Formation
Formation
Lenten Opportunities -- 2024
Wild Hope-Stories for Lent from the Vanishing -- Beginning Thursday, Feb. 15 at 6:15 p.m.
St. John’s will host a discussion of stories from Wild Hope by Gayle Boss on Thursdays in Lent with Caleb Redick. This book attempts to orient us towards the brokenness of creation during the season of Lent by presenting short stories and illustrations of endangered creatures. There will be six discussions beginning Thursday, February 15 at 6:15 p.m. in St. John's Commons. A limited number of copies of the book will be available.
All ages are welcome to participate, however a few of the stories may be disturbing, as they present the reality of pollution, poaching, and sickness of creatures. Please contact Caleb Redick at calebredick@gmail.com for more information.
New Fire: An Ecological Reading of the Easter Vigil -- Beginning February 18 after the 10:15 a.m. service
Beginning February 18, our class “New Fire” will explore the intersections of theology, liturgy, and ecology in the Easter Vigil during the weeks leading up to the service. The hope is that our conversation will help us experience the Vigil in a new and powerful way. We will bring our own experiences to this discussion, and we will also employ the lenses of feminism and queer eco-spirituality as we seek to dive deeper into the meaning of this crucial Episcopal liturgy. The class will meet in the church itself at St. John’s from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on February 18, February 25, March 3, and March 10. We will be engaging with all the liturgical elements of the Vigil, so there will be smells and there will be bells as well as bread, water, and wine. Please note—on February 18, incense will be used during the class. For more information, contact Jason Fortner at jason@stjohns-laf.org.
Wednesday Evening Book Group
At this time, the Book Group is meeting in a hybrid with the on-line portion via zoom at this link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87328732734?pwd=dWlUdHFNU2t2L1V2WFpoQmlqcGVDZz09
During the fall and spring semesters, we usually meet on the second Wednesday of the month (except during breaks in the Purdue schedule) at 7:00 PM. This is a very informal group.
Our books for spring semester 2024:
February 14: Stephen Greenblatt, The Rise and Fall of Adam and Eve: The Story That Created Us (First half of the book)
March 13: Stephen Greenblatt, The Rise and Fall of Adam and Eve: The Story That Created Us (Second half of the book)
April: Matthew Desmond, Evicted
May: End-of-semester movie night! Title, time, and location TBA
We usually have a small number of copies of the current book here at the church for lending out, but encourage you to support our local bookstores if you prefer to purchase a copy for yourself.
Questions about the book group? Suggestions for future reading? Contact Mark Thomas at the church office, 765.743.1347, sheep@goodshep.org
For a list of books that our group has read (a list going back to 2006), click here (Word format) or here (PDF).
Last updated 2/9/24
Faith at Home
Make your own finger labyrinth
Making pretzels as a Lenten activity
Children and Youth
Children of all ages are welcome to join us in worship. Youth Group for youth in grades 6 through 12 meets twice a month during the school year. The Youth Group includes youth from both Chapel of the Good Shepherd in West Lafayette and St. John’s in Lafayette. Check the church calendar or contact the church office for more information.
Weekly Meditation Group
The Meditation Group meets weekly. We follow the practice set by the World Community of Christian Meditation (WCCM). We begin by listening to a brief teaching from WCCM, then we have 20 minutes of silence, and we end by saying noonday prayers from the Iona community. We offer meditation in a hybrid fashion. For those wishing to join us on-line, the link can be found at the Online Worship page.