St. Margaret’s, Winnipeg, to Offer Theology Courses in 2015-2016
It can be hard to find a comfortable place to talk about theology, and with dwindling 
programming in Masters-level theology courses in Western Canada, it’s increasingly difficult to find a classroom to study it in.
Saint Margaret’s, in partnership with St. John’s College (University of Manitoba) and Wycliffe College (University of Toronto), offers a solution to both problems. This fall and winter, we are offering one Masters-level theology course per term. These classes can be taken for credit with any institution accredited by the Association for Theological Schools, which accredits theological schools across North America.
Locally, students at Canadian Mennonite University and Providence Theological Seminary can take any Ecclesial University project course at Saint Margaret’s for credit. And though classes are small, we have room for auditors who can take classes for a small fee.
This fall, we plan to offer the course Pastoral Theology, taught by Kirsten Pinto Gfroerer and Wycliffe’s Dr. Annette Brownlee. In the winter term, we’ll offer Congregational Development, taught by the Rev’d Dr. David Widdicombe.
Studying in the parish looks different than studying in an educational institution. Our theology classes include some unusual elements. For one thing, intensive teaching weekends usually occur once per term, during which visiting lecturers offer three to four sessions over the course of three days, and we eat, talk and study together. Also, several public lectures are offered each term to the wider Diocese of Rupert’s Land. These lectures are open to the public and free of charge.
As we continue to develop the Ecclesial University Project, we always strive to keep our goals in mind. First, our course offerings are rooted in and designed for the individuals of the Diocese of Rupert’s Land who are hungry for an enriched understanding of theology. Second, our work creates community and a place of welcome for everyone who comes knocking. Third, this work is geared toward worship of the God we are pursuing with our hearts and minds. Join us and lend your voice to our discussions.
Pastoral Theology
Is Pastoral Care about good listening, caring and immense amounts of human effort? Yes, it certainly is. But only if it is rooted in what the Church is called to be in Christ will it be life-giving for both the recipient and the giver.
This fall, the Ecclesial University Project is offering a course in Pastoral Theology. In this course, those who wish to practice the art of the Care of Souls as pastoral care givers, both lay and ordained, will explore the deep roots of this art form in the life of the Church. We will seek together to deepen our understanding of the theology and practices of the Church that provide the ground for our work, and we will probe the ways the Church thinks through ethical problems in its efforts to help individuals and communities make decisions about the complicated lives we lead.
WEBSITE: www.saintmargarets.ca/ministry/the-ecclesial-university-project/
Interested in taking a course for credit through Wycliffe College? Contact: Barbara Jenkins Registrar, Wycliffe College, 1-416-946-3530 [email protected]
Interested in auditing a course through St. Margaret’s? Contact Juliene Asaacs, Ecclesial University Administrator, St. Margaret’s Anglican Church, 204-774-9533 or [email protected]
