FOUNDATIONS GROUP
Have you been attending CotC and are interested in membership? Do you want to learn more about our faith and our Anglican distinctives? Would you like to get to know other people entering CotC, as well as our clergy and leaders? You should do Foundations! We encourage everyone who considers CotC their church community to participate in the Foundations Group. Our next group begins on Sunday, February 11, 2024.
Our ten-week Foundations Group is a key place for catechesis—education in Christian faith for all people. It is essential for the life and continuity of the church for members of the church to be instructed in the common foundation of our faith and to hold a deep understanding of it. During these ten weeks, you will build relationships with others, get to know church leaders, study the foundations of the Christian life, and learn more about how those foundations are held and expressed at Church of the Cross. The aim is that you come away from this group with a solid, renewed foundation in the Christian faith and be well-prepared to grow in Christ with us at Church of the Cross. Completing this group also opens the door to baptism at CotC and/or to membership in our community.
This group will unpack the Gospel and the three basic responses to it: believing in Jesus (doctrine), belonging to Jesus (spirituality), and following Jesus (ethics). We follow the example of the church throughout history by examining the Apostles' Creed (doctrine), the Lord’s Prayer (spirituality), and the Ten Commandments (ethics), as faithful summaries of biblical teaching on these important subjects. We will also spend time learning about Anglicanism as the particular tradition our church inhabits. It draws on To be a Christian: An Anglican Catechism.
Participants will be asked to complete a small amount of reading before sessions, some simple memory tasks, and to share their story with the group. Participants are asked not to miss more than two sessions.
Our next class begins February 11th!
The Foundations Group is generally for adults, though it may also be appropriate for some older youth. Foundations Groups specifically for youth will be held according to need. Under some circumstances you may be received as a member without completing the Foundations Group. Reasons may include completing a similar course or being confirmed at another Anglican church, or if you are not reasonably able to complete the course.