E P I S C O P A L P A R I S H
St. Augustine’s Small Group Ministry
Communities of Practice
Communities of Practice provide smaller, more intimate contexts for sustaining St. Augustine’s mission to live seamless lives of prayer, worship, hospitality, and service. They do this by creating supportive small groups that share the practices of a regular Christian life. Each group meets weekly or every other week in the homes of leaders to pray together, to eat together, and to study and reflect together.
Communities of Practice are organized by region, with leaders and members living relatively near each other, by demographic, with the members sharing a similar stage of life, or by content, such as the Confirmation curriculum. In many ways, Communities of Practice provide a way for us to realize our vision to grow and expand our capacity to care, to welcome, and to connect with God, each other, and our neighbors. Take a look below to see if any Communities of Practice are calling to you!
01
Parents of Young Children
When a person becomes a parent or primary caregiver of a small child there is so much that you must have to hold for that person. Being a parent is HARD, but in community we can together be there to support each other as we hit our challenges and win. This group meets every week during the school year at the same time as Godly Play. This year we will be working through the Circle of Security curriculum; an attachment parenting approach. This program will also be enhanced with articles and books addressing faith and discipleship as a parent.
We also do Family events quarterly as well including: Pool Parties, Progressive dinner and Caroling, Date Night, and a Spring Family Camping Trip
02
South Phoenix/Laveen
We meet with the primary purpose of being in community with each other for prayer and reflection. We do a slightly modified Vespers (Evening Prayer), share a meal, and reflect on a section of Dr. Wilda Gafney’s Womanist Midrash: A Reintroduction to the Women of the Torah and the Throne. A Hebrew biblical scholar, an Episcopal priest, and both the author and translator of A Women’s Lectionary for the Whole Church, Dr. Gafney leads us in an in-depth exploration of the stories of women in the Old Testament.
Our reading assignments are typically short, no more than 10 pages. You are welcome to come even if you haven’t read! Our meeting place rotates, depending on the time of year.
03
Central Tempe/East Valley
We are a community helping one another find practical ways to live lives of prayer, worship, hospitality, and service, as our church vision states. We meet three weeks of the month to share our lives around a pot-luck meal, prayer and worship (Vespers), scripture study (connected to the weekly liturgy), and planning acts of service to the community of St. A’s and the wider Tempe community. Join us!
Meets: The first three Wednesdays of each month, 6:30pm-8:30pm
Contact: Annie & Melanie
Email: saintaugtempe@gmail.com
04
Confirmation & South Tempe/Ahwatukee/Chandler
This community is a hybrid that gathers every Thursday for dinner and Evening Prayer, but rotates between a Confirmation class in South Tempe and a Bible study group in Ahwatukee. On the Thursdays we meet in South Tempe, the time after dinner and prayer is spent discussing Walk in Love: Episcopal Beliefs and Practices. On opposite Thursdays in Ahwatukee, the time after is spent in conversational Bible study. There is flexibility for people to be in both groups, or to only join one.
05
Women's Creative Circle
We are an intergenerational group of women that meets every other week to eat, pray, and reflect on how God is moving in our lives. The form of evening prayer varies, but always includes a psalm, a Gospel reading (we are currently following Dr. Wilda Gafney's Women's Lectionary for the Whole Church - Year W), and singing (mostly from Taize). We reflect cratively on the scripture with different artistic activities, including painting, collaging, writing, and more!
