Adults
Sunday Morning Classes
Looking for a way to connect with others and deepen your spiritual journey? Sunday morning adult Christian formation classes, offered most weeks at 10:15 a.m., are the perfect way to find a “small” church within the larger one. Make friends, learn about the history of our faith, and find new ways to apply spiritual principles to your everyday life. Anyone is welcome to join at any time.
Green Term (September 21–October 26, 2008)
Fate of the Earth–Our Biblical Call to Care for Creation: Can we learn anything from the Bible about the care of creation? What is climate change and how serious is it? What might education and religion look like when grounded in the idea of sacred ecology? Do science and religion have anything in common when it comes to thinking and acting ecologically as well as economically? How is our spirit holding up under the weight of our stuff? What on earth is our dominion all about? A scheduled series of outstanding guest speakers will lead our discussion. Led by the Environmental Stewardship Commission in the Haywood Duke Room.All God’s Children–Immigration and Refugee Adult Forum: Learn from a distinguished roster of guest speakers the differences between immigrants and refugees and how programs, public policy and economics impact and are impacted by them. Designed to be an open forum for discussion and a wide range of attitudes and opinions on this very real and timely topic. Speakers will include Nolo Martinez, Gerry Chapman, Mark Sills and Andrew Brod. Facilitated by Marty Halyburton in Broome Hall.
Centering Prayer: We will offer some introduction and guidance in Centering Prayer and other forms of contemplative practice, but this class is intended primarily to be a welcome opportunity for a sacred time of experience of contemplative silence in community on a Sunday morning. Led by Ruth Anderson, Marion McCollum and others in Roe Library.
Gospel Café: A 30-minute study and discussion of the Gospel reading for the day in a casual, conversational café atmosphere. Led by the Rev. Doug Gilbert, the Rev. Russ Ingersoll and others in the Fisher Avenue Annex, Room 1A.
Advent Term (November 2–December 14, 2008)
Inquirer's Class: Designed for newcomers to the Episcopal Church as well as those seeking a “refresher course,” this class will provide an overview of the history, theology, worship and practice of the Episcopal Church. This course is part of the preparation for adults seeking Confirmation or Reception into the Episcopal Church. Led by the Rev. Virginia Herring in Roe Library.The Sleeping Bear–Russia in the Modern World: Russia has done a great deal to reinvent itself since the fall of the Soviet Union nearly twenty years ago, and this six-week course will explore where Russia is now and where it appears to be heading with a focus on several specific themes and topics: Revolution and the rise of Communism in Russia; the years of Stalinist repression and industrialization; the USSR after Stalin; the Gorbachev era; and post-Soviet Russia. Led by Dr. Jeff Jones, Assistant Professor of History at UNCG, in the Haywood Duke Room.
Living the Questions: This DVD-based series features some of the premier voices of progressive Christian thinking today, such as Marcus Borg, John Dominic Crossan, Tex Sample, John Spong and Emilie Townes. Each 20-minute segment includes conversations with leading voices of faith, sermon and lecture clips, stories illustrating aspects of an evolving faith, and concrete spiritual practices. This series includes sessions on Biblical authority, thinking theologically, stories of creation, and lives of Jesus. Conversation led by the Rev. Tim Patterson and others in Broome Hall.
Gospel Café: A 30-minute study and discussion of the Gospel reading for the day in a casual, conversational café atmosphere. Led by the Rev. Doug Gilbert, the Rev. Russ Ingersoll and others in the Fisher Avenue Annex, Room 1A.
Wednesday Night Offerings for Adults
Programs for all ages are offered on Wendesday nights during the program year. Worship with contemporary, youthful music begins in All Saints Chapel at 6 p.m. Supper is served in the Haywood Duke Room from 5:30–7 p.m. for $7 per person with a $25 family cap. Children under 5 eat free. The fall 2008 term of Wednesday nights is September 10–December 10. Please note that small groups for children and teens and covenant groups for adults are offered September 17–October 29.
See a complete listing of Wednesday night activities, including small group opportunities for children and teens.
TWIGS (Those With Infinitely Greater Sense)
Open to all those 60 years of age and "moving forward," TWIGS meets each Wednesday for lively Bible study and discussion. Please join us for an hour of spiritual growth and camaraderie, followed by dinner in the Haywood Duke Room. 4:30–5:30 p.m. in Roe Library, September 10–December 10.Adult Covenant Group Opportunities
Instead of more traditional classroom formats, Wednesday nights for fall 2008 will feature covenant group opportunities for adults. Covenant gropus are small groups that meet regularly for a time of spiritual connection through prayer, study, sharing and mutual caring. Clergy and Christian education staff will lead the groups through the use of lectio divina, a contemplative-based method focusing on the practice of prayer, scriptural reading and discussion, to study the lectionary reading for the upcoming Sunday. Contact Tim Patterson at 272-6149. ext. 228.Covenant Group Orientation Sessions: Join us for a brief introduction to learn about the spiritual benefits of covenant groups. Choose the session most convenient for you. Wednesday, September 17 from 5–6 p.m. or 7–8 p.m. in Broome Hall.
