Learning and Growing in Christ TogetherAdult Forums Resume on September 10 with the first book discussion featuring The Promise. (see below)
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Adult Forums Innovate with Three Streams and Summer Reading Discussion Events
The fact that we do not currently have a Minister for Congregational Life in place gives us a chance to experiment. It enables us to do things slightly differently this semester when it comes to Adult Education. Instead of having just one offering at 9:00 am on Sunday morning, we are planning to have three “streams” running at the same time. We feel that this will bring more variety to our offerings and better meet the needs of our congregation.
Starting on Sunday, September 17, the three streams will each have a different focus.
· Mark and Teresa Hixson will be leading a Bible study based on the sermon of the day.
· Christina will lead a contemplative stream that will focus on spiritual practices.
· Laura Hargreaves will lead a course on parenting.
Book Discussion Events
Intergenerational Conversations
Don’t miss the first discussion of our summer reading list, an intergenerational conversation about The Promise on Rally Sunday.
Another intergenerational discussion event will be held around the book Charlotte's Web. Date Night/Movie Night on Saturday, November 11, will feature the movie version. Sunday, November 12, the 9:00 am Forum will host the discussion of the book.
You won't want to miss the opportunity to hear from some of our youngest parish members!
Adult Ed Conversations
There is still time to finish the other books. Book discussions for My Grandmother's Hands and Rest as Resistance: A Manifesto will be taking place during our Advent Adult-Ed this year. We will be incorporating some of the rich spiritual practices from these books into our liturgical season.
Here are this year's selections from The Rev'd Christina Miller and Leighton Jones, Director of Youth & Children.
Selections by Christina
Starting on Sunday, September 17, the three streams will each have a different focus.
· Mark and Teresa Hixson will be leading a Bible study based on the sermon of the day.
· Christina will lead a contemplative stream that will focus on spiritual practices.
· Laura Hargreaves will lead a course on parenting.
Book Discussion Events
Intergenerational Conversations
Don’t miss the first discussion of our summer reading list, an intergenerational conversation about The Promise on Rally Sunday.
Another intergenerational discussion event will be held around the book Charlotte's Web. Date Night/Movie Night on Saturday, November 11, will feature the movie version. Sunday, November 12, the 9:00 am Forum will host the discussion of the book.
You won't want to miss the opportunity to hear from some of our youngest parish members!
Adult Ed Conversations
There is still time to finish the other books. Book discussions for My Grandmother's Hands and Rest as Resistance: A Manifesto will be taking place during our Advent Adult-Ed this year. We will be incorporating some of the rich spiritual practices from these books into our liturgical season.
Here are this year's selections from The Rev'd Christina Miller and Leighton Jones, Director of Youth & Children.
Selections by Christina
Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White
Charlotte’s Web was one of my favorite books growing up, and I am so excited to re-read it alongside our children this summer! It was the Newbery Honor Award winner in 1952, and continues to speak to people of every generation. It is the story of an unexpected friendship between a spider named Charlotte and a pig named Wilbur. Together, they experience love, life and death, giving us a new perspective on these experiences in our own lives.
Another intergenerational discussion event will be held around the book Charlotte's Web. Date Night/Movie Night on Saturday, November 11, will feature the movie version. Sunday, November 12, the 9:00 am Forum will host the discussion of the book.
You won't want to miss the opportunity to hear from some of our youngest parish members!
On Amazon
Charlotte’s Web was one of my favorite books growing up, and I am so excited to re-read it alongside our children this summer! It was the Newbery Honor Award winner in 1952, and continues to speak to people of every generation. It is the story of an unexpected friendship between a spider named Charlotte and a pig named Wilbur. Together, they experience love, life and death, giving us a new perspective on these experiences in our own lives.
Another intergenerational discussion event will be held around the book Charlotte's Web. Date Night/Movie Night on Saturday, November 11, will feature the movie version. Sunday, November 12, the 9:00 am Forum will host the discussion of the book.
You won't want to miss the opportunity to hear from some of our youngest parish members!
On Amazon
My Grandmother’s Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending our Hearts and Bodies by Resmaa Menakem
Resmaa Menakem is a body-centered psychologist who is healing the intergenerational traumas of racism through mending our hearts and bodies. His writing is both scientifically grounded, and accessible to the lay reader. He explains how our bodies (of every color) have been impacted by racism, and provides easily applied and profound practices to begin healing.
Over the last few years, I have been learning about how we carry emotions and traumas in our physical bodies, which has led to significant healing in my own life. Menakem’s book gave me an important missing piece: including anti-racism work into my somatic healing. He helped me see how as a White American, my body has internalized racist beliefs that my mind may not even be aware of. He also gave me “tools” to use that are body-centered while spiritual, drawing from his own ancestral rituals and traditions.
