NURTURE
Formation
For information on how to get involved, please call the church office at 770-455-6523
Adult Formation
As we seek to follow Christ, we welcome, love, nurture, and feed all God’s children. For the spiritual formation of our community, St. Patrick’s offers a variety of nourishments for heart, head, body, and spirit. Adult offerings include Art Looking Up, Dream Group, The Forum, and The Word of the Lord. For a description of each offering, please visit the Christian Formation page of this website.
Art Group
The Arts Ministry is comprised of a community of people offering a connection to God. There are four main segments of the Arts Ministry giving multiple avenues for people to become involved. We have our growing St. Patrick's Art Collection that encourages viewers to use original artwork as a catalyst for contemplation. Participating in the development of the Stations of the Cross gives participants a Lenten practice which is a unique experience. The Arts Retreats offer a connection with the community in an off-site location. Finally, the Adult Formation Class - Art Looking Up offers artful contemplation through the development of work each Sunday. Each segment of the Arts Ministry provides a practice of connecting to God through visual means. Anyone is welcome to participate in any part of what we do. No experience or skill is necessary.
Caffeinated Conversations
Drop by the Parlor on Sunday mornings between the services for coffee, fellowship, and lively conversations at the intersection of faith and life.
Children's and Youth Formation
Children's Fun formation/Pray-ground 9:15-10:15
Children grades K- 5 are invited to begin Sunday mornings on the playground (or a classroom, weather permitting) for fellowship & fun! Volunteers will oversee play, facilitate fun, and even perhaps sing a song or two!
Youth Gathering 9:15 -10:15
Youth grades 6 - 12 are invited to begin Sunday mornings in a classroom (or outdoors, activities permitting) to hang out, catch up with friends, and maybe play some air hockey! Volunteers will oversee donut-eating, free-time crafts & activities, and camaraderie!
Children's Chapel 10:40 - 11:10
Children grades K - 5 will process out after the Gloria and reconvene in the Chapel for Children's Chapel. Using the Sunday Papers and other resources, crafts, and activities, Children will discuss and process the message and readings for each Sunday with each other and the adult leaders. Children may also focus on songs and projects to be presented to the Parish.
Youth Service 10:40 - 11:10
Youth grades 6 - 12 will process out after the Gloria and reconvene in a classroom, or the Pavilion to lead their own worship service. The Youth worship service will be a safe space for our youth to process the readings or message for the day, either in small groups or in a large group setting. This will be a collaborative effort with Youth, and the service will be tailored to our Youth and their sense of spirituality. We will process back into the Nave at the Peace, and be able to share a bit of what we focused on with the whole Parish each Sunday.
Discovery Weekend
Modeled after Cursillo, Walk to Emmaus, and Happening, Discovery Weekend is an in-house retreat with ample opportunity for sharing, learning, building community, singing and fun. It is also a time of sharing , worship, learning and renewal for those who attend the weekend.
We were thrilled to host our first Discovery weekend in August 2018, during which 60 adults and senior youth spent a weekend together making new friendships and strengthening ties to God and our church family. With the success of our first Discovery Weekend, we are looking forward to announcing dates for Discovery II in the very near future.
Education for Ministry (EfM)
EfM stands for Education for Ministry. Here “Ministry” means following Christ in all one does whether one is ordained or not. This four-year program is developed and supervised by the University of the South and is Episcopal in ethos.
EfM classes offer:
- A setting for mutual spiritual support through shared prayer.
- A safe place to explore spiritually.
- A study group where the Bible, church history and various foundational theological texts and questions are examined.
- A place for theological reflection about how our daily lives are affected by our culture, our beliefs, Scripture, and the people or events that we encounter.
- An opportunity to take all of this and apply it to our lives in ways that transform us and equip us for living out our spiritual gifts in community.
We meet once a week from September through May of each year. Participants commit to one year at a time. We begin recruiting during the spring and summer for the following academic year.
Forum
St. Patrick’s invites you to journey with us in the Adult Forum as we continue exploring and growing in faith. The Forum meets every Sunday in a hybrid format (Room 1 and Zoom) at 9:15. The Zoom link is sent through the Sunday Services email.
Lenten Series
Our Lenten Series is redesigned annually. This year we walk with Jesus toward Jerusalem, not only in spiritual imagination but also with our physical bodies. We will follow the prophet Micah’s admonition to “Do justice, love mercy, walk humbly with our God” as we journey together on five holy pilgrimages. We ask every parishioner to consider joining at least two of these pilgrimages as a Lenten discipline this year.
Library
St. Patrick’s houses a comfortable library. The space provides an intimate setting for small group gatherings or a quiet contemplative space for an individual. The shelves are filled with books on religion, spirituality and related topics written by a variety of authors and are available for check-out. There are also many research books and journals available for use in the library.