Covenant Group Meetings: We will offer three meeting times for Wednesday covenant groups: 7–8 a.m. (time negotiable), 5–6 p.m., and 7–8 p.m. More information on group assignments will be available at the orientation session. Covenant groups meet for six weeks, September 24–October 29.
Ordinary People, Ordinary Faith
Conversations about spirituality abound today. Yet when we suspect that the Holy Spirit is working in us, personally, we are reluctant to share. We are uncomfortable or unaccustomed to speaking in spiritual languages, even though at Pentecost, God sent us out into the world to do just that. This class is an opportunity to share our ordinary, everyday stories of God working in our lives in a comfortable and non-threatening way. Led by Cindy Peck and Barbara Metz. From 7–8 p.m. in the Lineweaver Room, September 24–December 10.
Spiritual Practice Teaching Series
The Saturday Spiritual Practice Series is offered in conjunction with The Servant Leadership School of Greensboro. Each workshop is two hours long and is designed to give the participant a brief introduction to the practice. The registration fee for each workshop is $10. Please register by calling 275-0447 or at www.servantleadergreensboro.com.
Introduction to Compassionate Communication: An introduction to Nonviolent Communication (NVC), a process of communication developed by Dr. Marshall Rosenberg that enables persons to communicate their needs and feelings to others in a way that does not produce shame, blame or guilt in either the speaker or the listener. Led by Amelia Poole, M.A. Saturday, September 27 from 10 a.m.–12 p.m. in Broome Hall.
Integral Transformative Practice: Combining movements and gentle stretching, progressive relaxation, visualization, and centering prayer, ITP allows us to balance and ground our bodies, open our hearts, and clear our minds to become more present to God’s Presence within us and among us. Led by The Rev. Timothy Patterson. Saturday, October 4 from 10 a.m.–12 p.m. in Broome Hall.
Walking Meditation Using the Labyrinth: Learn about the labyrinth as a tool for healing and spiritual growth and how it can be used to solve problems, enhance creativity, and help us on our inward and outward spiritual journeys. Led by Marjorie Donnelly, M.Ed. and others. Saturday, October 11 from 10 a.m.–12 p.m. in Broome Hall and the Labyrinth.
Centering Prayer: We will talk about the principles and practical guidelines of Centering Prayer. We will spend time with the guidelines, have some time of practice and then reflection on the practice. Led by Ruth Anderson, Ph.D. Saturday, October 25 from 10 a.m.–12 p.m. in Broome Hall.
Introduction to HeartMath: The HeartMath method shows how to tranform emotional and mental energy into new, satisfying feelings and intelligent perceptions. The HeartMath process shifts our often automatic responses etched into our neural circuitry towards awakening the intelligence of the heart to Divine Presence. Led by the Rev. Timothy Patterson. Saturday, November 8 from 10 a.m.–12 p.m. in Broome Hall.
Smyth Library
Located on the second floor of the church building, Smyth Library is a rich resource for those who want to deepen their faith through personal study and learning. The library continues to expand, with new books, videos and magazines added monthly. Smyth Library is open any time the church is open.
The LabyrinthThe Labyrinth is an archetype, a divine imprint, found in all religious traditions in various forms around the world. It has only one path, so there are no tricks to it and no dead ends. The path winds around and doubles back on itself, becoming a mirror for where we are in our lives, a metaphor for our spiritual journey; it touches our sorrows and releases our joys. The pathway in and the pathway out are the same; only the pilgrim has changed in the process.
One way of understanding the labyrinth is an image of the Three-Fold Mystical Path: Purgation, Illumination, and Union. Purgation, the first stage, is the journey to the center. As we begin the journey, we try to let go of our anger, self-pity, judgmentalism – those things that cut us off from the Divine. Illumination, the second stage, occurs when we reach the center. There, empty and cleansed, we wait with an open heart and an open mind to receive whatever the Spirit has for us. It may be a sudden insight, or simply a feeling of quiet peacefulness. Union, the third stage, is the journey outward, following the same path by which we entered. Now we integrate our experience and move out into the world with renewed energy and strength to do the work to which we have been called. Walking the labyrinth is a kind of body prayer that quiets the chattering of the mind so that the spirit can be more receptive.
Holy Trinity’s outdoor labyrinth is located in the courtyard at the lower end of the columbarium. It is well-lit and open to walkers 24 hours a day. Instructions for walking can be found on the covered walkway in front of the labyrinth near Greene Street.