GUEST PREACHERS
Previous Conferences at St. Thomas' Church, Whitemarsh...
"Grant Them Wisdom: Reflections on Building a Great Love in Christian Marriage"
October 4 – 9:00 a.m. until Noon, MacColl Auditorium
Lunch from Noon until 12:30 p.m.
Cost is $30 and includes lunch
(Renewal of wedding vows in the church afterwards for those interested in doing so.)
How often do we give ourselves the time, the privilege of stopping for a few hours and reflection on what it is that most of us can do to honor better the vows that marked the most important moments of both our wedding day and, arguably, our entire lives?
The Rev. Mark S. Anschutz, is the former Rector of St. Michael and All Angels in Dallas, Texas, Christ Church, Alexandria, Virginia and St. James’s Church, Madison Avenue, New York. He is well known throughout the Episcopal Church as an educator and, particularly, for his programs on Christian marriage.
In a lively, fun and informative fashion he will offer an opportunity for married couples from one year to seventy years of marriage to engage new and penetrating ways in which their relationships can be enhanced. For married persons this is a not to be missed opportunity both to enjoy oneself and grow in the knowledge of what true Christian marriage implies. This program will conclude with lunch served at noon and a renewal of wedding vows for those interested in doing so in the church.
"Theologians, Mystics and Poets"
October 1, 15, 22 and 29 – 7:00 to 9:00pm, MacColl Auditorium
Cost $80 for four programs; $25/class (wine and dinner included)
Bishop Fred Borsch, professor of Anglican Studies and New Testament at the Lutheran Seminary in Mount Airy and former Episcopal Bishop of Los Angeles, former Chaplain at Princeton University and Dean of the Church Divinity School of the Pacific and author of numerous books, will offer a series of Wednesday evening lectures on the great spiritual writers and thinkers of the Anglican tradition.
We will study important figures such as Thomas Cranmer, Richard Hooker, Lancelot Andrewes, John Donne, George Herbert, Hannah More, Christiana Rossetti, William Temple, Evenlyn Underhill, C.S. Lewis, Desmund Tutu and many more. Bishop Borsch shall help us explores important themes in Anglicanism including comprehensiveness, modesty, the Bible, tradition, reason, mysticism, the poetic imagination, evangelism, worship, the sacraments and ecumenical concerns.
This program costs $80 and includes four catered dinners and wine. Join us on Sunday, September 28 from 10:45 – 11:45 a.m. in the Rector’s Forum at St. Thomas’ Church as Bishop Borsch offers a free lecture in MacColl Auditorium to kick off this exciting program.
"An Evening with George Herbert: The Quinessential Anglican Poet and Priest"
October 13 – 7:00 to 9:00pm, MacColl Auditorium. Cost is $10.
As we explore our theme of "Unabashedly Anglican" this year, we are delighted to offer an evening with Judy Reese, the President of the Friends of George Herbert. Judy lives in Bemerton, England, just down the street from where George Herbert served as a parish priest from 1630-33 and wrote some of the most famous poetry in the English language. We invite you to join us in MacColl Auditorium on Monday, Judy is coming to the United States for the second annual Friends of George Herbert International Conference, which will be held in Greensboro, NC. English tea, biscuits, cheese and desert will be provided. Judy will speak about George Herbert's life and read his poetry, which we shall discuss.
"Celtic Christianity: Ancient Lessons that Can Shape Our Lives Today"
October 18 – 9:00 a.m. until Noon, MacColl Auditorium. Cost is $15.
What is it about Celtic Christianity that has become so appealing to Christians today? Who were the Celtic saints and what did they bring to the Church as models of holiness? The answers to these questions can be painted with broad strokes, with opportunity for dialog and lively participation.
Sister Barbara Jean Brown, Director of Children’s Ministries at St. Thomas’ Church, has studied Celtic Christianity extensively and has led pilgrimages throughout Britain to many ancient Celtic holy sites. Join us as we explore the cultural tradition of the Celts before Christianity and study how the Christian faith was embraced by the people of the British Isles. Experience the poetry and prayer of ancient Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Learn about the importance of pilgrimage and the influence of the Celtic saints.
