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32 Adult Education Report
Ad u l t E d u c a t i o n R e p o r t
For the first half of 2021, the pandemic precluded in-person meetings for adult education. Using the facilities of “Sunday at Home”, Paul Dietrich provided a virtual five-week Lenten series: “Into the Night: Portraits of Life and Death, a production originally done for PBS. To be human is to wrestle with this truth and with the great unanswered question: How do we live with death in our eye? This documentary series featured fascinating, unexpected voices from various walks of life: old and young, believers and nonbelievers, the dying and the healthy, well known and obscure. “Into the Night” created a safe smart place that allowed people to talk about a subject of universal importance. As restriction lifted, more inperson adult education offerings were available. Parishioners Elizabeth Thomas, Alix Coolidge and Laurie Volk spearheaded a four-week Sunday evening session on “Faith, Race and Justice.” This is Trinity’s response to Bishop Curry’s call for the Episcopal Church in America to prioritize the ministry of reconciliation. The national office, as well as the Diocese of Virginia, has resources for undertaking the work of reconciliation as “the spiritual practice of seeking loving, liberating and life-giving relationship with God and one another, and striving to heal and transform injustice and
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brokenness in ourselves, our communities, institutions, and society.” With the Vestry’s leadership, Trinity seeks to participate in this calling by offering opportunities to learn and to practice the way to racial reconciliation. We at Trinity started with a series of four Sunday night programs, viewing segments of “The Black Church,” a PBS special developed and hosted by Henry Louis Gates, Jr. We met in Cox Hall for a simple supper, followed by an hour for the video and discussion. An effort was made to introduce various sensory elements of the black experience as well. We offered cookies made from an African American Church Ladies cookbook, music by Mahalia Jackson, and a portrait of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. It was a good time. Everyone learned from the presentations and from each other. We hope to keep the momentum going in 2022 . We are already in conversation with the newly appointed Diocesan Missioner for Racial Justice and Healing. We welcome adult and teen members of our Parish to join us in thinking about ideas for new programs. There is much to learn and much to do. Please be in touch with questions and suggestions. Sunday Morning in-person sessions were also offered in the Fall. Parishioner Paul Coyer lead a discussion “On the Crossroads of
Ad u l t E d u c a t i o n R e p o r t
Cultures and Traditions: Central and Eastern Europe and its Core Values. Poland’s unique geography and history have resulted in contributions to the Western tradition that few in the United States are aware of. Freedom of religion and conscience, for example, are deeply rooted in Polish human rights thinking centuries old. Thanks to its exposure to various religious groups – Roman Catholics, Orthodox Christians, Jews, Protestants, and Muslim Tartars – the Polish people learned much about appreciation of other religious traditions and the need to allow for religious freedom. The forum tried to identify the principles and values that guide Central and Eastern Europe to give context and substance to a region that can help us to understand the larger Western civilizational tradition. Paul also arranged for a forum, “Fleeing Afghanistan.” We heard from husband and wife Mohammad and Frozan Nabizada, US-Afghan dual nationals, who discussed their experience getting out of Afghanistan. They also helped the many who spent 20 years working to build a new democratic and modern Afghanistan, who had to flee as the Taliban swept across the country in the wake of the US withdrawal. Frozan was being hunted by the Taliban and was able to escape while others were not so lucky. We heard their stories of resilience and hope in the face of overwhelmingly negative and threatening circumstances. Jerry Eisley also offered a Sunday morning forum where he drew inspiration from poet, Elizabeth Barrett Browning. He particularly spoke on her Sonnet 44 from the “Songs of the Portuguese.” Jerry brought pieces of his museum artifacts to illustrate aspects of the Sonnet. Adults were also offered two Bible Study options. The Wednesday Morning Bible Study Group, led by Vestry member Joe Fluet, began the year doing Zoom sessions. They finished studying the Book of Acts and then began studying the Book of Daniel from the Hebrew Testament. Meetings were held each Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. As pandemic restrictions eased, the group meet at Trinity, outside, as weather permitted. The gathering typically took about an hour and a quarter. Many then stayed for the Noon celebration of the Holy Eucharist. Wine & Word was a new offering in the Fall, led by parishioner Dan Smith. They met at his home in Middleburg every other Monday. The theme for the Fall semester was “Finding God’s Rest.” It combined Old Testament and New Testament readings. Scripture readings were given in advance and participants were asked to give thought as to how they related to them.
Contributions received from Gina Hammond Elizabeth Thomas & Laurie Volk
