InquirersClass - St. Peter's Episcopal Church

Topics include Scripture (old and new testament), the history of the Church in England, the Episcopal Church in the USA, the Book of Common Prayer, and foundations of our faith.

01 SCRIPTURE – THE OLD TESTAMENT
      Part I: The Book of Beginnings
The Exodus
The Conquest of the Land
The Unified Kingdom
The Divided Kingdom and the Prophets
     Part 2: The Exile
The Restoration
The Intertestamental Period

02 SCRIPTURE – THE NEW TESTAMENT
Intro (Jesus death, the disciples & Paul, “Telling the Story”)
Gospel of Mark
Gospel of Matthew
Gospel of Luke/Book of Acts
Gospel of John
Letter’s of Paul
The Revelation of John and the Expectation of the Second Coming

03 TRADITION – THE HISTORY OF THE CHURCH IN ENGLAND
Rome, Constantine and the Birth of the Church in England
Formation of the Church in England (3rd – 7th Centuries)
The Reformation in England
The Church of England (Anglicanism)
The Growth of the Church of England as the British Empire Expands

04 TRADITION – THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
The Colonial Period
Revolution and Early Nation
Creating the Protestant Episcopal Church in the USA (PECUSA)
What does it mean to be an Episcopalian?

05 TRADITION – THE BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER (11/06)
History (1549 to 1928)
Changes in the 1970’s: Was it just a revised Prayer Book in 1976?
A church with a new name: the Episcopal Church in the USA (ECUSA)
What is in the Book of Common Prayer?

06 TRADITION – WHAT ARE THE FOUNDATIONS OF OUR FAITH? (11/20)
The Meaning of Christian Initiation (Baptism)
The Baptismal Covenant
The Holy Eucharist

MAKING A COMMITMENT (11/27 – First Sunday in Advent)
Enrolled as Catechumen at the 10 a.m. Eucharist
07 REASON – LIVING OUR FAITH: PRAYER and SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINES (12/11)
Different forms of prayer
Prayer as communication with God
Meditation and Contemplation
Developing spiritual disciplines
“Sleeping with Bread”

08 REASON – LIVING OUR FAITH: MAKING MORAL DECISIONS (01/08 & 01/22)
Spending several classes discussing how we make moral decisions and the role faith plays in our deliberation. Our goal will be to look at differing answers to moral questions and seeking an understanding of how people arrive at their positions rather than presenting a definitive answer or making a pronouncement regarding any particular situation
Topics to be discussed include abortion, divorce, forgiveness, homosexuality/lesbianism and ethics in school and  the work place. A side learning will be considering how the church can be a place where people who may have different moral perspectives gather to worship together.

09 REASON – LIVING OUR FAITH: LIVES BASED ON SERVICE (02/05)
Loving God and neighbor through service
Exploring how we do that individually and as a church
Making decision on how we might serve our church, our community and the world

10 REASON – PARTICIPATING IN GOD’S MISSION (02/19)
Discussing our current Mission in the Diocese and sharing the Bishop’s teaching with members of the class. Discussion will include the challenge for each of us regarding how we will participate in this venture.

11 THE SACRAMENT OF CONFIRMATION (03/04)
This will be a special time for preparing for Confirmation

CONFIRMATION SUNDAY
MARCH 18, 2012 at the 10 A.M. HOLY EUCHARIST
SAINT PETER’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH

Please call the church office for specific times of classes or date changes.

Note from Father Perry:
Times and dates may be rearranged to fit schedules over the course of these seven months. Outlines for each session are for planning purposes only and any session may be adjusted to fit our needs. In addition to these classes we may schedule outreach or social events. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me.