St. Andrew's has a variety of groups that gather to learn more about the world we live in, current events in religion and spirituality. Feel free to join any of the groups when they meet, or call our church office for more details.

Tuesday Discussion Group

The Tuesday Evening Adult Study Group takes up various topics: Biblical study, different spiritualities, spiritual process, ancient studies, modern works.  The group’s discussion (including prayer and meditation) is based on either a prior reading of parts of a book or on a half hour DVD presentation by well-known teachers.  The group values understanding the topic within the context of our daily lives guided by God’s Spirit. The group meets most Tuesday nights at 7:30 p.m. in the Fireside Room.

The discussion group has just begun a 10 week series (beginning January 12), during which time they will discuss Judaism's faith and culture in the Western experience. Fr. Charlie and Dr. John Gutierrez will lead the group using DVDs: "Constantine's Sword" and the Teaching Company's "Between the Cross and the Crescent."

St. Scholastica Guild

The St. Scholastica Guild is the women's book club at St. Andrew's and all women in the parish are invited to join. We meet at 11:30 a.m. in the Fireside Room on the first Sunday of each month.

The book club is named for St. Scholastica, sister of St. Benedict, who founded her own monastery near her brother’s. St. Scholastica is a guild of the Episcopal Church Women (ECW). In April, 1999, Edythe Peters brought together a group of women for lively, thoughtful discussions of books about women and spirituality and we’ve been meeting and exchanging ideas ever since.

While we don’t agree with every author, we read books that encourage us to seek more information and talk about the issues. If you enjoy books and spirited discussions, welcome to St. Scholastica.

A Sample of Books Read

• A History of the Episcopal Church by Robert W. Prichard
• A Wing and a Prayer: A Message of Faith and Hope by Katharine Jefferts Schori
• God is One, the Way of Islam by R. Marston Speight
• Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson
• Six New Gospels, New Testament Women Tell Their Stories by Margaret Hebblethwaite
• Sundays in America, a Yearlong Road Trip in Search of Christian Faith by Suzanne Strempek Shea
• Rebekah, the Women of Genesis Trilogy by Orson Scott Card
• Rachel and Leah, the Women of Genesis Trilogy by Orson Scott Card
• The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
• Mary Called Magdalene by Margaret George

Events and Trips

St. Scholastica also organizes trips and activities for the whole parish. Trips and events have included:

• The Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles
• The Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit at the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana
• High Tea at the Huntington Library
• Discussion of the Stations of the Cross
• Discussion and screening of the movie The Last Temptation of Christ
• Celebrated Mary Magdalene’s saint’s day (July 22) with an entire program intended to dispel myths about this disciple. We created a movie showing how Mary was depicted in art through the centuries and we served the parish snacks that were appropriate to the time of Jesus.

The Centering Prayer Group

Contemplative prayer is an ancient practice dating back to the earliest days of the church.  It has inspired the works of figures such as John of the Cross, Teresa of Avila and Thomas Merton. 

During these times of challenge and transition, it’s sometimes difficult to let go of our preoccupations and   emotional responses and simply be present to God. We know God loves us and is in all circumstances but we yearn for a deeper experience of His presence. Centering Prayer is a way to help us quiet down and make us more available to our loving God.