I recommend this book for everyone to heal racialized trauma, as well as for cultivating a greater awareness and attention to your body in your own spiritual journey. Join us in reading My Grandmother's Hands, and try out his body-centered spiritual practices for yourself over the summer! On Amazon
Resmaa Menakem is a body-centered psychologist who is healing the intergenerational traumas of racism through mending our hearts and bodies. His writing is both scientifically grounded, and accessible to the lay reader. He explains how our bodies (of every color) have been impacted by racism, and provides easily applied and profound practices to begin healing.
Over the last few years, I have been learning about how we carry emotions and traumas in our physical bodies, which has led to significant healing in my own life. Menakem’s book gave me an important missing piece: including anti-racism work into my somatic healing. He helped me see how as a White American, my body has internalized racist beliefs that my mind may not even be aware of. He also gave me “tools” to use that are body-centered while spiritual, drawing from his own ancestral rituals and traditions.
I recommend this book for everyone to heal racialized trauma, as well as for cultivating a greater awareness and attention to your body in your own spiritual journey. Join us in reading My Grandmother's Hands, and try out his body-centered spiritual practices for yourself over the summer! On Amazon
Rest is Resistance: A Manifesto by Tricia Hersey
We have all been exhausted at one time or another. You may be exhausted right now. Why is being tired and worn out the acceptable norm? Is it really necessary, or right, to choose productivity over our own wellness? And why do we wear our productivity fatigue like a badge of honor?
These are questions Tricia Hersey (a.k.a the Nap Bishop) delves into in Rest is Resistance: A Manifesto. After reaching exhaustion as a young mother and divinity student at Emory University, she began prioritizing rest as a spiritual practice. It sounds simple, but proved to be revolutionary for Hersey and many of her followers, including me.
Hersey’s message has helped me unlearn my own conditioning to always doing at the expense of my peace. She has helped me identify where these beliefs came from in the
first place, particularly in relationship to slavery and racism, and choose to claim my God-given right to wholeness.
While not explicitly religious, Hersey’s writing is undergirded with her theological training and deep spirituality. She brings a renewed understanding to Sabbath, and to how we can support one another in following this commandment in the 21st Century.
Join us in reading this book and let it inspire you to incorporate some much needed naps into your summer! On Amazon
We have all been exhausted at one time or another. You may be exhausted right now. Why is being tired and worn out the acceptable norm? Is it really necessary, or right, to choose productivity over our own wellness? And why do we wear our productivity fatigue like a badge of honor?
These are questions Tricia Hersey (a.k.a the Nap Bishop) delves into in Rest is Resistance: A Manifesto. After reaching exhaustion as a young mother and divinity student at Emory University, she began prioritizing rest as a spiritual practice. It sounds simple, but proved to be revolutionary for Hersey and many of her followers, including me.
Hersey’s message has helped me unlearn my own conditioning to always doing at the expense of my peace. She has helped me identify where these beliefs came from in the
first place, particularly in relationship to slavery and racism, and choose to claim my God-given right to wholeness.
While not explicitly religious, Hersey’s writing is undergirded with her theological training and deep spirituality. She brings a renewed understanding to Sabbath, and to how we can support one another in following this commandment in the 21st Century.
Join us in reading this book and let it inspire you to incorporate some much needed naps into your summer! On Amazon
Selection by Leighton
The Promise: The Amazing Story of Our Long-Awaited Savior by Jason Helopoulos (Author), Rommel Ruiz (Illustrator)
We are never too old to read a Children's Bible. I chose this book for its beautiful illustrations and the simply explained stories of the Old Testament journey into the story of redemption. It proclaims exactly how Jesus fulfills all of God's promises. This book was recommended to me by a colleague at St. Luke’s and it gave me goosebumps the first time I read it. It is also the perfect introduction to our Fall curriculum.
You can purchase the book using the QR code or borrow one of our copies for checkout starting June 10th during coffee hour. Consider purchasing the audio version.
On Rally Sunday, September 10, we will have an all parish, Intergenerational Sunday School session to discuss and reflect on this book at the 9:00 am Adult Forum hour in Parish Hall.
On Amazon
We are never too old to read a Children's Bible. I chose this book for its beautiful illustrations and the simply explained stories of the Old Testament journey into the story of redemption. It proclaims exactly how Jesus fulfills all of God's promises. This book was recommended to me by a colleague at St. Luke’s and it gave me goosebumps the first time I read it. It is also the perfect introduction to our Fall curriculum.
