Adult Formation
Great Wednesdays at St. John’s
Mark your calendar because Great Wednesday returns on Wednesday September 30th. We’ll start with a 5:30pm Eucharist and then learn about The Parable of Jesus at 6:00pm while we eat a simple supper. We hope that you’ll join us.
Please sign up for Great Wednesday at this link https://forms.gle/5mFwbVc5KCxGUhaNA or in the undercroft. We want to know you are coming so we can prepare enough food and plan ahead. We are asking all participants to pitch in by signing up to bring food, set up, or clean up for each session. Team work makes the dream work.
One Book, One Church
Looking for your next book to read? The Reverend suggests “The Scandal of the Kingdom: How the Parables of Jesus Revolutionized Life with God” by Dallas Willard.
A major new work by Dallas Willard, the highly anticipated follow-up to his seminal work The Divine Conspiracy. In this groundbreaking book based on teachings he delivered to a church community, Willard delves into the transformative power of Jesus’s parables, revealing how they show us how to live right now in the kingdom of God.
Drawing from his extensive teachings on spiritual formation, Willard illuminates the timeless wisdom contained within each parable, revealing their profound relevance to contemporary life. With clarity and depth, he guides readers through the subversive messages embedded within these seemingly simple stories, urging us to break free from the grip of worldly values and embrace the radical teachings of Jesus.
The Scandal of the Kingdom is not just a book–it’s a call to action. Willard challenges readers to move beyond passive acceptance of comfortable dogmas and instead to actively engage with the values of the kingdom of God. He reminds us that the kingdom is not some distant future destination but a present reality, beckoning us, as the parables of Jesus did, to live with a new purpose and intentionality in the here and now.
Through insightful analysis and practical wisdom, Willard empowers readers to transform their lives and communities by embodying the radical love, compassion, and justice exemplified in Jesus’s parables. This book is a beacon of hope for Christians seeking to deepen their faith and live more authentically in accordance with the teachings of Christ. Willard empowers us to:
Become more passionate about living the gospel in the full scope of Jesus’s vision for us
Better share the faith of Jesus with those disillusioned with Christianity
Unlock the excitement of living in the upside-down kingdom of God
Share the gospel of Jesus in the way he did
A significant new resource for Christians worldwide, this book offers a road map for spiritual growth and renewal in an increasingly complex and challenging world. With its profound insights and transformative message, it is destined to leave a lasting impact on the hearts and minds of believers everywhere.
(Description of book taken from Thriftbooks.com)
Special Programming Presented by St. John’s
The Gospel of Mark – March 29, 2026
Fifty Years After the Vietnam War – November 11, 2025
Prisms of Faith: Moving Beyond Tolerance to Deep Engagement – March 16, 2025
The Harlem Renaissance at 100 – November 11, 2022
