The Small Groups
SPR and Antiracism (FULL)
Leaders: Peter Lane and Bruce Plummer
Time: Sundays (3/5, 3/12, 3/19, 3/26, 4/2) | 12:30–2:00p
Place: SPR, Byllesby Room
We will go more in-depth into Drew Hart’s book Trouble I’ve Seen, understand more of SPR’s own history, and come up with a proposal for the Vestry of one positive step we could take internally and one positive acti on we could do externally.
Prerequisite: All participants must have read the book in advance.
How to Talk So Kids Will Listen —and Listen So Kids Will Talk
Leader: Monte Tugwete
Time: Sundays (3/5, 3/12, 3/19, 3/26, 4/2) | 11:30–1:00p
Place: SPR, Chapel
Discuss Adele Farber and Elaine Mazlish’s thoughtful book with the goal of understanding our relationship with our children better and also getting to know other parents better. For parents of children under 12.
Common Problems, Common Prayer (FULL)
Leader: Dan Puchalla
Time: Mondays (3/6, 3/13, 3/20, 3/27, 4/3) | 7:00p–8:30p
Place: SPR, Byllesby Room
The Book of Common Prayer is the core of our worship and prayer life in the Episcopal Church. In this group, we will explore how we can use this book to deal with some common problems of life: health, conflict, money, loneliness, and the future. This is a great group for those who want an intro to the Book of Common Prayer, those who seek a stronger prayer life, and/or those who are looking for resources for getting through life.
J.S. Bach's St. Matthew Passion:
a spiritual, theological, musical exploration (FULL)
Leader: Christian Clough
Time: Mondays (3/6, 3/13, 3/20, 3/27, 4/3) | 7:00p–8:30p
Place: Christian's Home in north Andersonville
In this 500th-anniversary year of the start of the Protestant Reformation, join Christian for a guided meditation on one of the greatest monuments of music in so many categories — liturgical, dramatic, Baroque, Protestant — by arguably the greatest composer and musical theologian who ever blessed humanity and the spheres with his creative beauty and genius.
The Art of Caring Conversations (FULL)
Leader: Dan Puchalla
Time: Tuesdays (3/7, 3/14, 3/21, 3/28, 4/4) | 7:30p–9:00p
Place: SPR, Byllesby Room
Caring for one another is an indispensable part of being a church community. But often we don't know what to say when someone shares bad news with us. Or we struggle to push past a polite “How are you?” In this group, Dan will share some of the tools and concepts pastors are taught for being meaningfully and confidently present to others.
Healing Prayer in the Life of the Church
Leader: Vinita Wright
Time: Wednesdays (3/8, 3/15, 3/22, 3/29, 4/5) | 7:30p–9:00p
Place: SPR, Byllesby Room
Explore the interweaving of need, prayer, community, and the growth of faith. Join Vinita Wright, who is an SPR parishioner, editor at Loyola Press, and author of several books on spirituality, prayer, and companionship.
Liturgy and Liberation
Leader: Kenji Kuramitsu, Seminary Intern
Time: Thursdays (3/9, 3/16, 3/22, 3/30, 4/6) | 7:30p–9:00p
Place: SPR, Chapel
How do we represent God in our worship, and what prophetic possibilities might our worship have at this crucial time? In this small group, we will explore questions of prayer and liturgy as they relate to race, gender, and power. We'll explore some non-Western liturgical and theological traditions. And we'll get a chance to create our own liturgies of lament and promise.
SPR 101: A Class for Newcomers
Leaders: Peter Lane and Ellen Wiggins
Time: Thursdays (3/9, 3/16, 3/22, 3/30, 4/6) | 7:30p–9:00p
Place: SPR, Byllesby Room
Are you new to SPR? Want to know how to join this church, or to figure out if you do? Come learn what makes this church tick with Peter Lane, our Rector, and Ellen Wiggins, a former Warden. (In this class, you'll find out what a Rector and Warden are.) Plus, make some new friends by getting to know other folks new to the church.
Choose Your Group:
Sorry, all groups are now filled. Thank you for your interest.
New Small Groups will be convened in fall 2017.
If you have questions about Small Groups, contact Peter Lane (lane@sprchicago.org)