and Julian Williamson Begins Sunday, September 10, 5:00 p.m.
Material costs: $35/person
There is a long history of brewing beer in the Christian Church. From Irish saints to medieval monks, Reformation pastors to Puritan settlements, beer making has been part of life in God. This Pastorate will explore not only the basics of brewing, but also the possibilities of reaching others through our brewing. Other topics will include the Bible and Alcohol; the Christology of Wine; Christian Hospitality; and Monks, the Reformation, and Early American Christian Perspectives on Beer. “Ho, everyone that thirsts, come!”
Ministry with the Elderly
Fr. Wes Gristy and Fr. Ross Guthrie
Begins Tuesday, September 12, 2:00–3:00 p.m.
For two years, a small group of parishioners from All Saints has been attending a monthly Bible study led by Fr. Wes and Fr. Ross at the Regency Retirement Village. While these studies have been valuable for everyone involved, we hope to expand our ministry presence there, form closer relationships with these residents, and seek to minister with them in a variety of new ways. If you have a heart for the elderly, join us in this wonderful work of the Spirit.
Forming Families
for the Life of the World
Fr. Brian Larsen Wells and others
Begins the week of September 10, 6:00–8:00 p.m. Groups available Sunday, Wednesday, Friday
Groups of three families will meet once every other week in one another’s homes to break bread together, worship God together in song, Bible study, and prayer, and plan a family group project together for the life of the world. Children should be involved in the preparation of meals, in the worship, and in the planning of the family project. This is a whole family affair! Anyone ages 2 to 92 should be able to participate!
Cheers! Where Everybody Knows Your Name: Addiction, the Church, and Hospitality
Nita Mehr and Donald Jordan
Begins Sunday, September 10, 6:00–8:00 p.m.
Cheers was known as the place where everybody knew everybody. They had seen each other at their best and their worst, and they did life together anyway. Can the church be a similar kind of community, one that welcomes those with addictions no matter where they are in the process? This group will explore what God is doing at All Saints in this area, and ways we might join him.
Reading the Gospels for the Life of the World
David Knack and Luke Sower
Begins Wednesday September 13, 6:00–8:00 p.m.
Each of the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke) tells the same story, but in a different way. Why do the details of these accounts differ? In this Pastorate, we will look at the influence each author’s audience had on the finished product and consider how this might affect our telling of the gospel today. If you want to read Scripture with the aim of sharing Jesus more effectively with others, especially those who are different than you, consider joining this Pastorate.
A Healing Practicum
Fr. Wes Gristy and Landon Preston
Begins Wednesday September 13, 6:00–8:00 p.m.
In addition to studying the biblical command and ministry of healing, this Pastorate will put it into practice by seeking out the sick and the suffering, laying our hands on them, anointing them with oil, and asking for the Spirit to show up in tangible ways. We also plan to make ourselves available to the church as needed. This Pastorate will utilize portions of books like Jordan Seng’s Miracle Work to help us with the more practical aspects of healing ministries.