St. George Episcopal Church

What is Cursillo?

• an opportunity to grow in faith and in spirituality
• a deeper understanding of the teachings of Jesus and how we can serve him
• an experience of living and sharing with others in a loving and caring Christian community and realizing that this can be extended into our own environment
• a continuing community that gives support and encouragement to help Christians carry out their Baptismal Vows

The Weekend:

Cursillo includes a three-day weekend that begins on Thursday evening and concludes on Sunday. The weekend includes fifteen talks, five meditations and a Eucharist every day.

The Cursillo weekend is not a retreat, but an opportunity to meet clergy and laity seeking to strengthen our faith.  It provides an environment to experience the reality of the gift of God’s love through shared prayer, individual meditation, worship, study, fellowship, laughter, tears, and unconditional love.

After the Weekend:

Each person returning from a weekend is encouraged to join in the activities of “the Fourth Day” Community. The purpose of this community is to give strength and support to each other as we grow in faith and develop our unique gifts of ministry.

What’s Expected of Participants:

• to be open and willing to respond to what you experience, to share your feelings with others and allow them to share theirs with you
• to make a genuine effort to discover where you are and where or how you can grow in your Christian life
• to feel secure in the knowledge that you are accepted where you are and as you are, and know that a specific response is not expected of you

Our fun-filled family formation class is a place where families can come together, sing songs, have breakfast, and learn how to share and talk about God and Christ in our lives. All are welcome to come and have a great time!

Every Sunday, we have age-appropriate lessons for our young worshippers.  Children begin in the Sanctuary with their parents and follow the acolyte out with their class and will return to their parents in time for Holy Communion.  The children are divided into two age groups.

• Kinder Chapel for 4 year olds and kindergartners.
• Children’s Chapel for 1^st and 2^nd graders

Our curriculum is:

• Lectionary Based-Offering an engaging and fun way for our kids to hear the same stories that are being told during our regular worship.
• Bible Centered-Ensuring that our children interact with the Bible in every lesson.
• Interactive-Children engage in the lesson through interactive games and creative crafts for a fun and exciting learning experience.
• Leader Friendly-Leaders are provided with easy to use leader packs that walk you through each lesson. There is no training needed, allowing volunteers to get involved.  In addition, the lesson preparation is minimal.
• Age-Appropriate-The lessons are tailored to specific age groups, yet all the children will learn the same story on the same day, in a version appropriate and interesting to them.

We will be holding First Communion classes beginning February 5th during the 10:45AM worship service! Any child in the 1st-5th grades are invited to attend this 5 week class series. The curriculum we will be using is modeled on the Eucharist format: We Gather (Lesson 1), We Hear and We Respond to the Word of God (Lesson 2), We Offer our Gifts (Lesson 3), We Celebrate (Lesson 4) and We are Sent Out (Lesson 5). Because children learn with all their senses, activities and instruction will be included that engage them throughout each lesson.
The classes will be led by Happy Wilson in Ms. Partin’s room (Middle School building next door to the Sacred Studies room) during the 10:45AM worship service on the following Sundays: Feb. 5, Feb. 19, Feb. 26, & March 26. Fr. Ram will lead lesson 4, We Celebrate, on March 5 after the 10:45AM worship service. Children attending the classes must be baptized and the First Communion service will take place on Sunday, May 21st.

The First Communion class schedule is as follows:
February 5: We Gather
February 19: We Hear and We Respond to the Word of God
February 26: We Offer our Gifts
March 5 (class will be held after 10:45 service): We Celebrate
March 26: We are Sent Out
May 21st: First Communion

You may register your child for the First Communion classes by contacting Happy Wilson at hwilson@saintgeorgechurch.org.

The church is hosting a new small group that will meet every other Sunday from 5:00-7:00 PM beginning this Sunday, May 1st.  This group will meet for discussions, Bible study, spiritual growth and fellowship. This is a “no homework” time together to bond this group closer together in the body of Christ.  The church is supporting this group with childcare for families wanting to participate. Please email Keith Earle at kearle@saintgeorgechurch.org if you are interested in participating and want more details.