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
Convener, Adult Spiritual Formation Team
Special Event!
Soup & Sanctuary with Pastor Allison Harrington
Soup & Sanctuary: An Evening with Pastor Alison Harrington
Wednesday, March 22 from 6:00 to 7:30 pm in McBride Hall

Join us for a delicious soup supper and, afterwards, stay for a brief presentation by Pastor Alison Harrington of Southside Presbyterian Church on the history of the Sanctuary Movement in Tucson, the rapid response program, and how we can respond to changing needs in the new political landscape.     

The Reverend Alison J. Harrington came to Southside Presbyterian Church in Tucson, AZ in 2009 with a passion for Christ and for social justice. Prior to that she was a community organizer in the San Francisco Bay Area around issues of the prison industrial complex and the criminalization of youth of color. She has traveled extensively in Ethiopia, Northern Ireland, Chiapas (Mexico), Colombia and Cuba with peace and justice delegations. In the fall of 2014, Alison was named by the Center for American Progress as one of 15 Faith Leaders to Watch in 2015, and most recently she was honored as the 2016 Distinguished Alumna for San Francisco Theological Seminary.
Programs for Children, Youth & Families
(& Everyone Else)

Sunday Mornings for Children & Youth

  • Nursery care is available from 8:45 a.m.-12:45 p.m. for children ages 3 and under and is located in the Theresa of Avila Room.
  • Preschool-5th grade children’s formation in the Godly Play circle happens during the 10 a.m. service in the Mary of Bethany Room. Children join the church family at The Peace for the Liturgy of the Table.
  • Youth Spiritual Formation class is held at 9 a.m. for middle school youth and older, and is located in the St. Francis Room.
  • Youth group for middle school and high school students meets on Sunday evenings at 6 p.m. in the Bloom Room to share in a meal and discussion/activity.
  • Nursery care, children and youth spiritual formation classes are all located in the Education Center, below the sanctuary.  
Sundays at 9:00 am & 11:45 am
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.
Sleeping with Bread: Holding What Gives Us Life (Lenten Series)
4 Sundays, March 5, 12, 19 & 26 at 9:00 am in the Bloom Room

The Christian tradition provides many practices that serve as spiritual food, helping us to live in gratitude with an awareness of how God speaks in all the moments of the day. One of these nourishing practices is called the Examen (part of The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius), a daily exercise in revisiting our deepest moments of consolation and desolation, and a practice that, over time, reveals God’s ongoing direction for our lives. Join us for four sessions in Lent to learn how to utilize the Examen to live more fully, especially in times of chaos and uncertainty. Each session will focus on experiential practice and will stand on its own. Join us any time.

Facilitated by Brian Arthur, Jim Franks and Catherine Penn Williams, all active members of the Adult Spiritual Formation ministry at GSP.
Why Palm Sunday?
Sunday, April 2 at 9:00 am in the Bloom Room

This program will use slides and historical information to answer such questions as:
  • Why is the day both Palm Sunday and Passion Sunday?
  • Why is it named “Palm Sunday”?
  • How is Palm Sunday linked to Ash Wednesday?
  • What does the donkey signify?
  • Do kings always ride horses?
  • What do palm branches signify?
  • What does the word “Hosanna” mean?
  • When is Palm Sunday?
  • What is the liturgical color for Palm Sunday?
  • How was Palm Sunday celebrated in earlier times?
  • How did the reformers treat Palm Sunday?
  • How have things changed in modern America?
  • What is GSP’s special link with Palm Sunday?
Presented by Chuck Dickson, a member of the adult spiritual formation ministry team. Chuck is a retired history teacher and one of our most popular presenters.
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!
GSP Readers Group
GSP Readers Group: The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
Friday, March 10 at 9:30 am  in the Bloom Room

A National Book Award Winner and #1 New York Times bestseller from Colson Whitehead, The Underground Railroad is a magnificent tour de force chronicling a young slave's adventures as she makes a desperate bid for freedom in the antebellum South. As Whitehead brilliantly re-creates the unique terrors for black people in the pre–Civil War era, his narrative seamlessly weaves the saga of America from the brutal importation of Africans to the unfulfilled promises of the present day. The Underground Railroad is at once a kinetic adventure tale of one woman’s ferocious will to escape the horrors of bondage and a shattering, powerful meditation on the history we all share. All are welcome. No registration necessary.

For more information, please contact Vicki Stefani at 520-743-3978.
Friday Night Films @ GSP
3rd Friday Film Series for Spring 2017:
Priests on Film: The Struggle to Serve
Friday, March 17 at 7:00 pm in the Bloom Room (Note: There is no potluck before these films)

Whether or not you accept the tenets of Christianity, Last Days in the Desert (2016), Rodrigo Garcia's austere depiction of the temptations of Christ, offers a quietly compelling portrait of the human side of Jesus (Ewan McGregor), wrestling with his doubts while wandering through the Judean desert. The film follows Jesus in an imagined chapter from his 40 days of fasting and praying in the desert. The dialogue is down to earth and devoid of oratorical pomposity. There are no parables, words of wisdom or reflections on eternal life. The relationship Jesus has with God is, like most of ours, personal and private.

Coming up:
Friday, April 21 at 7:00 pm: We Have A Pope (French-Italian, 2011)
Friday, May 19 at 7:00 pm: Adam's Apples (Danish, 2005)

Hosts Vicki and Joe Stefani are involved in a variety of ministries at GSP; Joe also serves on the vestry. Both are retired from the University of Arizona, where each taught writing and Vicki also taught literature and film. Click here for a downloadable flyer.
Film & Fellowship presents:
The Lenten Short Films
Friday, March 31 at 7:00 pm in the Bloom Room
Tapas ("Small Bites") Potluck begins at 6:30 pm

Kitt Leonard and Eric Carr are bringing their annual short film program back this year for one night only. This year features films from young filmmakers and alternative voices. Potential films are still being screened at the time of this writing, but this year they have obtained permissions to screen several award-winning films for their AZ debut. Many of the films cannot be seen anywhere else. Eric and Kitt will also have information about many of the artists, and a couple of them may even be present! Please join us for this very special event.

Facilitated by Eric Carr and Kitt Leonard, film aficionados and longtime GSP film screeners.
Understanding Scripture
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
3 Fridays, March 3, 17 & April 7 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.
Weekly Small Group Discussions
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
Penetrating the Darkness: Releasing Trauma from the Body
Amy Sprague Champeau, Jungian Analyst
S aturday, March 18, 2017
Grace St Paul’s Episcopal Church, 2331 E Adams St (in the Bloom Room)

Lecture: Penetrating the Darkness: Releasing Trauma from the Body
10:00 am to 12:00 pm
SAFOJ Members: $15; Non-Members: $20

Workshop: Practices for Releasing Trauma from the Body
1:00 pm to 4:00 pm
SAFOJ Members: $50, Non-Members: $65

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