Christian Education report

Becky Fisher, The Rev. Catherine Hicks  

Christian Education at St Peter’s during 2018 consisted of ongoing Christian Education for children on Sunday mornings, with Becky Fisher continuing as the teacher.  Becky used a combination of the Godly Play curriculum as well as adding the Living the Good News curriculum for fall of 2018, continuing into 2019. 

The long running Wednesday Ecumenical Bible Study continued throughout the year.  At this Bible Study, people come together to study the lectionary passages for the upcoming Sunday.  This Bible Study combines learning and fellowship for those who attend. 

In February, Catherine and the Dukes met in Fredericksburg and attended a program at the Fredericksburg Area Museum called Waterways.  We learned about the impact that the Rappahannock River has had on life in this area, and also talked about the waters of baptism.  We ate pizza together after the program.  All were invited to this program. 

Catherine led the children on a hike around Portobago Bay in June.  Stopping at various places along the way, we read scriptures, prayed, and ended with Eucharist by the river.  The children spontaneously contributed to care for the environment by cleaning up the area near the river near our Eucharist and lunch spot. 

In July, the children took a field trip to Maymont in Richmond, VA, to spend the day in nature, to enjoy feeding the animals there, to play in the creek, and to learn from the educational exhibits about nature in the visitors’ center. 

In October, Catherine put together a Sunday afternoon family Eucharist followed by a Halloween dinner for families and children. 

For adults, the Christian Education included a Sunday morning Lenten program that looked at helpful ways of praying for God’s kingdom to come on earth as it is in heaven.  On Wednesday nights during Lent, Catherine offered a class on the book of Revelation. 

The ECW took a field trip to Belle Grove in February and learned more about what being enslaved on a plantation would have been like in the pre-Civil War years. 

In June, Catherine and most of the Vestry attended the diocesan Church Vitality Day at Aquia Church in Stafford.

During Advent, Sunday morning Christian education for adults centered around three words, “Behold, Rejoice, and Proclaim.”  The last Sunday of Advent focused on the traditional Christmas Pageant. 

Also during Advent, Ben Hicks created the first on demand online course on Luke’s Canticles based on the book Songs in Waiting by Paul Gordon-Chandler who weaves together his studies of the four stories from Luke.  Added to the book’s contents were “online extras”, videos and powerpoints that support the study.

Christian education, put together by Ben Hicks,  is also found on the website on a weekly basis with a discussion of the lectionary and related topics.