Throughout the year, St. Bart’s offers a wide variety of opportunities to learn and grow. Our offerings encourage both spiritual and intellectual engagement and welcome all sorts of people and views.
The Forum
Easch Sunday at 10 am, guest speakers from a variety of backgrounds and disciplines join our St. Bart's clergy for deep and insightful conversations about topics that matter to our lives as responsible citizens and people of faith. Speakers in recent years have included winners of the Tony Award, the Emmy Award, the MacArthur Fellowship, and the Pulitzer Prize, professors from prominent universities like Yale, Harvard, Princeton, and Columbia, and journalists from New York, The New Yorker, and The Atlantic.
Watch The Forum live on our website, or join the conversation live on Facebook or YouTube where you can post your questions for our speaker in the comments during the live stream. Visit our The Forum page for upcoming schedule and past recordings.
ADULT FORMATION OPPORTUNITIES
__________
Barbara Brown Taylor’s Learning to Walk in the Dark via Zoom
Saturdays, September 9-November 18, 10-11 am
The Saturday morning discussion group resumes with a discussion of Barbara Brown Taylor's 2014 book Learning to Walk in the Dark, an inviting and accessible exploration of the ways in which God speaks to us through the dark as well as the light. A limited number of copies is available at the St. Bart’s bookstore. Reserve yours by emailing Bailey Regan. Newcomers welcome!
__________
Women Leaders in Early Christianity
Thursdays, September 14-October 12, 6:30-8 pm via Zoom
A recent, sensational archaeological discovery at Kenchreai (the eastern port city of Corinth) has highlighted the importance of women leaders in the early church. Archaeologist Joseph Rife (Vanderbilt) and his team uncovered an octagonal monument to Phoebe, the deaconess and patroness whom Paul commends in Romans 16:1-2 ! Pictures of this exciting monument will be shared and the implications will be explored. With this discovery as the starting point, Professor Larry Welborn of Fordham University will examine all the women leaders who are mentioned in early Christian literature: Lydia (in Acts), Prisca (in 1 Corinthians and Romans), Chloe (in 1 Corinthians), Euodia and Syntyche (in Philippians), Phoebe (in Romans), Junia (in Romans), Thecla (in the Acts of Paul), Perpetua (in the account of her martyrdom), and Macrina (in Gregory's Life of his sister).
__________
LGBTQ+ Film Series
Selected Fridays, September 15-December 1, 6-9 pm (in-person)
Film professor and St. Bart's parishioner Anthony Perrotto hosts a bimonthly film series with an introduction, important insights, and commentary for each screening, all with LGBTQ+ themes. Please enter through the Community House: 109 East 50th Street, between Lexington and Park Avenues. All are welcome.
__________
Peace Book Club
2nd and 4th Sundays of Each Month, 1:30-3 pm, via Zoom
Our next book selection is The People's Hospital: Hope and Peril in America Medicine by Richardo Nula.
We welcome new and curious attendees to the Peace Book Club discussions. Please note that reading of the books though encouraged is not required! This is a no-stress discussion group where we provide some content when we meet, and then share related ideas, memories and differences in opinions. So, you can come as you are, we are sure you will be stimulated and also find that you have something to share. PLEASE NOTE: We are on our Summer Break, and will resume on Sunday, September 24th.
__________
ONGOING CLASSES
Weekly Bible Study
Wednesdays at 1pm
Thoughtful reflection and lively discussion of the upcoming Sunday readings, hosted by a member of our clergy. Please contact Liz Gillespie to be added to our weekly Bible study via Zoom. Click here for Sunday’s reading.
__________
Retirement: Transition and Purpose
First Tuesday of every month, 10-11am via Zoom
This group is for people who have retired or are entering retirement and are seeking to learn and share their experiences with others. Grounded in prayer, the group is a safe and confidential space to help navigate the changes and challenges that come with retirement. Retirement: Transition and Purpose does not provide legal or financial advice. Instead, we gather for conversation to find support, direction, and fulfillment in our post-retirement lives. Led by the Reverend Meredith Ward, we meet on Zoom on the first Tuesday of every month.
___________
Grief, Hope, and Healing Together
Fourth Wednesday of every month, 6-7 pm via Zoom
Jesus said, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” Grief is something we all go through at some point in our lives and when we do, comfort can seem very far away. This is a support group for those who have experienced the recent loss of a friend or loved one or are going through a longer-term bereavement process. The group does not provide formal grief counseling. We gather for conversation in a safe and supportive environment to express our sorrow and to begin to find hope and healing together. Led by the Reverend Meredith Ward, we meet on Zoom on the 4th Wednesday of each month from 6-7 pm via Zoom.
___________
Education For Ministry (EFM)
Are you looking to live into your faith more fully, to have faith connect more deeply with everyday life? What can the Bible teach us about the world today? Do you ever wonder what God is calling you to do? If you want to seek answers through study, reflection, and spiritual practice in community, EfM—a four-year certificate program in theological education with a weekly in-person seminar format that starts again this fall—may be for you. To learn more, please download our information handout here, or contact EfM Mentor Liza Page Nelson.
