Faith Formation
Faith Formation at Grace provides opportunities to ask questions, develop spiritual practices, and understand our own tradition while deepening our relationship to God and our fellow pilgrims of all ages and backgrounds. Please join us as we listen, build community, and tell our stories together.
Find a place at Grace in one of our many programs from ongoing book groups and studies to special sessions and retreats. Questions or suggestions? Please email Kim Cockroft, Minister for Faith Formation.
Please browse here to find programs that take place throughout the year, along with the regular offerings and resources which follow.
Wednesday Bible Study
At 10 am each Wednesday, the Sanctuary is available for 30 minutes of silent meditation. At 10:30 am enjoy a simple service followed by Bible study and coffee in Walker Hall.
For information, contact Parish Administrator Cindy Vandersluis, 206.842.9997, [email protected].
Featured Fall 2021 Adult Faith Formation Programs included
Women’s Group
Contact: Kim Cockroft
Every other Thursday at 12, at Grace in person
Book Group
How We Show Up by Mia Birdsong
Contact: Kim Cockroft, Wayne Herbert
Every other Thursday at 12, beginning Sept. 30, at Grace in person
Dates: Oct. 14, Oct. 28
“It seems counterintuitive that living the "good life" – the well-paying job, the nuclear family, the upward mobility – can make us feel isolated and unhappy. But in a divided America, where only a quarter of us know our neighbors and everyone is either a winner or a loser, we've forgotten the key element that helped us make progress in the first place: community. In this provocative, groundbreaking work, Mia Birdsong shows that what separates us isn't only the ever-present injustices built around race, class, gender, values, and beliefs, but also our denial of our interdependence and need for belonging. In response to the fear and discomfort we feel, we've built walls, and instead of leaning on each other, we find ourselves leaning on concrete.”
Stephen’s Study
Prophetic Jesus, Prophetic Church by Luke Timothy Johnson
Contact: Stephen Crippen, Kim Cockroft
Every other Tuesday night, beginning Sept. 21-end of October, at 7 pm on Zoom
Dates: Oct. 5, Oct. 12, and Oct. 19
“In this and every age, the church desperately. . .needs the bold proclamation of God’s transforming vision to challenge its very human tendency toward expediency and self-interest ― to jolt it into new insight and energy. For Luke Timothy Johnson, the New Testament books Luke and Acts provide that much-needed jolt to conventional norms. To read Luke-Acts as a literary unit, he says, is to uncover a startling prophetic vision of Jesus and the church ― and an ongoing call for today’s church to embody and proclaim God’s vision for the world.”
Special Events
Jesus Dawning on Us: A Three-Part Series with Pastor Steve Garnaas-Holmes
Nov. 3, 10, and 24, 7 pm on Zoom
Choosing Hope: An Advent Evening of Poetry, Music, and Candlelight
Thursday, Dec. 2, 7 pm (location TBD)
Discernment
Spiritual Discernment is a process of learning to listen deeply and quietly in the supportive presence of community. At Grace, we have a Spiritual Discernment Ministry – people who are specially prepared in discernment practices that help bring gentle clarity around life’s big and small questions. Do you have a question that you are holding – something tugging at you that you may not even have articulated fully? The invitation is always open for people seeking Spiritual Discernment at Grace.
If you think this might help you or you just want to learn more, we invite you to contact Emily Chamberlain, 206.780.3499, [email protected] or Patty Molloy, 206.780.3343, [email protected].
