Adult Christian Formation
One of the primary purposes of the Church is to form people in the Christian faith so that they may live integrate their daily lives with the Christian faith. Opportunities for study, reflection, prayer, and participation in the sacraments all provide renewal for living the Christian life outside of the walls of the church. St. Clare’s has programs of Christian Formation for all ages.
Adult Christian Education in Lent, 9: 30 am on Sundays in the Parish Hall
The focus for the first two Sundays in Lent, February 18 and 25, will be a study of the Lenten practices mentioned in the prayer book on Ash Wednesday: self-examination and repentance; prayer, fasting, and self-denial; reading and meditating on God's holy Word.
On the last three Sundays in Lent, March 3, 10, and 17, we will have a series of sessions in which will recount the events of the last week of Jesus’ life and consider some of the ways theologians have thought about the meaning of Jesus’ death on the cross over the centuries.
Thursday Book Group by Zoom at 4:00 pm
Thursdays we hold a Book Study Group which explores a wide variety of writings that inform our Christian faith. We are currently discussing Christian Wiman’s Zero at the Bone: Fifty Entries Against Despair. To join the weekly 4 PM Zoom conversation, please click the “Learn More” button below.
Sacred Ground
St. Clare’s recently formed its third Sacred Ground group. Sacred Ground is a film- and readings-based dialogue series on race, grounded in faith. Small groups are invited to walk through chapters of America’s history of race and racism, while weaving in threads of family story, economic class, and political and regional identity. Our group is held on Zoom.
Education for Ministry
Education for Ministry, or EfM, is a four year program of study which explores the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament), the New Testament, current theologians, and the history of the church. The course enrolls a maximum of 12 participants and a new group is formed every Fall.
Children & Youth Christian Formation
The children and youth of St. Clare’s are formed in the likeness of Christ by enjoying fellowship with one another, and by acts of service. The children and youth, along with their friends, recently enjoyed bowling on a Sunday afternoon. They helped helped raise money and gathered food for a local pet shelter in Blairsville as a part of the pet blessing on the feast of St. Francis. The youth programs strive to teach our children about the love of God for them and for our neighbors.