You can purchase the book using the QR code or borrow one of our copies for checkout starting June 10th during coffee hour. Consider purchasing the audio version.
On Rally Sunday, September 10, we will have an all parish, Intergenerational Sunday School session to discuss and reflect on this book at the 9:00 am Adult Forum hour in Parish Hall.
On Amazon
Daily Reading Companions
Here are several recommended daily devotionals you may want to add to your daily reading and prayer with short meditations for each day:
-Meditations on the Psalms for Every Day of the Year
by Barbara Crawthorne Crafton (Available from Church Publishing)
-The Radical Christian Life: A Year with Saint Benedict
by Joan Chittister (Available from Amazon)
-Bits of Heaven: A Summer Companion
by Russell J. Levenson Jr (Available from Church Publishing)
-Speaking to the Soul: Daily Readings for the Christian Year
by Vicki Black (Available from Church Publishing)
Here are several recommended daily devotionals you may want to add to your daily reading and prayer with short meditations for each day:
-Meditations on the Psalms for Every Day of the Year
by Barbara Crawthorne Crafton (Available from Church Publishing)
-The Radical Christian Life: A Year with Saint Benedict
by Joan Chittister (Available from Amazon)
-Bits of Heaven: A Summer Companion
by Russell J. Levenson Jr (Available from Church Publishing)
-Speaking to the Soul: Daily Readings for the Christian Year
by Vicki Black (Available from Church Publishing)
Responding to the call to Racial Justice: Recommended Reading List
As we continue to grapple with issues of racial inequality in our nation, we are called to listen and explore the origins and systemic nature of racism in order to respond in an informed and compassionate way. We were asked to put together a list of recommended reading to assist us in that endeavor. The following reading list comes from recommendations from the clergy and from members of the St. James community. Please consider choosing a book to add to your summer reading.
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Christian/Theological, Non-Fiction
Jesus and the Disinherited by Howard Thurman The Third Option: Hope for a Racially Divided Nation (2018) by Miles McPherson (Local pastor) Seeing My Skin: A Story of Wrestling with Whiteness (2019) by Peter Jarrett-Schell (Episcopal priest) Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion (2010) by Gregory Boyle (Jesuit Priest) Barking to the Choir: The Power of Radical Kinship (2017) by Gregory Boyle (Jesuit Priest) Beyond Colorblind (2017) by Sarah Shinn (Protestant Minister) America’s Original Sin (2016) by Jim Wallis (Preacher and Speaker) Dear White Christians (2014) By Jennifer Harvey (Religion Professor) For Children
Separate is Never Equal by Duncan Tonatiuh All Are Welcome by Alexandra Penfold Chasing Freedom by Nikki Grimes |
Other Non-Fiction
Me and White Supremacy: Combat Racism, Change the World, and Become a Good Ancestor (2020) by Layla Saad (NY Times bestseller) How to be an Anti-Racist (2019) by Ibram X. Kindi (NY Times bestseller) So You Want to Talk about Race (2019) by Ijeoma Oluo (NY Times bestseller) I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness (2018) by Austin Channing Brown Waking Up White (2014) by Debby Irving Fiction
To Kill a Mockingbird (1960) by Harper Lee The Hate You Give by Angie Thomas Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead I know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison The Color Purple by Alice Walkier A Raisin in the Sun (1959) by Lorraine Hansberry Once Were Warriors (1990) by Alan Duff (New Zealand novel) Cry, the Beloved Country (1948) by Alan Paton (South African novel) |
Past Forums and Formation Events
2023
May 14 & 21 Religious Art : Long-time member of St. James and docent at the San Diego Museum of Art, Balboa Park, since 2017, Steve Treadgold gave a series on religious art, The series presented a brief overview of artistic representations of two major figures in Christianity: the Virgin Mary and God the Father.
On May 7, Bishop Susan Brown Snook talked about the mission of the Diocese, the wider Episcopal church and Anglican communion.
On April 30 Brian Rawers told us of his daughter's near death experience and his own battle with cancer and how this brought him into closer communion with God.
On April 16 and 23 Scott Martin discussed his experiences and what he learned at Ridley Hall, an Anglican theological college affiliated with Cambridge University in England (where Father Mark earned his PhD). He gave special attention to the theology/philosophy of Lesslie Newbigin, Michael Polanyi and Charles Taylor.
"Lenten Journey in Franciscan Spirituality" Soup Supper Series, Wednesdays of March, Teresa Hixson led us in discovering the lives of St. Francis and St. Clare through their writings and spirituality as they followed the footsteps of Jesus. It’s inspiring to gain insights from Francis and Clare who traveled journeys of transformation during tumultuous times when their world seemed to be turned upside down with social, political, and cultural struggle. Recordings of the sessions can be accessed HERE.