"Partners on the Path: How Faith Communities Can Care for Caregivers"
November 15 – 9:00 a.m. until Noon. Cost is $15.
Jane Hamilton, MSN, RN, a professional consultant, a member of St. Thomas’ Whitemarsh, with 35 years of psychiatric nursing, and 20 years of family caregiving experience, will describe why and how faith communities should actively minister to the needs of family caregivers. Within our congregations, a rapidly growing number of women and men care for chronically ill, seriously ill, disabled or elderly loved ones. Though their efforts are often deeply rewarding, family caregivers face a litany of physical, emotional, spiritual, familial, financial, medical, legal, social and occupational challenges. Care giving is difficult work. Within our congregations we are perfectly positioned to care for the caregivers among us. This practical program will outline individual, small group, congregational and community-based ways to care for caregivers.
November 22 – 9:00 a.m. until Noon, MacColl Auditorium. Cost is $20.
The Most Rev. Frank T. Griswold, III, the former Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, will lead us in an exploration of the Anglican tradition looking as Scripture, the sacraments and prayer as ways of disciplined faithfulness in a post-modern world.
Bishop Griswold was elected to a nine-year term as Presiding Bishop at the 1997 General Convention of the Episcopal Church. He was invested in January of 1998 and served as Primate and chief pastor of the Episcopal Church, President of the House of Bishops, President and Chair of the Executive Council and Chief Executive of the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society. Prior to that, he served as Bishop of Chicago from 1987-1997 and Bishop Coadjutor of the Diocese of Chicago from 1985-1987. He has served three parishes in Pennsylvania – Yardley, Bryn Mawr and Chestnut Hill – before being elected Bishop of Chicago.
He has led conferences and retreats nationally and internationally throughout his ministry, speaking on ecumenism, evangelism, spirituality and theology. He co-chaired the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission and has served on diocesan, national and international committees on liturgy, worship and ecumenism.
"Forgiveness and Injury: Moving Forward through Life’s Adversities"
December 13 – 1:00 – 4:00 p.m. in MacColl Auditorium.
Cost is $20 (parishioner discount of $10)
Miroslav Volf, Henry B. Wright Professor of Theology of Yale Divinity School and the Founding Director of the Yale Center for Faith and Culture, and author Exclusion and Embrace, Free of Charge and The End of Memory, will speak from personal experience and weave a practical theology of how we can move forward with healing and forgiveness after suffering injuries intended or unintended by others and major challenges that have threatened to break and destroy our wholeness and well-being. During the fall semester, Professor Volf will be teaching a course on religion and politics at Yale University with former Prime Minister of England Tony Blair.
"Making Sense of St. Paul"
January 31 – 9:00 a.m. to noon in MacColl Auditorium. Cost is $20.
This workshop will focus on the issues of the “New Perspective” on Paul (Paul and his relationship to Judaism; Paul’s understanding of the role of Christ: Paul and his contemporary culture). The Apostle Paul has been an inspiration to generations of Christians and an embarrassment to some contemporaries. Was he the true “founder of Christianity”? Did he repudiate his Jewish heritage and create the conditions for Christian anti-Semitism? How did he understand what happened in the life and death of Jesus? Did he anticipate the Reformation doctrines of “justification by faith alone” or was he really a “proto-Catholic” who understood works to matter? Professor Harold Attridge, Dean of the Yale Divinity School and Lillian Claus Professor of New Testament at Yale Divinity School, will address these matters. This workshop will be focused on three of Paul’s most important letters, to the Galatians, the Corinthians and the Romans.
"Does Science Allow for Revelation and Divine Action"
March 16 – 7:30 p.m. in MacColl Auditorium Event is FREE!
