Adult education and spiritual growth
A variety of opportunities throughout the week enrich our lives and our faith through learning and interaction with other seekers. We honor each other's individual spiritual journeys while sharing and growing together in Christ. You don’t have to be a member of Atonement to participate – all are warmly invited and welcome.
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BIBLE STUDY – We continue our study of the prophet AMOS, offered on Thursdays at 7:15 pm: next: November 6 and 20. All are welcome to join us at any time (usually 1st and 3rd Thursdays). We are "in person" with refreshments in the Reception Room at 7:15, or online on Zoom (hybrid) at 7:30. For a Zoom invitation, contact Dave in the parish office or Lynne Weber directly.
BOOK GROUP - The group meets on Friday mornings 10-11 a.m. We are now HYBRID - in-person gatherings in the Reception Room at Atonement, and also on Zoom for those at a distance, or who prefer to continue to participate remotely. Through the year we alternate between fiction and non-fiction; some books have religious or ethical themes, some are just for fun or general interest. Led by Lynne & Dean Weber. Our summer reading, to be discussed in September, was George Eliot's Middlemarch. October 17 - The Monuments Men. November 14 - The Great Gatsby.
All welcome! To receive a Zoom invitation, contact Dave in the parish office or Lynne Weber directly.
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SACRED GROUND - Beginning in March 2022, a group was formed to participate "in person" only in SACRED GROUND - a curriculum on race and faith of The Episcopal Church. Group members offered reflections on their experience in 2024. If you'd like to be part of a new cohort for this curriculum, speak to the rector.
DISCOVERY - INQUIRER NIGHTS - Casual supper, getting to know each other, learning and sharing together! Discovery Nights are designed for seekers, newcomers, and lifelong learners. In the winter-spring of 2025, our sessions continue on the last Tuesday of each month at 7:15 pm. So our next ones are on Tuesdays, May 27 and June 24. This year's series is "Taste and See: Discovering God among Butchers, Bakers, & Fresh Food Markets" with Margaret Feinberg - DVD and discussion. All are welcome, no previous participation needed! If you have any questions or would like to participate, call the church office, or contact us through the Contact Page -- or if you're at church, please sign up on the sheet in the Reception Room. A new series will begin in the fall.
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MINI RETREATS (“QUIET DAYS”) - Our next quiet day will be held on Saturday, October 25, 9:30 am led by the Rev's Lynne and Dean Weber, on the biblical saint, Dorcas (or Tabitha), whose story is found in the Acts of the Apostles, chapter 9. Mini Retreats are opportunities to delve more deeply into a Biblical text or theme of the season. We end with a festive luncheon. Suggested donation: $15, includes the quiet day and festive lunch ($5 without lunch).
ADULT EDUCATION RETREAT – Together we learn and discuss, pray with the monks, find time for rest and reflection, and enjoy delicious meals, all overlooking the Hudson River. Dean and Lynne Weber teach. Our 2026 retreat will held on weekdays for the first time: October 20-22, 2026, the topic will be music in the scriptures and worship. This year the retreat was on September 12-14, 2025. The topic was "The Feast of Creation." Cost is probably $250 which includes all 6 meals, room, and retreat. RSVP DEADLINE is Wednesday, September 22, 2026. Contact Lynne or Dean, or David in the parish office for more information, including our flyer. Confidential partial scholarships available.
INTERFAITH & ECUMENICAL OFFERINGS:
Ecumenical: Celebrating the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea and the Nicene Creed - Saturday, May 3, 11:00 a.m. at the Roman Catholic co-cathedral in Freehold, NJ. This is a statewide ecumenical service bringing together Western and Eastern Christians from many traditions! For more information, speak to the rector (who is one of the planners) or use the Contact Page.
Interfaith: We continue our participation in the Tenafly Interfaith Association (TIA), Bergen GreenFaith Circle, and Interfaith Brotherhood-Sisterhood Committee of Bergen County (IBSCBC). The TIA is focusing on education and continues to offer local interfaith services and events, the next being our Community Interfaith Thanksgiving Service on November 25. We also hold an ecumenical Good Friday Walk through Tenafly every year. The IBSCBC offers its annual Interfaith Brunch on President's Day each year at Seasons, next year on February 16; Lynne Weber is the Protestant rep on the committee. This year also, the Muslim observance of Ramadan lines up with Lent, and you're invited to have a "breaking the fast" dinner with a Turkish Muslim family through Peace Islands Institute. For more info, check with the parish office or take a flyer at church.
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If you’d like to know more about our Bible study and other adult ed opportunities, please send an email through our Contact page. We’ll be glad to send you the latest schedule and information about participating. All are welcome!