Current Offerings
Christianity ~ Through an Episcopal Lens 2012
Led by Dean Hunter
Christianity's roots sink deep into the soil of Judaism; after all, their Scriptures are our Scriptures. There were followers (disciples) of Jesus from soon after his "public" ministry began in what we believe to be his early thirties. But Christianity, the Church, begins its journey on the Day of Pentecost reported to us in the New Testament Book of Acts (The Acts of the Apostles). This class will look at the foundations of the Christian faith; explore some things about the nature of God, especially as we describe God as being a Holy Trinity; and we will learn about the origins and worship of the Episcopal Church.
The goal of this class is, appropriately, three-fold: To learn about God, Christianity and the Church, to deepen (or discover) our faith, and to have fun. The ground rules for our time together are simple. First, try to come prepared, but by all means come to our class gatherings. The more we are all here sharing and listening to the Scriptures, the history and to one another the more depth our time together will obtain. Second, honest questioning and even doubts are encouraged, if you have them. God always responds when we declare them. Third, we are here to discover and to learn and sometimes that means being vulnerable so we will treat one another with the greatest of respect and dignity.
This class is a fine way to prepare for Confirmation, Reception or Reaffirmation in the Episcopal Church. Your presence in this course does not require you to participate in any of these. It is also a fine way to revisit previously studied material or simply to learn something new about a favorite subject. We will be studying and even doing "theology." Do not let this frighten you, broken into its root components the word simply mean, "God-talk." God-talk is always worth the investment of time we give to it.
Class is on Sundays and begins at 12:15, but we will always allow a bit of time for refreshment following the 10:30 service. We will always end by 1:45. Changes can be negotiated, but must be done well in advance. We will meet in Bishop Crowley Room on the 2nd floor of the Cathedral Center (off the elevator take a slight right then down to the end of the hall (do not take the hard left turn) and you are at the Bp. Crowley Room. Dress is casual. You are welcome to brown-bag lunch or a snack.
Bring your questions, a Bible, and a Book of Common Prayer (1979) if you have one, and something to take notes on.
February 12 Welcome, Our Story, The Story; This Hebrew God
February 19 This Hebrew God, continued
February 26 New Testament, New Covenant
March 4 The Acts and Acting Outs of the Apostle
March 11 Lex Orandi, Lex Credendi (Praying Shapes Believing.)
March 18 Protestant? Catholic?
March 25 Water and Bread & Wine (Baptism, Confirmation, & Eucharist)
April 1 Preparation for Confirmation, Reception or Reaffirmation
Evening with Kit
Join Kit on Tuesday evenings February 7 and February 14 as we look at the Exodus and the Ark of the Covenant and what these ancient stories mean for our lives today. Dinner starts at 6:00 p.m., class starts at 6:30p.m. A free will offering is collected to help with the cost of the food.
During Lent join Kit on Tuesday evenings for a series on devotional practices. We’ll learn body prayer, praying with drawing materials, praying with prayer beads and other practices. We’ll start with a simple soup and salad dinner at 6:00 p.m. then we’ll clean up and get into our class at 6:30 p.m.. A free will offering will be collected to help with the cost of the food.
There are many opportunities at the Cathedral for Christian Education. The programs are run by our Director of Religious Education, Mrs. Kit Ilardi, and by the Cathedral's clergy. All of programs involve small group discussion and in many cases we meet in fellowship over breakfast or a light meal.
Children
At the Cathedral we believe in the importance of children in worship. We believe it is important for them, and for the community of faith as a whole. Therefore, children are encouraged to attend worship with their families. A special children’s bulletin is available at the information desk in the gallery for them to use during the service. The Cathedral also runs a Vacation Bible School every summer for a week in August. It is open to both cathedral children and children from the local community. There is no charge for Vacation Bible School; the Cathedral does it as a gift to the community.
Youth Group
The Cathedral Youth Group meets every Sunday after the 10:30 service until approximately 2:30 pm. The group is open to young people in grades 6 through 12. The program consists of fun and games, food and conversation, Christian education and worship. Every week the group has lunch together and checks in to see what is new with each member of the group. The group has a different theme for each meeting. These range from our relationship with God to our relationships with family, friends and others. The group discussions are always lively and insightful. Some weeks the group just has fun either bowling together, going on field trips to lcoal museums, playing games or acting in skits. The Youth Group participates in service projects such as an underwear drive for the homeless, collecting shoes for Soles 4 Souls, and the Souper Bowl of Caring to collect money for food aid locally and worldwide. Members of the group also assist with the running of the Cathedral’s Vacation Bible School, the Cathedral's Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper. Members of the group also participate in events sponsored by the Episcopal Diocese of Michigan including a mission trip and Nightwatch, an overnight event at the Cathedral. Through these activities the Cathedral youth develop a lasting relationship with each other and with the church.
Young Adult and Campus Ministry
Young Adult and Campus Ministry: The Cathedral has an ongoing relationship with the local campus community and students. Several Wayne State and College for Creative Studies students regularly attend the services at the Cathedral. They are integrated into the regular parish life of the Cathedral as well as having some special perks such as regular “care packages” and lunches with members of the Cathedral clergy, staff and parishioners. In addition, the Cathedral hands out special gifts to students walking in the area. These gifts many include a bottle of water on a hot day, candy for Valentines day and Halloween and a “finals emergency kit” consisting of pens, pencils, candy, gum and a prayer for exams as well as contact information for the Cathedral and an invitation to come to the Cathedral for quiet reflection. Events are also planned for local college students including picnics and dinners at the homes of members of the Cathedral.
Our parish students who are in college either locally or out of the area also receive regular messages and “care packages” from the Cathedral.
Adults
There are several Adult Christian Education programs run by Cathedral staff and clergy. The Diocese of Michigan also offers Christian Education courses through its Whitaker School of Theology. The Cathedral also acts as a meeting place for the Education for Ministry distance-education program administered by the University of the South (also known as Sewanee).
Sunday Morning Video Class for Adults: Every Sunday as part of the Breakfast Ministry there is a Christian Education Class for Adults run by our Director of Religious Education, Mrs. Kit Ilardi. The class usually starts with a 20 to 30 minute video on some topic of Christianity. Then there is a 15 to 20 minute discussion of the video that the class has just seen or the topic is expanded on by the instructor. Topics usually last for three to six weeks. The class has studied such diverse topics as Angels, the Early Church, origins of the Bible and Episcopal and Anglican history, as well as many others.
Sunday Morning Bible Study: Between the 8:15 and 10:30 services there is a bible study run by Dean Scott Hunter. Usually the study involves an examination of the Gospel reading for the day. During Lent the Dean runs a class for those new or curious about Christianity and the Episcopal tradition. There is also a special course offered during Advent.
Tuesday Night Dinner and Class: On most Tuesday evenings during the School Year there is a Bible study class that usually has contemporary culture as a background. This class, led by our Director of Religious Education, Mrs. Kit Ilardi, looks at God in various ways: through recent movies, through poetry and literature, through TV shows, and through music. This class may also explore at other topics such as world religions, types of prayer, Biblical Archeology, and morality in the church to name a few. The class starts at 6:00 PM with a free will donation dinner and then gets into the main class at 6:30 PM. The class ends about 8:30 PM.
