Formation

Spiritual Formation
More than a Sunday School program, an Adult Forum, or a worship service, spiritual formation is a continuum of learning created to raise the awareness of God’s presence everywhere, every day.

Children and Youth Formation
Our vision for Children and Youth Formation is to create an environment where kids form their own communities within St. Mary’s that are unlike any other groups they have. The experiences St. Mary’s offers are designed to show children and youth a different way of being that begins with the process of spiritual grounding. As Jesus calls each of us to be in service to the world, the foundational principles of community, service, and study are integrated into every component of our children and youth formation programs.

These principles are actively displayed in the First Sunday worship service that begins every new month. From the Adult Formation group down through the youth and children programs, everyone works together on a project. Moving from the project work into the worship service, each age group has its own responsibility and participates in reading, gathering the offering, and assisting with communion. The sermon, music, decorations, and liturgy are structured to embrace all ages, with particular care given to address the needs of children and youth.


Adult Formation. Taking place an hour before the Sunday morning service, the Adult Formation forums are designed to provide a complete experience of spiritual reflection. The Forums offer a deeper, contemplative preparation for worship by addressing questions people are struggling with in an environment where it is safe to question and express concerns. For example, a recent discussion focused on Paul’s Theology—What Bothers You and How Do We Talk About It?

St. Mary’s also offers small group experiences for adults including:
           Spiritual Reflection Group. This is an ongoing group that brings up its own challenging topics and 
           meets on a monthly basis to reflect on social issues, books, and media related to those topics.

           Quiet Days in Lent and Advent: A Quiet Day provides a day of directed meditation, Scripture, prayer
           and quiet time centered on a theme appropriate to that season.

           Come and See Programs: Every Wednesday evening has various workshops and classes.