Dr. Keith Ward is an ordained priest in the Church of England and until 2003 was Canon of Christ Church, Oxford. He is a Fellow of the British Academy, holds an Honorary Doctorate from the Free University of Amsterdam, and is an Honorary Fellow of Trinity Hall, Cambridge and of the University of Wales. He is a member of the Governing Council of the Royal Institute of Philosophy, and a member of the editorial boards of Religions Studies, Journal of Contemporary Religion, Studies in Inter-Religious Dialogue, and World Faiths Encounter. He has been a Visiting Professor at Drake University, Iowa, at Claremont Graduate School, California, and at the University of Tulsa, Oklahoma. He has also held the Regius Professorship of Divinity at the University of Oxford for over a decade. Ward has delivered numerous prestigious public lectures and is the author of many books. Dr. Ward has a BA from the University of Wales, an MA from the University of Cambridge, an MA and B Litt from the University of Oxford, a DD from Cambridge, and a DD from Oxford.
"Prayerful Living: How Do We Hear God’s Voice in a Fast-Paced World?"
March 28 – 9:00 a.m. to noon in MacColl Auditorium. Cost is $20.
How do we hear God’s voice? How can I prayer in a 72 hour week? Where is God in my everyday life? How can I live prayerfully in a complicated and often violent world? And for that matter: what do I think I’m doing when I pray? Prayer is more than saying certain words at certain times, more than a laudable spiritual discipline, more than a comforting habit. Prayer is a way of life and the work of a lifetime, the practice of the presence of God. This retreat offers an opportunity to reflect on the invitation and challenge of living prayerfully amid the demanding busyness and complexity of life at the beginning of the twenty-first century. The Rev. Margaret Guenther, noted retreat leader and author and Associate Rector at St. Columba’s Church in Washington, D.C., will lead our program.
"The Psychology of Love"
Saturday, April 18 – 9:00 a.m. to noon in MacColl Auditorium. Cost is $20.
It is said that one can tell a culture’s sophistication about a concept by the number of words that they have for it. The Eskimos have 28 words for snow. In our culture, we have only one word for love. This lecture will unpack the Greek words for love: Eros, Philia and Agape. In addition, we will look closely at the love of self and other. This program will be lead by the Rev. Pittman McGehee, an Episcopal priest, who is Director of the Institute for the Advancement of Psychology and Spirituality in Houston, Texas. (The cost of attending both programs led by the Rev. Pittman McGehee will be reduced to $30).
RSVP by calling the church receptionist at
215-233-3970 ext. 131.
REGISTER ME NOW
"Grief is Not a Linear Process: Ways and Means for Integrating Loss"
Saturday, April 18 – 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. in MacColl Auditorium. Cost is $20.
No experience is more recurrent in our lives than loss. This lecture/seminar will discuss the process of grief and analytical tools to help the work of integrating suffering into one’s soul. This program will be lead by the Rev. Pittman McGehee, an Episcopal priest, who is Director of the Institute for the Advancement of Psychology and Spirituality in Houston, Texas. (The cost of attending both programs led on April 28 by the Rev. Pittman McGehee will be reduced to $30).
RSVP by calling the church receptionist at
215-233-3970 ext. 131.
REGISTER ME NOW
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"Centering Prayer: The Wisdom of the Contemplative Tradition"
Saturday May 2 – 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. in MacColl Auditorium. The cost is $50 (lunch included)
Fr. Thomas Keating, Trappist monk, renowned author and international retreat leader, will offer an examination of Matthew 6:6 as the scriptural formula on which Centering Prayer is based. What goes on in “the inner room” that Jesus refers to when he describes our spiritual nature. This day-long workshop on contemplative prayer is suitable for beginners as well as more advanced persons who are already acquainted with centering prayer. Join us for the entire day or for the part of this program that you are able to attend.
RSVP by calling the church receptionist at
215-233-3970 ext. 131.
REGISTER ME NOW
"The Development of Centering Prayer into the Apophatic Contemplation"
Sunday May 3 – 3:00 – 5:00 p.m. in MacColl Auditorium. The cost is $30
Fr. Thomas Keating, Trappist monk, renowned author and international retreat leader, will build upon our basic knowledge of contemplative prayer and examine the stages of contemplative prayer and the affirmation of our basic goodness and the healing of the unconscious and wounds of a lifetime through the divine therapy.
RSVP by calling the church receptionist at
215-233-3970 ext. 131.
REGISTER ME NOW
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