Lay School of Theology Advent: Augustine: God, Self, and Desire in the Confessions
Dec
3
to Dec 17

Lay School of Theology Advent: Augustine: God, Self, and Desire in the Confessions

Augustine: God, Self, and Desire in the Confessions

Join us on Thursdays this Advent (Dec 3, 10, 17) for a class on one of the greatest theologians in Church history and one of the most influential texts in Western Culture: Augustine’s Confessions. The Confessions (400 CE) is at once a spiritual autobiography, a philosophical meditation on memory and time, and a prayer addressed to God. This work remains a dynamic source for the modern Christian’s reflection on desire and the self. Written in his early forties looking back on a restless youth, it is one of the founding texts of Western psychology, philosophy, and theology. Over three sessions we will look at the narrative heart of the work (Books 1–9), as well as sample its more difficult philosophical final books (10–13), tracing how Augustine turns the story of his own life into an argument about the nature of the self, desire, sin, time, and most importantly God. We will learn from Augustine how to uncover God’s presence in our past, present, and future and how God’s love draws us to himself.

Interest Form

Reclaiming Our Spiritual Heritage This Advent semester features another class from our ongoing series “Reclaiming Our Spiritual Heritage.” We live in a strange time, a time in which our culture shows signs of a deep spiritual thirst and a time in which the Church in America is shrinking. There are, no doubt, many reasons for this but one is certainly that many people simply do not find spiritual sustenance in American churches. Reclaiming Our Spiritual Heritage hopes to address this problem by providing a series of classes which introduce participants to the some of the great figures of the Christian tradition. At a time when much Christian “spirituality” has become sentimental, therapeutic, and ungrounded in Christian doctrine, Reclaiming Our Spiritual Heritage will connect participants to the teaching and works of great Christians for whom Christian doctrine and Christian spirituality were organically connected. The figures to be examined in this series are both Protestant and Catholic and come from both the Western and Eastern Church. Reclaiming Our Spiritual Heritage will help participants to overcome what C. S. Lewis called “presentism”, the notion that our present concerns and our present understanding of things are ultimate and final.

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Eastertide Semester: "It's Sunday! What Are Anglicans Doing in Church and Why Am I Here?"
Apr
22
to May 13

Eastertide Semester: "It's Sunday! What Are Anglicans Doing in Church and Why Am I Here?"

Eastertide Semester: "It's Sunday! What Are Anglicans Doing in Church and Why Am I Here?"

Instructors: Fr. Michael Petty and Mr. Andrew Beluk

April 22nd, April 29th, May 6th, May 13th, 6:00pm - 8:00pm
Free Childcare Offered (Must Register Childcare by April 15th)

Worship on Sunday is an essential part of the Christian life, but sometimes aspects of the worship service can feel mysterious or even confusing. Why do people cross themselves at certain points in the liturgy? Why is the Bible processed down the aisle for the Gospel reading? What are the priests doing at the altar? If you’ve ever asked yourself these questions, you are not alone! This class is designed to help you understand what the Church does on Sunday, why it is so significant and how you can meaningfully participate in worship. The class, in four sessions led by Fr. Michael Petty and Andrew Beluk,, will explain both the deeper theology and moment-by-moment happenings of a Sunday worship service.

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AC101—Anglican Theology
Jan
30
5:00 PM17:00

AC101—Anglican Theology

We are excited to announce that applications are now open for the Gulf Atlantic Diocese Center for Ministry Certificate in Anglican Studies. Beginning in 2026, postulants, aspirants, and other lay leaders within the Gulf Atlantic Diocese can take courses in Anglican theology, history, worship, and pastoral leadership with qualified Charles Simeon Institute faculty. Each course will be offered in a hybrid online/weekend intensive format for $350 per course for ordinands and students, and $250 per course for laity and auditors. 

Here is information on our first course:

    • AC101—Anglican Theology 

    • Term: Spring 2026 from January 11th-April 9th

    • Instructor: The Rev. Dr. Michael Petty 

    • Schedule: The class will meet in-person three times over the course of the semester. Meetings will take place beginning on a Friday evening and ending on Saturday afternoon at St. Peter’s Cathedral in Tallahassee, FL:

      • January 30-31, 2026

      • February 27-28, 2026

      • March 27-28, 2026

Course Description: This class is designed to introduce participants to Anglican theology or theology which has been formulated within an Anglican context.  (We need to remember that the term “Anglican” was not used until the 19th Century.)  At this point in time, there is a lack of consensus about what Anglicanism means and, therefore, there is also a lack of consensus about what Anglican theology is.  This class does not seek to resolve this lack of consensus, nor does it seek to propose a certain vision of Anglican theology.  Instead, this class will offer participants a tour of some Anglican monuments, people and documents which mark out the Anglican ethos.  The aim here is not to be vague but, rather, to take a close look at some significant Anglican figures and documents in an effort to understand how they have shaped Anglicanism and to see what resources they might offer us today.

In order to join us for this first course, please apply by January 8th, 2026. For more information, please feel free to reach out to Canon Bryan Biba - bbiba@gulfatlanticdiocese.org 

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The Bible in Two Days
Jan
10
to Feb 14

The Bible in Two Days

All adults and mature youth are welcome to attend. 

Explore the wide-ranging world and overarching storyline of God’s people from Abraham, Moses, and the prophets to Jesus and the earliest Christians. This two-Saturday Bible seminar is designed to help you grasp the Bible’s story in its entirety and provide you with tools to confidently study it on your own.

January 10, 9:00 am-4:00 pm with Dr. Sarah Lebhar Hall at Incarnation Tallahassee

The Old Testament Scriptures are often intimidating to Christians! There is so much material, and from such a different era of human history. But Jesus says that those who know both the way of his kingdom and the Old Testament are like “the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old.”  Join us for this one-day seminar, which will equip you to find old treasure in your own storeroom by giving you (1) a way to grasp the overarching storyline of the Old Testament and (2) tools to study it on your own with greater confidence.

February 7, 9:00 am-4:00 pm with Christopher De Stigter at St. Peter’s Anglican Cathedral

Who was Jesus? What does the New Testament have to say about him? What were the earliest Christians like? These are the key questions we will ask in the second part of our Bible seminar. Join us as we begin our own journey through the texts of the New Testament and come face to face with the person of Jesus Christ as the earliest Christians witnessed about him. No matter your familiarity with the Gospels or Paul’s letters, we will learn to hear God’s word and develop the habits and skills that characterize good readers of Scripture.

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Perspectives on the World Christian Movement
Jan
8
6:00 PM18:00

Perspectives on the World Christian Movement

Perspectives on the World Christian Movement, Thursdays - January 8th until May 7th God is on mission and at work in the world, and you have been called to be a part of it! Come take this life-changing discipleship course, where you will be taught by a different ministry leader, missionary, or scholar each week. Be equipped to live your life with deep purpose on mission with God. Register to attend the January 8th first night free and learn more!

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