Adult Formation

Adult Formation by The Rev. Rebecca Tankersley

The adult formation ministry strives to nurture spiritual growth by leading adults to better understand and communicate the Christian faith, engage their faith in all aspects of daily life, and grow personally as humans made in the image of God.

In early 2020, we continued to offer a variety of Sunday morning classes on the Bible, Celtic spirituality, parenting and family conflict, the Enneagram, and the intersection between aging and faith. Fr. Casey taught on theories of atonement. We concluded a year-long offering of the Way, through which we formed many adults in the Christian faith and life. We commenced “The Life-Changing Blessing of Tidying Up” a series which featured several guests speaking about tidying up the messiness of our spiritual lives. Before that wonderful Lenten program was complete, we went home.

We adapted this year by moving formation online. On our first day of lockdown, I began praying the Daily office from home. After a month, I brought together a team of clergy and lay members to carry this forward. During Easter, Lee Taft led us through a series on Christian reconciliation. In the summer, we offered The Way via Zoom, bringing in several folks who’d not been able to participate in the past. We used the Gospel of Mark curriculum to provide online Bible study. In the fall, we hosted Scott Gunn, Miriam McKenney, and Stephanie Spellers in “Sharing our Stories” – becoming more comfortable and confident in sharing our faith. Pastor Nancy DeStefano began a 34-week Disciple Bible Study intensive. In October, Dr. Michael Waters taught a class on Race in America. We planned a joint service of Thanksgiving with his church in November, then pivoted to two Advent classes: Advent with Ebenezer and a class on the Advent Collects. We ended the year offering a service of the Longest Night.

I’ve learned all about Zoom calls and webinars, become adept at livestreaming on Facebook, and found that conversations translate better than lectures online. I’ve learned that we’re all hungry for community and conversation, and will explore additional ways to offer both in 2021.

I am deeply grateful to TJ McCoy for promoting our classes, to Lana Mederos for managing our Zoom calls, to Casey Shobe and Anne Schmidt for partnering with me to plan classes, to the team of clergy and lay leaders who are leading the office with me, and to Cindy Hauser and Dana Jean for leading formation for our children and youth. I remain thankful for both the annual budget and St. Catherine’s Fund, which together make possible all of these opportunities to grow in knowledge, prayer, and faithfulness to our Savior, Jesus Christ.

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