Adults

So You Want to be a Bishop? How We Elect a New Chief Pastor
Sundays, Aug. 23-Sept. 13 at 9 a.m.
Trinity Room

Our diocese is in a period of transition and discernment as we search for the 8th Bishop of WNC. This process gives us a timely opportunity to learn about the role of bishops in our church, the polity of the Episcopal Church, and some important bishops in history. Join the clergy of St. James as they each share knowledge from their own areas of interest, ranging from history, the bishops in the windows at St. James and their legacy in the church, and the Canons and Constitutions, or rules we have decided to live by, and our current process in the Diocese of WNC.

Theologies of War: Christian Perspectives on an Ancient Reality
Sundays, Sept. 20 & 27 at 9 a.m.
Trinity Room

War and violent conflict are one of the most constant, ongoing realities of human life throughout history. So how do we wrestle with that reality as a religion founded on the Prince of Peace, who commanded his followers to love their enemy and turn the other cheek, and said peacemakers were the children of God? During these two Sundays, we will dip our toes into the three ancient perspectives on war traditionally offered by Christianity throughout its history: Pacifism (Early Church Fathers), Just War (Augustinian), and Holy War (Medieval Crusades).

Midweek Matinees (to accompany Meet Me in the Middle on Sunday mornings)
Wednesdays, Sept. 30-Nov. 18 at 1 p.m.
Stillwell Hall

Bring your lunch or a snack and join your fellow parishioners for a series of historical movies set in the 16th and 17th centuries, documenting and dramatizing the birth of the Anglican Church and the political upheaval and turmoil in the monarchy of England so central to the Church. From Henry VIII to the killing (or martyring) of Charles I, we will watch and learn how this pivotal period of British history shaped the church we know and love today.

Meet Me in the Middle: the Birth of the Anglican Church and via Media (the Middle Way)
Sundays, Oct. 11-Nov. 22 at 9 a.m. (except Nov. 1)
Trinity Room

How did via Media or the Middle Way become the hallmark of the Anglican Church, both protestant and catholic? This series explores this question through historical films covering the 16th and 17th centuries. The films will be shown on Wednesdays before the Sunday morning formation time, but you may also watch them on your own. A list of films and where they can be watched will be published in September, so you begin watching as you have time. Sunday mornings will tease out the fact from the drama and will highlight how the foundational theology of via Media developed during the first century of the church.

Living as Resident Aliens: 4-Week Adult Formation Series
Sundays, Nov. 29-Dec. 20 at 9 a.m.
Trinity Room

What does it mean to follow Jesus in a world that feels increasingly secular? Join us for a four-week Advent adult formation series based on the classic book Resident Aliens: Life in the Christian Colony by theologians Stanley Hauerwas and William Willimon. We will explore how the church is called to be a distinct, counter-cultural community—a “colony” of faith, hope, and love in a changing world.
Rather than worrying about how to fix secular culture, we will discuss how to live out a joyful, radical Christian adventure right here in our own neighborhood.