January 1, 2012: No session today. (New Year's holiday)

January 8, 2012: speaker: Andrew Patner

The Enduring Delights of The Magic Flute

The Lyric Opera's classic production of The Magic Flute may be showing signs of wear, but the audience never tires of Mozart's enchanting spectacle, dancing animals and all. Forum friend Andrew Patner will offer some insights into the reasons for the magic, and some suggestions for updates to freshen this Chicago favorite.

Andrew Patner is a native Chicagoan and a lifelong observer of the arts in this city. A regular contributor of arts criticism (classical music, opera, theatre, dance, visual art, books and film) to the  Chicago Sun-Times since 1991, he is now heard as critic and interviewer on WFMT Fine Arts Radio.

January 15, 2012: No session today. (Martin Luther King holiday)

January 22, 2012: No session today. Please attend the Annual Meeting of the parish.

January 29, 2012: speaker: Josh Davis

Controversy and Heresy in the Historic Church

The history of our church is one of argument, controversy and even bloodshed, but we seem to reconcile various positions just in time for the next fight. Why do we have two creeds? What are some of the fundamental areas of disagreement? How have we come together in the past: How can we agree today?

Dr. Davis has his PhD in Theology from Vanderbilt University and is a Professor of Religion at the University of Illinois at Champaign/Urbana. He is married to our Associate Rector, the Rev. Danielle Thompson.

February 5, 2012: speaker: Rev. Raymond Webster

Heroines & Heroes

A look at some men and women in church history – remembered on the new calendar of the church, “Holy Women Holy Men” – whose stories are especially meaningful to the Rev. Raymond Webster. The classic definition of a saint is someone of “heroic virtue” and this is a look at some stories of heroic virtue.