Slideshow image

Ever noticed that ideas and questions about faith just pop up out of the blue– maybe following a conversation, a news item, national debate or something said in a sermon? Often others are quietly wrestling with or wondering about the same things, but their ‘shelf life’ is short– in other words their relevance or our interest sometimes seems to diminish quickly over time.

Or have you ever been intrigued by a workshop or Spiritual Formation series that we offer at St. Philip’s, but you just could not fit it in to you schedule, or missed it for some other reason? Maybe you were away when it was advertised, or 101 other reasons.

On the other side of the coin, the Christian Education Committee is having to plan so far in advance in order to book the rooms, organize speakers, send out the advertising and all the other details that having not found that magic crystal ball, we cannot anticipate those topics that come to the fore in the natural course of life.

The answer? Pop-ups events. We have a lot of talent in our parish, a lot of ‘experts’ on many topics– you being one! Starting in the Fall, if not before, we are going to experiment with this more spontaneous approach to capture the energy around ‘topical’ topics, but you will have to be on your toes… Look out for the notices and emails, check our website and listen to announcements…

What kind of topics are we talking about? Everything from:

  • A mini Bible-study on a troublesome or intriguing reading
  • An ethical issue raised by a news story
  • How to knit squares to create blankets for people in need of some ‘warmth’ eg refugees
  • Banner-making for special liturgical events and seasons
  • Creating your own labyrinth design from the shape of your personal spiritual journey.

Yes, there will still be more structured Christian Formation series and events and a new modular format for those wishing to explore their faith further, and possibly affirm it in a year or two-years’ time through Baptism, Confirmation and/or Reaffirmation. See the separate articles about these, and see you there!