ADULT FORMATION | ChristChurchColumbia

Adult

Formation

Christ Church's objective for our Adult Formation series is to offer numerous opportunities for adults to strengthen their spiritual journey, as well as their place in the family, the community, and the world.

We meet both in-person and virtually during the year, and offer a series of group discussions on scripture, theology, social issues, and other concerns that impact our communal life.

You can learn about what's on offer by signing up for our weekly Christ Church Gatherings email at the bottom of this page.

at christ church

Series begins on Sunday, September 8

Sunday Circle is an open community Adult Forum that meets between worship services from 9:30-10:15 a.m. in Old Brick each Sunday during the school year. Every month or so, there is a new theme of lessons with opportunities for discussion, sharing, fellowship, and prayers; each week, there are new topics for discussions and Christian enrichment along with opportunities to develop deeper relationships among parishioners.

We hope that you'll join us for this engaging, weekly gathering. If you can't make it in person or want to revisit the session, we record most Sunday Circle Zoom streams. If you're interested in one, email us and if we have it we will send you a video link.

Sunday Circle

Sunday Circle
this season

Join us on Sundays at 9:30 a.m. in Old Brick for these gatherings.

Autumn 2024:

The Common Good

9/8 & 9/15: Sabbatical Out-brief

Fr. Manny presents a two-week series sharing stories of his sabbatical.

9/22: Civility & The Common Good

A collective discussion centered around how to disagree while finding common ground in individuals' differing perspectives and values. The discussion document can be found here.

9/29: Welcoming the Stranger for The Common Good

Ann Barnes, leader of Christ Church’s Interfaith Refugee Ministry, discusses immigration and refugee issues and how we’re called to serve “the stranger” among us. The discussion document can be found here and here.

10/6: Race & The Common Good I

A discussion around our duty and call as Christians to strive for racial justice and the importance of healing and reconciliation for the Common Good. The Rev. Randy Callender, Canon for Mission for the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland, will be our presenter.

10/13: Faith Relations & The Common Good II

American Hindu leader, Anju Bhargava, discusses her faith community’s perspective on the Common Good.

10/20: No Adult Formation

Christ Church's Annual Meeting takes place today. We only have one service this Sunday, at 10:00 a.m.

10/27: Faith Relations & The Common Good III

Imam Mahmoud from the Maryum Islamic Center in Mariottsville will discuss the Islamic community’s perspective on the Common Good.

11/3: Faith Relations & The Common Good IV

Rabbi Michael Hess Webber, leader of the Columbia Jewish Congregation, will discuss her faith community’s perspective on the Common Good.

11/10: Democracy & The Common Good

Conversation about how individuals and institutions can work together to strengthen democracy and promote the Common Good. This will be presented by Paul Thompson, Howard County Director, Constituent Services & Community Partnerships.

11/17: Ethnicity & Culture & The Common Good

Rebecca Warlow will lead a group discussion about what diverse ethnic and cultural perspectives offer, and how to respect and value those. A supplemental PDF of her presentation is available here.

11/24: Human Dignity & The Common Good

Rev. Marcia Davenport discusses how our Baptismal Covenant plays into the Common Good.

December 2024:

Poems of the Incarnation

The birth of Jesus is one of the most significant events that set the course for human redemption, and many poems have been written about this important event in human history. During the weeks of the Advent season, we will capture the beauty, grace, and message of these poems.

We welcome Suzanne Spoor, Ph.D, professor of English Literature at Anne Arundel Community College, to Christ Church for this series. She will lead these sessions, and you can learn more about her here.

past Sunday Circle series

Lent & Spring 2024:

Addiction and Spirituality

Lent is a period where we prepare ourselves with prayer, fasting, repentance, spiritual discipline, and self-denial. During the 2024 season of Lent, Sunday Circle will explore addiction in its many forms, and how "Addiction is a spiritual disease; a disease of the soul, an illness resulting from longing, frustrated desire and a deep dissatisfaction, which is, ironically, the necessary beginning of any spiritual path." ~Richard Rohr. From shopping and social media to drugs and alcohol, addiction takes many forms, and no one among us hasn't been affected - directly or indirectly - by addiction. Christ Church will explore how we can take inventory of ourselves and better manage these shortcomings.