Recordings of our Wednesday evening Lenten Journey in Franciscan Spirituality:
First Session HERE.
Second Session HERE.
Third Session HERE.
Fourth Session HERE.
Fifth Session HERE.
First Session HERE.
Second Session HERE.
Third Session HERE.
Fourth Session HERE.
Fifth Session HERE.
"The Wild Terraine of Lent" For three weeks, March 5, 12 and 19, The Rev'd Christina Miller led us through the meanings and disciplines of Lenten practices such as fasting.
“I Reserve the Right to be Terrified: A Long Life” by The Rev. Blayney Colmore, February 26, We had a lively discussion with St. James Rector Emeritus Blayney Colmore on his recent book about life, death, and the afterlife. See recording HERE.
The New Organ, February 12 & 19, Music Director Alex Benestelli and Organist in Residence Bruce Neswick treat us to demonstrations and insights about the inner workings of our new organ.
The Enduring Legacy of C.S. Lewis What shaped C.S. Lewis? Why has he been influential? How do his writings continue to inform our theology today? On February 5 Mo. Rebecca lectured about the life and theology of C.S. Lewis as expressed in his beloved writings including the Narnia series. See recording HERE.
"The Minor Prophets- Responding to Crisis and Suffering" January 15 and 22 Fr. Mark guided us in looking at the 12 books that come at the end of the Hebrew Scriptures, in particular, the short books of Joel and Habakkuk. These are books that address struggles we all face. After introducing the books and providing an overview, Fr. Mark talked about how these books can be a great resource for our spiritual lives.
2022
"Advent Exploration: What is My Vocation?" Curate Christina Miller taught a two-part Advent series for Adult Forums, Sundays, December 11 and 18, The series explored the concept of vocation and how each of us are uniquely bringing Christ into the world through our lives today.
Advent Series Joins Around Dessert and Angels “Meditating on Angels” was the theme for the Advent evening series Wednesday nights November 30, December 7, and 14, 6:30 to 7:45 pm. What are angels? How does our understanding of science and quantum physics inform our concept of angels and the supernatural? What role do angels play in Jesus’ birth and life as well as in our lives? What does the Bible teach us about good and bad (fallen) angels? How can we meditate with and learn from the angels?
"Engaging the Psalms: Prayers, Poetry and Practice" , Sundays November 6, 13 and 20. This Pre-Advent study will be co-taught by Teresa Hixson and Mother Rebecca. The Psalms have been called a book of hymns, Jewish poetry, and a “little Bible,” and they compose one of the most beautiful portions of the Jewish and Christian Scriptures. Most of us are familiar with the Psalms in the context of worship, but do you know the story behind the Psalms and how they came to be?
Renowned Activist and Priest Fr. Michael Lapsley spoke at the Forum and in the service October 30. World Renowned Speaker, author, Apartheid activist and Niwano Peace Prize Winner, Fr. Michael Lapsley, an Anglican priest who founded and serves as the Executive Director of the Institute for the Healing of Memories based in Cape Town, South Africa. The Institute seeks to contribute to the healing journeys of individuals, communities and nations.
Another author series with Richard Ackerman reading from his two poetry books, October 16 and 23. Retired orthodontist and St. James parishioner, Richard read and discussed poems which deal with his life experiences and developing views of the world. His two volumes of poetry, A Hundred-Year Wind and Tomorrow is Not Just Another Day , are available on Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.
The Experience of God in Poetry, October 2 and 9. Author Dan Clendenin along with Christina Miller and Mo. Rebecca led a two-part series and exploration of the ways in which we connect and experience God in poetry. We utilized Dan’s book, Reading Poetry, Practicing Resurrection: forty poems. The book is available in the resources section of his website JourneyWithJesus.net. Dan has authored several books and founded the weekly webzine, “Journey with Jesus” in 2004. He earned his PhD from Drew University and then taught at William Tyndale College in Michigan, Moscow State University, and joined InterVarsity Christian Fellowship at Stanford University in the summer of 1995.
Book Discussions of Summer Reading Selections, September 11 and 18. Mother Rebecca led us in discussing The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom and Wholehearted Faith by Rachel Held Evans.
Author The Rev. Dr. Ralph McMichael led a two-part series "From the Empty Tomb into the Eucharist", May 1 and 8. Joining us via Zoom from St. Louis, Fr. McMichael explored how the resurrection is the passage from death to life. He says, “We are baptized into the death and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. This means we have the vocation to die to what he died to, and to live what he lives into. We are called to leave the tomb of this world empty and to enter into the Eucharist where we are alive as members of the Body of Christ.”