Theology for All
FAQ’s
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ALL! Yes — anyone who wants to learn more about theology. These seminar-style courses are designed for everyone.
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Right now, we are offering one Theology for All seminar per semester. They range from 4-12 weeks in length and tend to be an hour in length.
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On Zoom
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There is no cost to attend these courses.
2026 Courses
Spring 2026
June
What on Earth Should I Say? Useful Pastoral Care Techniques for Lay People.
3 weeks, Mondays June 1, 8 & 15 - 6:30-8:30 pm, on Zoom.
No cost.
Instructor: the Rev. Elsa Worth, Rector of St. James, Keene.
When someone you care about is ill, grieving, lonely or in pain, it is sometimes hard to know what to do. You want to be helpful, but should you visit? Call? Bring food? Offer some wise words? Pray? What is truly helpful and comforting and what is not? It is the goal of this series to
equip participants with some basic background information and solid tools that are helpful in offering a loving pastoral presence to those who are suffering or in pain. The series will provide a solid introduction for anyone who wants to feel more confident in reaching out to their friends and loved ones in times of trouble.
Session 1 - The Problem of Suffering
Why do bad things happen? Where is God in the midst of tragedy? How do we notice people reacting to their own suffering or to the suffering of others? In this session we will engage in a discussion about the complexities of pain and loss in our lives and in the world, which is the very place where pastoral care is most needed.
Session 2 - Kissing the Boo Boo
When we visit people who are suffering, love is more important than solutions or fixes. In this session we will explore compassion, courage and hospitality, the three building blocks of good pastoral care and learn to focus our attention where it most needs to be for a good pastoral visit.
Session 3 - The Power of Presence
They say that 90% of life is showing up. Providing an open, loving and listening presence is more powerful than anything we can say. In this session we will gain two important and practical skills for being present in a pastoral visit through learning concrete and helpful listening and prayer skills. We’ll also go over the outline of an effective pastoral visit from beginning to end.
Participants will be expected to attend all sessions for the sake of continuity and trust within the group. All sessions will be held on Zoom and will include a presentation, some discussion, time in small group sharing and a brief mid-session break. We will begin promptly at 6:30pm and will adjourn when finished, which will be no later than 8:30pm.
If you have questions, please reach out to the Rev. Elsa Worth at elsa@stjameskeene.com
About the Instructor
Elsa grew up in the Congregational church, was ordained first as a Unitarian Universalist minister in 1996, and then finally found her home as an Episcopal priest in 2007. She came to St. James in 2016 after serving Episcopal parishes in CT. During her transition between denominations, she was the chaplain at Wentworth Douglass Hospital in Dover for four years. She is a graduate of Andover Newton Theological School, the NH Institute for Therapeutic Arts and Sarah Lawrence College.
City on a Hill: The American Revolution, the Constitution, and the Anglican Tradition
· Saturday, June 27, 2026, 10:00 am-4:30 pm, in person only, at Church of the Good Shepherd, Nashua NH
· Cost: $49.87 ($45.00 + Admin fee)—includes lunch and snacks
· Presenter: The Rev. Dr. Steve Bragaw
· For Everyone—No prior experience or knowledge required
This summer we commemorate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. One major point of contention at many periods of our history and especially today is what was the role religion in general and the Anglican tradition in particular play in the American Revolution and the formation of our constitutional system?
The answer is tricky: it mattered a great deal, but not necessarily in the way people understand it now.
Religion in general, and the Anglican tradition in particular, were deeply ingrained in the instigation of the American Revolution and in the creation of the U.S. Constitution. The lives of faith, and experience with the Book of Common Prayer, were deeply influential especially to James Madison, John Marshall, and George Washington. This connection is not however a triumphalist narrative: the roots are deep but are not at all what those who assert themselves today as “Christian Nationalists” think they are.
In this public theology seminar and workshop, we will examine these connections between religion and the American Revolution, discussing the role of religion in the founding of our country, and in the Revolution and the formation of the Constitution. We will conclude in the present, looking at the tensions, tragedies, and hopes embedded in a vision of America as a “City on a Hill.”
Participants are invited to come with discerning hearts, open minds, and your own copy of the Book of Common Prayer, if you have one.
Scholarship assistance is available: contact the Rev. Kathy Boss at Church of the Good Shepherd
About the Presenter:
The Rev. Dr. Steve Bragaw is an Episcopal priest in the Diocese of Virginia, and the Rector of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in New Kent VA, a 348 year old parish that hosted the wedding of George and Martha Washington. A 2023 graduate of the Virginia Theological Seminary, he was awarded the Episcopal Preaching Foundation Award for Excellence in Preaching. Before answering the call to the priesthood, Steve was a Professor in the Department of Politics at Washington and Lee University in Lexington Virginia, where he taught American politics and constitutional law. A native of Connecticut and a graduate of Wesleyan University, Steve earned his doctorate in political science from the University of Virginia.
The Rev. Dr. Steve Bragaw
Fall 2026
A Season of Creation
4 weeks, September 1- October 4 (the exact days/times TBD), Zoom
No cost - all materials provided
Instructor: Deb Baker
Description: A Season of Creation formation program, from the School for Ministry of the Episcopal Church of New Hampshire and An Episcopal Path to Creation Justice, facilitated by Deb Baker. We'll meet via Zoom weekly for four weeks between Sept. 1 and October 4 (the exact days/times will be determined once people sign up). All materials provided. Between sessions, there will be brief readings and a daily contemplative practice of praying with and reflecting on a short passage from scripture or tradition.
Here's what we'll explore together.
Week 1: What does the bible say about creation?
Week 2: What does tradition (especially church teaching, theology, mystics) say about creation?
Week 3: What do we have to say to/about creation given what we've learned and prayed about for the first two weeks? (with options to write/collage/doodle/color)
Week 4: How then shall we live? (including a brief exploration of what the bible and tradition say about justice and concrete things we can do to help bring about justice for all of creation). Also available if you want to celebrate the Season of Creation with your household (with activities for all ages): a Season of Creation to Go Guide written to accompany this program.
About the facilitator:
Deb Baker first felt a call to advocate for her kin in creation as a child when Ranger Rick magazine invited readers to write to elected officials about an endangered fish. She has a Master of Science in Science Communication and Public Engagement from the University of Edinburgh. Her dissertation project was focused on engaging Episcopal Church of New Hampshire congregations with Sustaining Earth, Our Island Home, the carbon footprint tracker and climate advocacy tool for Episcopalians. She volunteered with the pilot of An Episcopal Path to Creation Justice and is now the Path’s Project Coordinator, supporting networks of participating parishes and volunteer “Companions,” facilitating contemplative prayer with those groups, and maintaining a mutual aid resource library for participants. She is a member of St. Paul’s in Concord, a lay licensed preacher, eucharistic minister and lector, and a spiritual director. Her day job is in the radiology image library at a hospital.