Spiritual Formation for All Ages!

Grace St Paul's Episcopal Church

Programs in February 2017
Get Rooted and Grow at GSP!
We offer lots of good things for folks of all ages. We welcome and encourage everyone to participate in the wide range of opportunities to get rooted and grow at GSP!
Amy Cormode , Children, Youth & Family Ministry
Catherine Penn Williams , Adult Spiritual Formation Team  
Programs for Children,
Youth & Families (& Everyone Else)

February Gathering of the People of God:  Love's Avenue of Expression
Saturday, February 11 from 5:00 to 7:00 pm

Giving and receiving Valentine's cards and gifts...does it stress you out, make you sad, or juice you up?  Maybe the reason this holiday is so commercial and overboard is that it taps into our deep hunger to express our love for specific people and our equal hunger to receive those expressions of love.  Let's get together and explore creative ways to let the love in our hearts out into the lives of those around us.

Potluck as usual so bring a dish to share. All are welcome!

Questions? Contact Amy Cormode here.
Sundays at 9:00 am & 11:45 am @ GSP
Have an idea for a class or group? Would you like to present a class
for Adult Spiritual Formation  at GSP? Please email us here.
We welcome all suggestions!
Healthy & Whole: An Invitation
to Faith-Based, Wholistic Self-Care
2 Sundays, Feb 5 & 12 at 9:00 am in the Bloom Room

It is amazing to read throughout scripture how our Creator encourages us to take care of our heart, mind, body and spiritual well being. God’s design is to take care of all of who we are, and all are worthy! And yet, sometimes we struggle with self-care. Can it be frustrating? Yes! So, what do we actually do with this wonderful Biblical encouragement? In this class, we will explore scripture, share practical ideas and resources, and some of the ways we empower ourselves to change. Your take away from this time? Perhaps a meaningful reflection for your journey and one simple, single action that allows you to say, “I can do this.”

Each session stands alone. All are welcome!

Cheryl Austin, our facilitator, comes from two perspectives: faith and leadership development. She holds a Master of Arts in Theology from Fuller Theological Seminary, and has spent her career serving leaders from many cultures as they grow into their changing circumstances. Cheryl is a member of the GSP Adult Spiritual Formation team.
Sermons on Tap
Sunday, Feb 12 at 11:45 am in the Bloom Room

Ever leave worship on Sunday and wish you could talk about the sermon with others? Why not join like-minded folks for an open discussion of the day's sermon over beer and sandwiches? This small group is for anyone with a desire to connect more deeply with others and a willingness to explore their own questions about how we live into the "good news" as preached at GSP. The setting will be informal and relaxed. No need to register, come anytime. All are welcome!

Beer, iced tea, and a light lunch will be available. Donations will be accepted to cover the costs of lunch.

Facilitated by Brian Arthur. Brian serves on the Adult Spiritual Formation team and is a frequent group leader at GSP.
Exploring Today's Lectionary
Sunday, Feb 19 at 9:00 am in the Bloom Room

One Sunday a month we provide an opportunity to discuss the Bible readings for that day in more depth in a small group setting. Join us for a thoughtful but always lively conversation about scripture.

Facilitated by Vicki Stefani. Vicki serves on the Adult Spiritual Formation team and is a frequent group leader at GSP.
Artisanal Micro-Roasted Home Brew Christianity
Sunday, Feb 26 at 9:00 am in the Bloom Room

UA Chaplain Ben Garren will discuss the changing reality of Christianity in a millennial environment and how churches can effectively respond to creating spaces of spiritual depth and inquiry in this new Information Age. Not an expose on gimmicks to get the kids in church, but a look at how our approach to engaging Christian truth in our thinking and prayer must take on different dimensions if we are going to effectively proclaim the gospel.

The Rev Ben Garren started his life in North Carolina and grew up believing he would follow his father and grandfather in the field of Agricultural Science, but he found himself energized by a different set of questions that, eventually, brought him to ordained ministry in the Episcopal Church. He currently serves as chaplain for Episcopal Campus Ministry at the University of Arizona.
Episcopal 101 – for Everyone
6 Sundays, Feb 26 to Apr 2 at 11:45 am in the Bloom Room

All inquirers and current members wanting a “refresher” are invited to learn more of the joy and highlights of the Episcopal path and sharing your journey in the 21st Century. In this six-session introduction to the Episcopal Church, we’ll discuss basic Episcopal liturgical practice, the idea of liturgy, and the Book of Common Prayer; offer a history of the Episcopal Church, its roots and sense of tradition--including where things stand in the church’s most recent controversy; and explain the structure and organization of the Episcopal Church; and what does it mean to be a member of Grace St. Paul’s Church? What do bishops do? What is Apostolic Succession? Why do we need priests? What direction does authority flow? Bring your questions to all the sessions! Participants may wish to buy the book Jesus Was an Episcopalian: a Newcomers Guide to the Episcopal Church by Chris Yaw to supplement the class experience but it’s not required.  Snacks will be provided.

Facilitated by Fr. Steve Keplinger, Rector of Grace St Paul's.
Quiet Day Retreat
Quiet Day Retreat
Saturday, February 11 from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm in the Bloom Room

The theme for this year’s Quiet Day is “The Presence Within.” Many of us sense a form of disconnect and disassociation as we look at the world around us and within us. Perhaps we even consider social action for peace and justice that is found within the Episcopal tradition. We long to find the Presence within so that our action in the world is congruent with our inner spirituality. Join us for a day of centering prayer and lectio divina seeking the Presence within, no experience necessary. Please bring a brown bag lunch and we’ll supply water, iced tea, and coffee.

