St. John St. James Church, Roxbury

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Study Group Assignment: April 2020


Community Ministry Through Art and History. At St. John St. James we have the opportunity to provide a community ministry through sharing our art and history with others in the neighborhood and city. As we research the history of the church, and of the two churches that merged to form St. John St. James, we find many stories that show the power of Christian faith at work in the world. As we share these stories, accompanied by our collection of Allan Crite artwork, we think that everyone who sees and reads will be inspired in many ways.

The theme of "incarnation" is very visible in the community work that our church has done, in the theology that has supported this work, and in the artwork that shows Jesus present in everyday Boston.

For the April study group

  1. Watch the video (here on this page) with the preview of our collection of Allan Crite artwork.

  2. Read the website page http://stjohnstjamesroxbury.randombasket.com/article2020-02-16a.asp about Allan Crite's artwork and the connection to our church.

  3. Read these two passages, describing the church as the living body of Christ, making Christ present in everyday life: 1 Corinthians 12:4-12 and Acts 4:31-35.

  4. Choose one of the following, or make up your own assignment, as your "study group assignment" instead of our usual after-church discussion.

    [a.] Listen to the song "Were You There When They Crucified My Lord." Allan Crite mentions this song as an illustration of his philosophy of art. Think about the song and write a few sentences to explain how this song illustrates the philosophy of "incarnation."
    [b.] Write a definition of the word "incarnation."
    [c.] Draw a picture that illustrates the word "incarnation."
    [d.] Draw a picture in the spirit of Allan Crite's drawings
    [e.] Write a paragraph about St. John St. James history (something you remember or something you have heard about or read about)
    [f.] Find a Bible verse that expresses the idea that Jesus is present in the world today.



April 14, 2020