The Adult Forum
The Forum
Sacred Conversations about Life
The Forum is an adult education program hosted on Sunday mornings (other than “Community Sundays” that are focused on fellowship) during the Education Hour, from 11:05 to 11:45 a.m. We invite all to join us in the church sanctuary for these “Sacred Conversations about Life” where guest speakers, clergy, and leaders from our Church will stimulate deeper thought and questions about what it means to live as Christians in a complex world. Detailed schedules of the topics and speakers will be made available through the parish newsletter, in Sunday leaflets, and on our web site. We hope that members and their friends will look over The Forum schedule and attend those programs that are of the most interest. No preparation is needed and there is no homework assigned.
Schedule
Hosted by St. Paul’s Episcopal Church on Sundays from 11:05-11:45 in the church. All are invited to join us!
January 18 – The Liturgical Formation of our Moral Life
Our moral and social lives are formed whether we believe it or not or whether we welcome it or not by the liturgies in which we live. This forum will explore both the unintended and intended liturgical development of our moral decision making and the way the boring Sunday liturgy is transformative for our individual and communal life. I look forward to being with you. Our special presenter will be the Rev. Canon Travis Smith, Canon for Pastoral Care and Wellness in the Diocese of Maryland.
January 25 – Annual Meeting
All are invited to this annual business meeting of our congregation. You will hear updates on our parish and see a budget presentation. You will also take part in electing our new vestry and diocesan delegates.
February 1 – Community Discussion: Portico Fence
Our church has been struggling with certain people sleeping on our church portico repeatedly leaving behind an “unhygienic mess” and being hostile towards our staff. We also had an incident where a fire was started on our portico that burned the side of our building. Every person, especially people living on the street, should be treated as children of God. The vestry also has a responsibility to protect staff, church members, and our church building. After trying numerous strategies (trying to get people to move to a more appropriate location like a local shelter, adding brighter lights, adding security cameras, using security personnel) and because the situation has become so frequent and so intolerable, the vestry is now considering adding a fence to our church portico. The vestry does not take this decision lightly and wants to gather input from members of our congregation. All are invited to discuss the symbolic, safety, artistic, practical, and Christian factors related to building a fence across the front of our church.
February 22 – Growing Closer to God: An Introduction to Spiritual Disciplines
This forum invites participants to explore simple, meaningful practices that help deepen our relationship with God. Join Sharon Collignon, Pastoral Counselor and Spiritual Director, as we consider what spiritual disciplines are, why they matter, and how to weave them into daily life. Through brief teaching, reflection, and conversation, we’ll discover that these long-trusted practices aren’t about rule-keeping, but about making room for grace and transformation. It’s an open, accessible way to begin the season of Lent with intention and a renewed sense of spiritual focus.
Past Forums
November 10 – Progressive Theology – What can a modern person believe?
Progressive scholars have been exploring how 21st century Christians can engage the doctrines and traditions of the church in a new way. They are rethinking such topics as how to read scripture, the person of Jesus, the Resurrection, miracles, and even the nature of God. Do some of these scholars go too far? And how might they open up inspiring ways of understanding our faith? Join Mark Stanley to look at some liberal scholarly views on the Christian belief.
November 17 – Discovering God Through Black Girlhood.
Our special guest speaker is the Rev. Khristi Lauren Adams – author and the new Executive Director of Community & Belonging at the Saint Paul’s Schools in Brooklandville. In her new book, Womanish Theology: Discovering God Through Black Girlhood, Khristi reflects her faith journey, inviting readers to learn from a new perspective and guiding them to a deeper understanding of their own spirituality. Khristi introduces a new branch of theological thought she calls womanish, as a play on the womanist tradition (the theology of Black womanhood). “Womanish,” is a term Black mothers used for young girls as they grew more interested in doing grown-up things. In this forum Adams will draw on her own life story as well as the life stories of other Black girls to explore theological concepts such as Scripture, salvation, prayer, neighborly love, and the image of God. This conversation will reveal that theology is for everyone and that the whole community of God can learn from the spiritual insights of Black girls.