Adult Education

Lenten Wednesday Evening Series

“Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.” (James 1:27) This year during Lent our liturgical and educational focus will be A Covenantal Response to Poverty.

This five-week Wednesday evening series beginning March 8 will raise awareness about the Biblical mandate to care for the poor and hungry, as well as empower parishioners with information and opportunities to make a difference in the world.

Each week will include Bible study and discussion, guest speakers from the church and community, and information on a wide variety of programs aimed at alleviating poverty. Participants will gain a better understanding of the face of poverty, the causes of poverty, and reasons for hope. Together we will confront the truth of poverty, and begin to discern how our own unique gifts can be used to show God's love in action.

Join us each Wednesday evening at 7:00 p.m. in Edwards Hall, after the parish dinner. Childcare is provided.

Week One: Faces of Poverty

March 8 - Parishioner and Vestry member Stephanie Phillips will be our guest speaker, giving us an honest and insightful account of the difficult choices she has made as a single mother with limited resources. Stephanie says about her children's childcare, “I make too much money to qualify for assistance but not enough to pay fair market value. Where I work, the parents are paying almost $1000/month for 10 hours of care for preschool age children. This means I am providing high quality care to children of upper/middle class families and my children are in poor quality care.” And yet she sees God working in every area of her life.

Study Guide: Week 1

Week Two: Causes of Poverty

March 15 - Jesus and the prophets identified some of the root causes of injustice and oppression. Has anything changed? What are some of the very simple and very complex causes of poverty in our time? We will also look at poverty from an international perspective.

Study Guide: Week 2

Week Three: Health

March 22 - Did you know that more than 250,000 people in Silicon Valley have no health insurance? Christine Tyler, Director of Policy and Clinical Activities at the Community Health Partnership will be speaking about the healthcare crisis in our midst and some of the resources that are available in our community. The Community Health Partnership of Santa Clara County was founded in 1993 in response to community concern for the viability of community-based primary care clinics. These clinics provide an essential “safety net” for the county's most vulnerable residents.

Please join us for a fascinating and informative talk on the effect of poverty on health care and the lack of health care on poverty. Information will also be made available for anyone in the parish who may need medical assistance.

Study Guide: Week 3

Week Four: Reason for Hope

March 29 - Poverty is overwhelming, but so is the hope we have in the grace of God. How is God's grace revealed through ordinary people? Join us this week as we study scripture about the foundation of our hope for conquering poverty and oppression.

Our guest speaker this week is Palo Alto City Council Member and former Palo Alto School District President, John Barton. A local architect and Stanford lecturer, John has a passion for serving the community. John will offer insights about the current status and future of education in California. What are the challenges facing our nation's children? How is education a hope for relieving poverty?

Study Guide: Week 4

Week Five: Love in Action

April 5 - Lydia Tan, the Vice-President of Bridge Housing, an affordable housing non-profit organization, will speak to housing issues. We will wrap things up with discussion of love in action and using our spiritual gifts.

Study Guide: Week 5