What is "The Way"? Jesus' call to this disciples was simply "to follow me." The Way acknowledges that being a Christian disciple is more than merely learning about doctrines and historical facts. It is about creating a way of life that empowers us to do the kingdom work that Jesus called us to do.
Any person who seeks to grow in faith through this kind of commitment is encouraged to take this journey with us. By participating in several sessions and experiencing a more intensive spiritual encounter in a mini-retreat along the way, you may discover deeper insights and want to grow more in your relationship to God and the church.
In the Episcopal Church, we symbolize this commitment by
Contact us for more information.
Any person who seeks to grow in faith through this kind of commitment is encouraged to take this journey with us. By participating in several sessions and experiencing a more intensive spiritual encounter in a mini-retreat along the way, you may discover deeper insights and want to grow more in your relationship to God and the church.
In the Episcopal Church, we symbolize this commitment by
Contact us for more information.
SESSION 1: Who Am I? Who Are you?
Among the clearest teachings of Jesus was that we are "to love one another." As we prepare for this part of our faith journey, we must realize that this implies two things: first, we must help one another discover our areas of giftedness, and second, we must help them understand how to engage these gifts as an outward expression of God's love and generosity as well as an expression of kingdom purpose.
We will spend our first session getting to know one another a bit better, exploring why we are here together, and mapping out where we hope to go.
We will spend our first session getting to know one another a bit better, exploring why we are here together, and mapping out where we hope to go.
session 2: The Jesus Movement - The Anglican Way
At nearly every formal prayer event, we proclaim ourselves to be part of the "one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church." Just what does that mean? What makes us "Anglicans"? This stop on our journey will help us better to understand some of the distinctive attributes of the "Anglican tradition" and how it relates to the catholic or universal faith of the Christian Church.
session 3: Hearing God’s Voice — The Holy Scriptures
The joy and challenge of being Episcopalian is that we engage with faith and Scripture in ways that are sometimes different than many of our neighbors and fellow Christians. This can be both exciting and enriching but also difficult and confusing. We pause in our journey together to reflect on the place of Bible in the life of the Episcopal Church and the impact that the Scriptures have on our individual lives.
Session 4: Conversing with God — A Life of Prayer in the Episcopal Church
The Book of Common Prayer (BCP) forms part of the foundation of our life as Episcopalians. As part of the "Anglican way," we have adopted a way of living out our faith that is best expressed by the Latin phrase, lex orandi, lex credendi. Loosely translated this means "the law of praying [is] the law of believing." In other words, it is our prayer together that leads to belief and a way of life. At this point on our trek, we will take a comprehensive look at the BCP in the Episcopal Church, how we use it, and why it is important to our life together.
Session 5: Outward Signs and Inward Realities — the Power of the Sacraments
In all of Scripture, we find only two sacraments that were directly instituted by Christ: Baptism and Eucharist. However, in the life of the Christian community, we have come to recognize other sacramental moments where there is evidence of the work of God in clear and present ways. These recognized moments involve what we have come to understand as additional sacramental acts: the affirmation of baptismal faith (confirmation) the reconciliation of a penitent (penance), ministrations to the sick (anointing/unction), the blessing of covenantal unions (matrimony), and the "ordering" of official ministry in the Church (ordination). This stop on our journey will look at how The Episcopal Church understands the relationship of these special moments and our life as disciples.
Session 6: Love One Another as I Have Loved You — The Eucharist
"On the night he was betrayed, Jesus took bread . . ." With these words at the Holy Eucharist we remember the central act of Jesus' life - his self-giving act of love on the cross. The Holy Eucharist is the centerpiece of our life as disciples in community. At the same time Jesus said these word, he gave his disciples a simple command, "Love one another as I have loved you." Here we hear the Word of God and are strengthened by the work of the Holy Spirit for daily living. Over the centuries, many signs and symbols have been incorporated into this most sacred action. At this point in our journey, we will explore the particulars of Eucharistic celebrations in an "instructed Eucharist" where we pause at moments in our celebration for information and for reflection on the deeper meaning available to us.
Session 7: GOD’S MISSION—OUR MISSION
It has often been said: “Actions speak louder than words.” As we prepare to become more deeply committed to the mission and ministry of Jesus, we must take to heart the biblical command, "Be doers of the Word, and not hearers only." By preparing ourselves to fulfill Jesus central teaching "to love one another" we prepare ourselves to live out the baptismal promises to seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving our neighbor as ourselves; and, to strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being.
At this point in our journey, we will hear about the kinds of thing people are doing in our own community and consider how we may best integrate ourselves into the great work of proclaiming God's kingdom alive among us.As we grow in our faith, we begin to realize that each of us is called to be stewards of God's rich and manifold gifts: from the smallest part of our day to the "vast expanse of interstellar space." Stewardship of these gifts is the core of participating in God's mission in the world. Here we take concrete responsibility for our role in our community of faith and in the world. Our final stop in our journey gives us an opportunity to assess all that we have learned and shared in our time together and just how we can continue to grow in faith in the months and years ahead.
At this point in our journey, we will hear about the kinds of thing people are doing in our own community and consider how we may best integrate ourselves into the great work of proclaiming God's kingdom alive among us.As we grow in our faith, we begin to realize that each of us is called to be stewards of God's rich and manifold gifts: from the smallest part of our day to the "vast expanse of interstellar space." Stewardship of these gifts is the core of participating in God's mission in the world. Here we take concrete responsibility for our role in our community of faith and in the world. Our final stop in our journey gives us an opportunity to assess all that we have learned and shared in our time together and just how we can continue to grow in faith in the months and years ahead.