Efm sewanee spiritual autobiography

Search Submit. Worship Livestream. New Hamilton Hall. EfM helps the faithful discover the Christian tradition, bringing it into conversation with their experiences of the world. EfM seminar groups meet in onsite and online, all in person, developing theologically informed, reflective, and articulate seekers of God. Many people have been taught that one must be ordained to be a minister, but our vows at baptism say something different: that all baptized Christians are ministers.

God calls us to be active participants in ministry.

Efm sewanee spiritual autobiography

What is that ministry? No prior study or knowledge of scripture or theology is required. There are no tests, but there is reading, homework, and once-a-week seminar group participation with discussion and theological reflection. Our shared mission. For clergy. Bishop Search and Transition. Julie Mankowsky, elementary school teacher, EfM graduate, St.

Spiritual practices are addressed in the EfM curricu- lum, particularly in Unit Three each year, but also across the year through the introduction of practices from the Christian tradition like Lectio divina, the Ignatian examen, contemplative prayer, and walking a labyrinth. Par- ticipants are invited to explore entering into these traditional practices and encouraged to write a Rule of Life.

The different expressions and practices of worship shared weekly by members of the group offer ways to enrich individual spiritual practice, as do trial explorations of different practices from the tradition. In addition, participants are encouraged to be regular in attendance at worship and active participants in congregational life.

The goal is to develop a spiritual con- nection with God and neighbor that grounds and sustains us in the work of ministry. Theological Reflection Examining life through a theological lens is the central spiritual discipline in Education for Ministry. In movements two and three, questions are framed using an intentional theological focus.

The same is true for spiritual disciplines. The curriculum also instructs participants in practicing theological reflection as individuals outside the seminar meeting, with the goal of becoming reflective practitioners of their faith in daily life. Simply put, any seminar group that neglects the practice of theological reflection is not participating authentically in EfM as the program is designed.

Study of the Christian Tradition A series of four Reading and Reflection Guides provide weekly assignments for reading, reflection, and response that encourage groups to develop a lifelong practice of engagement with the Christian tradition in study. Participants in the first two years read the Hebrew Bible and the New Testa- ment along with commentary that helps them understand the texts in their ancient and modern contexts.

In the third year, they study the history of the church. In their final year participants study Christian theology while examining their own personal theologies, consider ethics through the lens of the Anglican tradition, and read first-person stories of interreligious encounter. In addition, the Reading and Reflection Guides offer contextual themes that shape ministerial formation over four years, viewing the study of the Christian tradition through lenses of personal and global contexts for our ministry in daily life as we grow in spiritual maturity and live into the jour- ney with God.

The regular study of the Christian tradition in EfM forms a foundation for theological reflection in the service of faithful living. It is assumed that all Christians are so called. In the group we begin with attentive listening to one another as we share spiritual autobiographies and continue that listening through shared prayer and worship, shared stories of our daily lives, shared theological reflec- tion across the year.

Through such listening we often find we can help one another identify specific gifts and the deep moments of longing or joy that may signal a call to a ministry in which the person can offer those gifts. What gift can I offer? Attention to the fruits of theological reflection will shape response as well. What are the next steps?

What or who will be needed to support me in this response? How can I support you in your call? The seminar group becomes a community of affirmation, support, and accountability when regular attention is paid to vocational discernment with and for its members. You set your own learning goals and need the latitude to learn as each individual does best.

This requires a certain commitment to the program, but every partici- pant does not need to work in the same way or with the same intensity. EfM has the flexibility for each of you to work in his or her own way. The Mentor The role of the mentor is crucial to the life of the group. Mentor was a friend of Odysseus who remained in charge of his household while he was away.

A teacher who guides is a description of an EfM mentor. The EfM mentor brings skills in working effectively with small groups of people. The responsibility for the life of the group belongs to everyone, but the mentor is the initial convener. The mentor works to allow every- one an opportunity to learn, to share, to discover. At the same time, the mentor is also a member of the group.

The mentor is also there to learn, to share, and to discover. The mentor has a second role, that of administrator for the group. The mentor handles registrations, receives and distributes materials, files reports, and is accountable to the administrative staff in Sewanee. The mentor serves the group neither as a teacher whose most important task is to provide information nor as a therapist.

The mentor is a guide in a journey of discovery. Some groups have co-mentors who work together as a team. This can be very helpful to the process since it can be very difficult to lead and participate simultaneously. It is an important component of the EfM program. Mentors must renew their ac- creditation every eighteen months. A seminar group usually contains no fewer than six and no more than twelve participants and a mentor or two co-mentors.

The group provides an environment that supports the exploration and expression of ideas so that discovery and learning occur. It is a place of trust and confidentiality as participants in the seminar reflect upon ways to pursue a life of faith on a daily basis. Seminars usually meet for two-and-a-half to three hours once a week over a period of thirty-six weeks during the academic cycle.

For many of us this cycle begins in September and ends in June, but the group may decide to meet more frequently for shorter periods of time or less frequently for longer periods of time. Less frequent meetings can be very helpful when par- ticipants are scattered or they live in a region where bad weather can make travel difficult for extended periods.

Some seminar groups meet online. EfM seminars regularly engage in three different aspects of learning. These may not all be done in any one session, but attention needs to be given to all three aspects. This is a way to build trust, friendship, and community. It is an opportunity to support each other and maintain the freedom we all need to express our thoughts and feelings.

It is not a time for classroom presentations, rather an occasion to raise questions, wrestle with the materials, obtain clarifications, and generally share impressions about what has been read. This may come in the form of a spiritual autobiography, one of many forms of theological reflections, studying and following a spiritual discipline, or exploring the meaning of the ministries we have.

The Program The EfM Program expects participants, mentors, and trainers to remain faithful to the program. EfM is a program for adults and one expectation of the program is that adults take responsibility for their lives, set their own goals, and seek the support necessary to move forward. The program asks participants and mentors to provide an arena in which learning can take place on a mature adult level.

Together we join to provide a program of theological education for the laity that carries a number of benefits. For some the theological groundwork in EfM may be supplemented with additional opportunities to prepare for ecclesial roles such as that of lay reader, vocational deacon, or educator. Providing the program is something in which various agencies participate.

The local church provides a setting and may offer some financial assistance to participants.