Supplemental Materials:

2/18: Addiction and Spirituality I

3/3: Addiction and Spirituality II

3/10: Addiction and Spirituality III

3/17: Addiction and Spirituality IV (one, two)

4/7: Addiction and Spirituality V (one, two)

4/14: Addiction and Spirituality VI

4/21: Addiction and Spirituality VII

4/28: Addiction and Grace

5/12: Addiction: A Life of Program

Epiphany 2024:

Finding Christ’s Light in Dark Places

January 14th

Ministry to the Imprisoned: Rev. Sue Beck, pastor of the Community of St. Dysmas (CSD), will join us to both preach at our worship services and lead adult forum. CSD comprises the Lutheran congregations within the Maryland State Correctional System. God’s purpose for CSD is to share the transforming power of Christ’s love with persons incarcerated in the Maryland Department of Corrections. Rev. Beck will lead a discussion around how we Christians can help through prayer, giving, and other forms of support.

January 21st

Surviving Human Trafficking: Linda Blackiston, Director of Community Engagement at the Institute for Shelter Care, will lead a discussion around human trafficking. The Institute’s mission is to equip Christian ministries with the knowledge, skills, tools, and community needed to provide exemplary restorative care to the sexually exploited. Ms. Blackiston will lead a discussion around how we Christians can respond to the call to help survivors of human trafficking. The document accompanying this presentation can be found here.

January 28th

Rejoining Society After Incarceration: Rev. Amy Shimonkevitz of the Baltimore Area After Care Program will lead a discussion around the typical challenges those leaving prison or jail face, and how faith communities can help recently released individuals transition back into society, through mentoring and other assistance programs. Documentation to accompany this program can be found here.

February 4th

Living with Mental Illness: Denise Giuliano of Howard County’s Chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) will join our adult forum to talk about mental illness, the signs/symptoms, NAMI Howard County’s role in improving the lives of individuals with mental illness and their families through education, advocacy and support, as well as how faith communities can serve those impacted by mental illness. Documentation to accompany this program can be found here.

February 11th

Care for the Caregiver: Ed Nolley of the Gilchrist Center of Howard County will lead a discussion on ways to care for the caregiver. As we find ourselves in the midst of a generation of “sandwich caregivers,” more and more people have assumed the role of a caregiver for an aging parent or close relative, in addition to their children. Gilchrist builds on Audrey Hepburn’s adage – “You have two hands – one to help yourself and one to help others.” Documentation to accompany this program can be found here.

December 2023:

Why Faith Matters Today

During the closing month of this calendar year, we'll explore why faith matters in our present-day world. Join us as we discuss why Christianity matters in our predominantly unchurched society, how it impacts our individual and communal well-being, and why it matters for social justice and advocacy/action in the world.

November 2023:

My Faith Journey

Join us as we hear directly from parishioners, and learn how our siblings in Christ have experienced their faith journey, what faith means to them, and how Christ Church helps nurture this. Each session will feature stories along with plenty of collective discussion about how God is at work in our own lives.

October 2023:

Stewardship

We will include a study on the importance of stewardship in all aspects of our lives. Join us as we explore how we may embrace our identity in Christ and encourage others to do the same. This fresh approach to stewardship will reorient us toward our true purpose as stewards who have been baptized into Christ.

September 2023:

The Book of Common Prayer

Join us as we explore the Daily Offices that follow an ancient pattern of regular Christian devotion, the Pastoral Offices that include the sacramental rites foundational to the church, and An Outline of the Faith (the Catechism) and Historical Documents of the Church that shape our practices and provide us with tools to communicate with Anglicans around the world.

April 2023:

Perspectives on Resurrection

After the Holy Week and Easter break, we will be looking at commentaries centered around the Resurrection, learning how various individuals have expressed their perspectives on the subject, and discussing amongst ourselves how we interpret this important topic. Presented by Mother Marcia.

4/16 - Resurrection I (three documents: 1, 2, 3)

4/23 - Resurrection II (three documents: 1, 2, 3)

4/30 - Resurrection in the Gospel of Mark

5/7 - Resurrection in the Gospel of Matthew

Lent 2023:

Faith Traditions and Sin

During the 2023 season of Lent, Sunday Circle will explore other faith traditions' perspectives on sin. We will have lead practitioners of various faiths talk with us about how sin is perceived and understood in their faith tradition.

3/5 - Judaism (two documents: 1, 2)

3/12 - Hindu

3/19 - Islam

3/26 - Quaker

February 2023:

Viewpoints on Immigration

2/5 - Immigration Overview (three documents: 1, 2, 3)

2/12 - Politics of Exclusionary Immigration

2/19 - Immigration from Hungary to the USA

2/26 - Black Immigrants in the US

Sunday Circle is back for January 2023.

1/1 - New Year's Day - no Sunday Circle