We encourage every parishioner to attend Father Martin’s Christian Formation Classes beginning Sunday, September 28th at 10 AM in the Parlor. If you are going to be confirmed in the Spring (Confirmation is May 3rd), if you are interested in learning more about the Faith, if you would like to learn more about how worship (especially eucharistically centered worship) is the center of your life, then you will want to be in this series of six classes. Father Martin describes the series this way: “The rhythm of Christian discipleship and daily living is between corporate worship in and through which the Church is constituted as the mystical Body of Christ, personal daily living, and a quality of life in which actions speak louder than words, in what Christians understand as ministry, witness and mission. Thus we will focus on the heart of the Church’s life, the Eucharist, beginning with a general review of the Book of Common Prayer.” Please remember to bring your Prayer Books.

• First Session: The Book of Common Prayer
• Second Session: The Christian Year
• Third Session: The Shape and Content of the Eucharist

Descriptions of the Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Sessions will follow.

We will welcome The Right Reverend William O. Gregg, Bishop Assistant, to St. Timothy’s on Sunday, April 6th for the Annual Visitation and Confirmation. Bishop Gregg is one of the assisting bishops in the Diocese and is stationed in Charlotte, NC. Bishop Gregg will celebrate and preach at the 9 AM service and celebrate, preach and confirm at the 11 AM service.

The April-May schedule of classes is as follows:

• April 5: Confirmation Rehearsal at 10 AM in the Church
• April 13: The Episcopal Church in the USA
• April 20: Prayer: Public and Private
• April 27: The Christian Duties
• May 4: A Rule of Life
• May 11: Form Follows Function: Our Teachings and Church Architecture
• May 18: Ritual and Doctrine

Confirmation Classes begin January 13th at 10:00 AM in the Parlor. These classes are not only for those who will be confirmed but also for those who want to be received into this Communion and those who simply want a refresher course. The schedule of classes is as follows:

• January 13: Introduction, information forms and requirements
• January 20: The Bible and Anglicans
• January 27: The Authority of Holy Scriptures
• February 3: The Book of Common Prayer
• February 10: The Sacraments – Effectual Signs of Grace
• February 17: The Eucharist, The Mass, The Holy Communion, The Lord’s Supper
• February 24: Confession
• March 2: Christian Stewardship
• March 9: The Anglican Communion
• March 16: The Episcopal Church in North Carolina
• March 30: The Episcopal Church in the USA
• April 13: Prayer: Public and Private
• April 20: The Christian Duties
• April 27: A Rule of Life
• May 4: Form Follows Function
• May 11: Ritual and Doctrine

Everyone interested in being Confirmed should be in the Parlor at 10:00 AM on that Sunday. Please remember that the classes are not only for confirmands, but for those who want to be received into this Communion and those who simply want a refresher course as well. You will receive a schedule for the classes and will need to complete an information sheet. The information sheet will ask for your date of Baptism, so it will be helpful to find that date before the first Confirmation Class and bring it to class. The Confirmation will be held on Sunday, May 13th.

What on Earth is Happening in the Anglican Communion? is the title of a course we are offering beginning this Wednesday, October 25th. So that people have a choice of days and times, we are offering the four-session course on Wednesdays at 11:15 AM-12:15 PM (Oct. 25, Nov. 1, Nov. 8, Nov. 15), on Sundays at 9:45-10:45 AM (Oct. 29, Nov. 5, Nov. 12, Nov. 19), and on Thursdays at 7-8 PM (Nov. 2, 9, 16 and 30). This course will present key developments and issues that are confronting The Anglican Communion and The Episcopal Church from 2005 to 2008. The course is intended for everyone regardless of their views on sexuality, the ordained ministry, or interpreting the Bible. Please take advantage of this course so that you can be informed on life in The Anglican Communion and our part of The Anglican Communion and The Episcopal Church.