Contact the church office at 327-6857 to reserve your space.

Facilitated by Rev Chris Ledyard and Karen Hanson. Chris is a deacon at GSP and Karen is active in pastoral care and social justice ministries. They also co-lead the grief support group at GSP.
Book Discussions @ GSP
GSP Readers Group: The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery
Friday, February 10 at 9:30 am
in the Bloom Room

Muriel Barbery’s The Elegance of the Hedgehog takes place in an elegant Parisian apartment building inhabited by bourgeois families. Renée, the concierge, is witness to the lavish but vacuous lives of her numerous employers. Unbeknownst to her employers, Renée is a cultured autodidact who adores art, philosophy, music, and Japanese culture. Then there's Paloma. A twelve-year-old genius and the daughter of a tedious parliamentarian, she is a talented and startlingly lucid child who has decided to end her life on the sixteenth of June, her thirteenth birthday. They discover their kindred souls when a wealthy Japanese man named Ozu moves into the building. This is a moving, funny, triumphant novel that exalts the quiet victories of the inconspicuous among us.

All are welcome. No registration necessary.

For more information contact Vicki Stefani at 520-743-3978.
Film & Fellowship in February
Winter Film Series: Building Bridges
Friday, February 17 at 7:00 pm in the Bloom Room (Potluck begins at 6:30 pm)

The critically acclaimed Dear White People (2014) is a scathing, hilarious, and ultimately heartfelt exploration of racial tension on college campuses (and everywhere else). This was one of Kitt and Eric’s Sundance favorites, and they are thrilled to bring it to GSP!

Please join Eric Carr and Kitt Leonard for the finale of the winter film series and a multi-cultural potluck as we celebrate building bridges!

The potluck is at 6:30 pm; the film starts at 7:00 pm, and will be followed by a lively discussion.
EfM Revisited @ GSP
EfM Revisited (EfM Alumni Group)
Thursday, February 16 at 10:30 am in the Bloom Room

We will finish up our discussion of Eager To Love by Richard Rohr and continue our Mezuzah project. Bring a sack lunch and we will enjoy each other's company.

EfM Revisited (EfM Alumni Group) is a small group that meets monthly for a variety of activities during the fall, winter and spring. All persons who have participated in Education for Ministry, for any length of time and in any location, are welcome to attend!

For more information, contact Karen Kelly at 520-429-3637.

Understanding Scripture @ GSP
For Everyone: Coffee, Bagels  and Bible Stuff
Every Thursday from 7:30-8:30 am in McBride Hall

Join a diverse group in a discussion of the 1 Timothy. In our second year many are attending their first bible study and are enjoying the attempt to put the weekly readings into historical prospective while finding current application. 

All materials are provided. Drop-ins are welcome, and we start and end on time.

Facilitated by Bill Moore, GSP Junior Warden.
Bible Women
2 Fridays, Feb 3 & 17 from 10:30-11:30 am in the Weeks Room

What do the voices of women in scripture have to say to us about our own lives, regardless of our gender? This class studies the Bible through the words of women in the Old and New Testaments. The focus is on actual scripture and its contexts; an optional text, Bible Women: All Their Words and Why They Matter by Lindsay Hardin Freeman is available through Amazon.

The group meets twice a month on the 1st and 3rd Friday. No registration is necessary and participants are welcome to join the group at any time.

For more information contact Vicki Stefani at 520-743-3978 or here.
Weekly Small Groups @ GSP
Sharing Our Spiritual Journeys
Every Monday from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm in the Bloom Room

Each week, in this small discussion group, we focus on a different intersection between spirituality, religion, and culture. We view short videos (10-15 min) by scholars and authors such as Richard Rohr, Marcus Borg, Diana Butler Bass, Christena Cleveland and other innovative church thinkers. The conversation is always a surprise and takes us where the Spirit guides.

Each session stands alone and participants are welcome anytime. 

Co-facilitated by Brian Arthur, Jim Franks and Catherine Penn Williams.
Saturday Java Jive:
Coffee & Conversation
Every Saturday from 8:30-11:00 am
at Epic Cafe (745 N 4th Ave, at University Blvd)

Want to meet and get to know folks in a relaxed and friendly environment? All are welcome to join this long-running motley crew that meets every Saturday morning for coffee and conversation. We never know who will show up, the topic is always up for grabs, and hilarity often ensues.
Programs of Interest Outside of GSP
The Divine Feminine in Tibetan Buddhism
Khenpo Drimed Dawa (Dean Pielstick, EdD) and Anne B. Parker, MA, MHSA, MT-BC
S aturday, February 18, 9:00 am to 12:00 pm
Grace St Paul’s Episcopal Church, 2331 E Adams St (in the Bloom Room)
SAFOJ Members: $15; Non-Members: $20

Archetypes and images of the divine feminine are an integral part of Tibetan Buddhist practice. Cultural changes in northern India around the beginning of the first millennium CE affected religious practices in various ways, including an emphasis on the divine feminine. We will explore some of the female deities that emerged from this process, as well as the symbolism and energies of archetypes, that are part of the psychology of the practice for training the mind on the path to enlightenment.

Download a flyer here. For more information, go to www.safoj.org.