Narnian Catechism: 

. . .a journey to faithfully know God and personally experience His love

What:

The Catechism is a biblical, sound and historically grounded way to understand who God is, who we are, and our relationship to Him. We learn and grow, seeking to experience personally our God and His love. 

The classic Anglican Catechism and accompanying Scripture include study of The Apostles Creed (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), our Baptismal Promises, the Sacraments, the Ten Commandments, and the Lord’s Prayer. To unpack the content, we lean into the writings of learned theologians, such as J.I. Packer, N.T. Wright, Thomas Oden and Gerald Bray.

To enliven the material to touch our hearts more deeply, we use the Chronicles of Narnia (and various other writings of C.S. Lewis), which track amazingly well with each element of the Catechism and help open our imaginations to love God even more deeply.

The Catechism will offer context and content to grow closer in relationship with God and with each other.  

When and WHERE:

There are two tracks for the Catechism: one for adults and one for youth (ages 13-18).

The Youth classes will meet on Sunday afternoons from 4:00-6:00 PM at the church from September through March.  Last year’s Sunday morning experiment had some real strengths, but it didn’t allow for the depth of discussion that the Catechism needs. Accordingly, we will build the Youth experience around Sunday afternoons, although we may extend into Sunday morning TCT on occasion.

Adult classes will meet on Wednesday evenings from 6:00-8:00 PM at the church from September through March.  If we have adults interested who would need childcare during the Wednesday evenings, we will make sure it is available.

level of commitment:

The schedule will include 16-22 classes during the months of September through March with a short break in December, and possibly, an all-day retreat in the Fall and the Spring, particularly for the Youth.  This is a serious commitment of time and energy.  If it looks like you will be unable to participate very close to 75% of the time, then we gently suggest that you consider joining us another time. 

Please also be aware that the program will potentially include other activities outside of the weekly meetings.   We are looking at involving Youth Mentoring Small Groups during the week for the younger participants and possibly some extended activities on Sunday afternoons.  In addition, if there is enough interest, we are considering a Summer Mission Trip for the participating young people.

how to participate:

If you are interested in participating in this experience, contact Mark Summers via email at mark@holytrinityanglicanchurch.org, via phone at 719-505-8021.

WHY THIS IS IMPORTANT:

The typical Anglican preparation for Confirmation is The Catechism. Confirmation is that wonderful Anglican liturgy, conducted by the Bishop, for an increased filling of God the Holy Spirit and commissioning by Him. It is an essential experience for those baptized as infants or young people. Our next confirmations at Holy Trinity are planned for Sunday, April 26, 2020.

We all want to faithfully know God and personally experience His love. However, in a time when our context is changing so quickly, our relationship with God can also seem uneasy.  Our world has become "disenchanted," if you will, and our Faith can seem a bit thin. 

The Narnian Catechism, as part of our larger Catechism efforts, is meant to strengthen us to faithfully know God and personally experience His love.  We are simply acting in ways that we have inherited from Israel before Jesus, from Jesus and the Disciples, from Paul, Augustine, Cyril of Jerusalem, Calvin, Luther, and Thomas Cranmer, along with more modern contributors such as the 20th century Roman Catholic Church, Tim Keller's New City initiative in Manhattan, and our own Anglican Church in North America. 

We want to encourage you and your youth to consider attending our Narnian Catechism classes, whether you have already been confirmed, are seeking confirmation, or just want to explore the Faith in this important part of life in the Church. The Catechism is a wonderful opportunity to explore the Faith. . .and to examine what we mean when we say phrases each week like, “The Body of Christ, the Bread of Heaven”. . .and to discuss with other believers difficult or confusing elements of theology or our Anglican traditions.  

Everyone is welcome to sign up, whether already confirmed, seeking confirmation, or seeking a time of meaningful discussion.