Adult Education

Adult Education at St. Stephen’s is a welcoming forum for thoughtful spiritual exploration. Programs are in spring and fall seasons, usually meeting on Sundays at 9:00am in the Upper Meeting Room (with refreshments and fellowship beginning at 8:45). Additional offerings are sometimes scheduled on weekdays or weeknights to accommodate a wider range of interests and availability. All are welcome to attend—parishioners and the broader community alike. For information or program suggestions, please contact Dan Beaupré, An Duclos, Theresa Gleason, or Diane Nancekivell.

When available, Zoom access is provided at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87490029176 with the passcode AdultEd

Bishop Marianne Budde

Sunday, January 18, 9 am

Get Up, Go Ahead, Do Something, Move

with Sharon Tierra and Theresa Gleason

THIS SUNDAY, we will watch the short eulogy of Jane Goodall, given by Bishop Marianne Budde, in which she uses the words of Dr. Goodall to exhort us to get up, go ahead, do something, move. She tells us that to receive the blessing Jane left us is to be active. She relates that blessing is not a passive experience; in Aramaic, blessed is an active verb. Christianity is not passive. It is active. It is alive. In light of our daily lives and in the light of recent horrific events in our country, what do these words mean to us as individuals and as a congregation? Please come and share whatever is on your heart.

Bernie Schlager, PhD

Sunday, Feb 1, 9 am

From Welcome to Inclusion

with Bernie Schlager

WHAT DOES IT MEAN for a Christian congregation to move beyond the welcome of LGBTQ+ people to the inclusion of LGBTQ+ people? We will take a brief look at the history of welcoming movements in US Christianity and then explore some ways in which a congregation can move from welcome to inclusion in its worship, congregational life, and witness in the larger community.

Bernie Schlager, PhD, is Associate Professor of Historical & Cultural Studies and Executive Director of The Center for LGBTQ and Gender Studies in Religion at Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, California.