BIBLE STUDIES AT SAINT PAULS

THE WOMEN’S BIBLE STUDY MEETS ON THURSDAYS AT 10AM
CURRENTLY STUDYING ST. PAUL’S 1st LETTER TO THE CORINTHIANS

This year, the Women’s Bible Study will study St. Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians. At that time, Corinth was a major metropolitan center, the capitol of the Roman province of Achaia in southern Greece and, as a port city, was noted for its thriving commerce, widespread immorality and its great variety of religions ranging from the worship of Aphrodite, Apollo and Isis to the Roman emperors. St. Paul established the Church in Corinth sometime in 50AD during his second great missionary journey across the Mediterranean, staying in Corinth for a year and a half (Acts 18:11). He probably wrote this letter from Ephesus in 55AD to deal with pastoral problems that had arisen in the Corinthian Church. His chief concerns are divisions and moral failure in the Church, the pursuit of holiness, the Eucharist and its implications for Christian living, relationships between Christians and pagans, questions about sexuality, marriage, divorce and re-marriage, civil lawsuits, the offering he was collecting for the stricken Church in Judea, self-centeredness and the gifts of the Holy Spirit, false teaching and doctrinal speculations and the resurrection of the dead. The class is led by Eve Tibbs, and our discussions are informal and congenial. No previous Bible experience is required. Drop-ins and children are welcome. Please join us for a morning of fellowship and discussion

 

ST. PAUL’S ORTHODOX KOINONIA BIBLE STUDY  
MEETS ON THURSDAYS AT 7:30PM TO STUDY THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

We invite all our parishioners ages 25 and up, single and married, to join us every Thursday evening during the month of September at 7:30pm as we continue to study St. Luke’s companion volume to his Gospel, a powerful book outlining the ministries of the Apostles Peter and Paul as well as the growth of the early Church: The Acts of the Apostles. Acts tells the story of the apostolic age and is the first history of the Christian Church to be written. It is in Acts that you will read of the Ascension of Christ into heaven, the election of Matthias to replace Judas among the Twelve, the descent of the Holy Spirit on the disciples on Pentecost in Jerusalem, the beginnings of the Christian Church and its subsequent growth throughout the Mediterranean world in cities like Antioch, Damascus, Ephesus, Athens, Corinth, Thessaloniki and the island of Cyprus, and the execution of St. Stephen, the first Christian martyr, as well as the stories of the Apostles Peter and Paul, Barnabas, Timothy and Silas. Acts details the universality of the Good News of Christ and contains 24 speeches or sermons by St. Peter and St. Paul and the other apostles. It ends with St. Paul in prison in Rome awaiting his trial and ultimately his execution during the persecution of Christians by the emperor Nero. You do not need to bring a Bible since the texts will be provided so that we can all follow the same translation and the study notes from the Orthodox Study Bible. This study is led by Dean Langis. Plan to come and bring a friend

 

THE WOMEN’S STUDY FELLOWSHIP
MEETS ON MONDAYS AT 7PM TO STUDY THE SCRIPTURES, PRAYER AND SERVICE 

What is compassion? According to the dictionary, it means: "a feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another who is stricken by misfortune, accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate the suffering". But the concept of compassion as it relates to following the Lord Jesus as an Orthodox Christian is far deeper. Jesus tells us to "be compassionate as your Father is compassionate" (Luke 6:36). This fall we will embark on a study based on a book by Henri Nouwen, Donald McNeill and Douglas Morrison, three Roman Catholic priest/professors. The title is Compassion: A Reflection on the Christian Life, and combined with a study guide that includes Scripture readings and questions to be answered, we will be challenged to rethink our understanding of compassion. We will be called to patience, disciplined prayer and action. This quote from the author sums up the difficulty we face as people who live in a society where we are told to "get as much done as possible in the shortest amount of time"; a society that favors ambition, competition and upward mobility: "Let us not underestimate how hard it is to be compassionate. Compassion is hard because it requires the inner disposition to go with others to place where they are weak, vulnerable, lonely, and broken. But this is not our spontaneous response to suffering. What we desire most is to do away with suffering by fleeing from it or finding a quick cure for it." Do you see the challenge ahead? The cost of the book is $10.00. The Women’s Study Fellowship is taught by Dorothea Love and is limited to 18 participants in order to allow time for discussion as we support one another on this 15 week spiritual journey as Orthodox Christian women.