ADULT CLASSES
For more information on our Christian Formation offerings, please email hannahhutchens@christchurchnewbern.com​.
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SUNDAY MORNING CLASSES
PSALMS IN THE SUMMER
Sundays, 9:15 to 9:45 am, Library
The Book of Psalms is full of beautiful imagery. These ancient songs or poems explore the full range of human emotion and experience. On Sundays this summer, we will discuss the psalm appointed for the week. Join us in the Library for a half hour conversation beginning at 9:15 am. What images resonate with you? What are the different types of psalms? Did you know there were different types of psalms? What does this text tell us about God?
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LECTIONARY CLASS - Currently on Summer Break
Sundays, 9:45 to 10:50 am, Pelletier Room
Lectionary Class is currently on break for the summer. In this class participants discuss readings from each Sunday’s services. Key questions from a study guide kick off the discussions. Typically, discussions focus on what the readings may have meant to listeners in ancient times and what they mean to us today. They also focus on how readings are connected and on the meaning of unusual names, places, and events. Lectionary Class returns Sunday, September 7.
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​WEEKDAY OPPORTUNITIES
RECTOR'S BIBLE STUDY - Currently on Summer Break
Wednesdays from 11am to noon, Pelletier Room
Leader: The Rev. H. Paul Canady III
The Rector's Bible Study is currently on Summer Break.​ Stay tuned in the fall for updates.
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WOMEN'S BOOK STUDY
Tuesdays from 10 to 11am, Second Floor Living Room
The Women’s Book Study is reading Acedia & Me by Kathleen Norris. Copies of the book are available for purchase at the reception desk ($10.00).
Norris is a poet and essayist whose work focuses on the intersection of religious practices and the spiritual journey. In Acedia & Me, Norris explores all aspects of acedia, with the particular purpose of drawing a distinction between it and depression. Acedia, coined the “noonday demon” by the early monastics, is a type of spiritual apathy, and is often described as a weariness of soul. Though it is not readily a part of the modern scientific lexicon, acedia, in today’s culture, is generally lumped in with depression and the sin of sloth, one of the supposed seven deadly sins. We treat it with medication, just like everything else. But, as Norris continually illuminates, acedia possesses spiritual roots, and, thus, can ultimately only be treated with spiritual attention and resolve.
Join us Tuesdays from 10:00-11:00 in the 2nd Floor Living Room. Women of all ages are invited to attend. We open our time together with prayer, followed by reading the book aloud, and discussing. No preparation is necessary. You can join the group at any time.
Contact the Rev. Suzanne Hood (suzannehood@christchurchnewbern.com) for more information. This book study is led by Phyllis Fox and Heather McCloud Huff.
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CONTEMPLATIVE PRAYER GROUP - Returns September 8
Mondays at 11:30 am, Pelletier Room (Zoom option available)
Leader: Rev. Barbara Bornemann
When: 11:30 AM – 12:45 PM on Mondays, 9/8/2025 - 11/34-2025 (no meeting 9/29)
Sign Up: Email pastor.bornemann@gmail.com
Meets In Person & On Zoom: In person: Pelletier Room, upstairs at Christ Church
Study Book: What Makes You Come Alive: A Spiritual Walk with Howard Thurman
Author: Lerita Coleman Brown
Purchase Book: Books available online
Starting September 8, the Contemplative Prayer Group will be exploring the spirituality of Howard Thurman, a Christian mystic, pastor, philosopher, author, educator, and civil rights leader. During the 1960’s, Thurman served as a mentor and spiritual advisor to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. who was greatly influenced by Thurman’s contemplative spiritual writings and his teachings on non-violent change. Author Lerita Coleman Brown states, “One of Thurman’s lifelong quests was to inspire hope. . . His quest for a profound experience of the presence of God, of connection to all living things, serves as a model for any spiritual seeker.”
Once when Thurman was asked by another theologian what needed to be done in the world, Thurman replied, “Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive and go do that, because what the world needs is more people who have come alive.” As the Contemplative Prayer Group meets this fall, we will take a spiritual walk with Howard Thurman. As we go on this walk together, we’ll help one another discover, “What makes us come alive.”
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EDUCATION FOR MINISTRY (EfM)
This class covers the basics of a theological education in the Old and New Testaments, church history, liturgy, and theology - with a strong emphasis on theological reflection. EfM is a four-year program that can be taken with gaps between years. The class will prepare you for any and all ministries you will serve in at Christ Church. For more information about local groups, contact Diocesan EfM Coordinator, Lisa Richey, at piergazer@gmail.com, or visit the Diocese's EfM website.
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