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
April
New Testament Greek for Beginners
8 weeks, Thursdays 7-8 pm, beginning April 23, 2026, on Zoom.
No cost (other than purchasing our textbook).
Instructor: the Rev. Amy Richter.
Description: This class is for you if you have never studied New Testament Greek but want a fun way to get started. (If your Greek is rusty and you want to review, you’re very welcome too! Just know that we will be starting at the beginning). In this class, you’ll get familiar with hundreds of words used in the New Testament, learn how to use Greek dictionaries and other references, and start being able to read and study the New Testament more deeply.
We will meet online once a week for an hour. You can expect 1-2 hours of work on your own each week, but no grades—just the benefits of working and learning along with others. Please get a copy of our textbook Basic Greek in 30 Minutes a Day, by James Found (available online from Amazon or from the publisher, Bethany House/Baker Publishing Group; if you need to borrow a copy, please reach out to Amy). For more information, contact Amy Richter, SFM Dean – 240-815-0240 or sfmdean@nhepiscopal.org
About the instructor
Amy is a co-dean of the School for Ministry. She is a retired priest who has served in parish and diocesan ministry, an instructor who has taught in colleges, theological schools, and seminaries, and is the author and co-editor of four books, including Common Prayer: Reflections on Episcopal Worship and Saving Words: 20 Redemptive Words Worth Rescuing. She has a PhD from Marquette University (in New Testament) and an MDiv from Princeton Theological Seminary.
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.
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.