ESFM Year Two, Semester One

Sometimes you want to learn a little more than you can get from (or put into) the typical Sunday sermon. Sometimes you want someone else to talk with about that passage you just read or that thorny theological question you’ve been wrestling with. Sometimes you wish that topic had been addressed when you were in school.

ESFM gathers in person one Saturday a month at the Wawasee Retreat Center in Syracuse. The materials have been created by the Iona Collaborative at Seminary of the Southwest and will be led by local facilitators. Whether you are a lay person pursuing spiritual and intellectual enrichment, someone engaged in the process for ordination, or an ordained person seeking to continue your education, you are welcome to become a part of ESFM!

ESFM dates for the second semester will be: October 19, November 9, December 14, January 11, February 8. For each session, participants will read assigned texts and watch video lectures beforehand. They then will come together at Wawasee for facilitated discussion and other activities aimed at engaging the material more deeply. Afterwards, a written assignment will help learning take root and grow. Those completing the five sessions and their related assignments will receive a certificate of participation.

Register by October 10 in order to receive log in credentials in time to prepare for class. Late registrations will be accepted, but may not leave enough time for adequate preparation.

Contact

The Rev. Canon Terri Bays, Ph.D.
Missioner for Transitions and Formation
Email

10 a.m.-12 p.m. (Eastern)

A—Greek Scriptures ($250) (taught in English): The Gospels and Acts. Lectures by Jane Patterson, John Lewis, and Cynthia Kittredge. Local Facilitation TBD.

This course explores the Scriptures which trace the ministry of Jesus and the earliest years of the church.

B—Safe Church, Safe Communities (Free). Don't want to go through the Safe Church, Safe Communities Curriculum alone? Join an in-person cohort! (prerequisite: Initial 3-module Face-to-Face Intro)

  • Safe Church, Safe Communities—Power and Relationships

  • Safe Church, Safe Communities—Healthy Boundaries

  • Safe Church, Safe Communities—Pastoral Relationships

  • Safe Church, Safe Communities—Anti-Harassment

  • Safe Church, Safe Communities—Bullying

1-3 p.m. (Eastern)

A—Conversations on Church History: Early Church Through Reformation ($250). Lectures by Ben King, in conversation with Jeehei Park, Maximos Constas, Luigi Gioia, Martha Newman, Judith Maltby, and Angel Gallardo. Local Facilitation TBD

This course traces the History of the Church from its first centuries through the Eighteenth Century. An extra session to be scheduled in  Jan-Feb will allow us to cover 6 modules.

  • Church History I—Forming the Canon of Scripture

  • Church History I—The Foundation of the Creeds

  • Church History I—The Religious Life of Women and Men

  • Church History I—Medieval Christianity

  • Church History I—Latin American Christianity

  • Church History I—The Church of England: From the Reformation to Established Church (+ Women’s Ordination)

3:30-5:30 p.m. (Eastern)

A—Historical-Critical Theory and Practice GS Lectures by John Lewis, Cynthia Kittredge, Steve Bishop, Jane Patterson. Local Facilitation TBD.

This course, intended to accompany the first semester of Greek Scriptures, explores a variety of lenses through which church leaders might read the Scriptures while providing historical context for our understanding different parts of the Bible as texts in context.  

OnlIne—Time and Dates TBD

B—Cultural Competency and Conflict Lectures by Denise Trevino and Gaye Jones. Local Facilitation TBD

This course explores a variety of ways to understand, appreciate and interact with people from cultures or belief systems different from one's own, ways to distinguish between healthy and unhealthy forms of conflict, and ways to respond in a healthy manner to unhealthy forms of conflict.

Because of (healthy) scheduling conflicts, this course will be taught online, monthly, on dates/times to be determined in consultation with class participants.