There is one group currently studying in Logan Parish:
Logan 5 meets at St Mark's on Tuesday nights 7.00 - 9.30pm, with mentor Marilyn Wright, contact: marilynwright@comcen.com.au
This a multi-level group .. ie students in different year levels study together
Joining a Group:
If you are interested in EfM – in joining a group, or starting one (you need to be a trained accredited mentor), please phone the Office on 3290 3718.
Also contact Mrs Gail Douglas, Coordinator for the Southern Region, (07) 3209 4097; 0409 897 868; or email: dougfamz@bigpond.net.au
Contact Details for the National Administrator of EFM in Australia:
Phone (03) 9762 6055
Fax (03) 9761 2344
EFM Australia PO Box 535 Boronia Vic 3155
Email - efm@efma.info
What is EfM? ...
Briefly … EfM (Education for Ministry) ... is a four year course of theological reflection for lay ministry started by the Episcopal Church in the United States. It is used by many dioceses of the Anglican Church in Australia.
Study Type: Seminar Group of between five and ten people plus a trained mentor (sometimes two working together).
Style of Learning: Adult Learning in weekly lesson assignments, Setting of own learning goals, Discussion in small group, Prayer, Worship; Theological Reflection
Number of Sessions Per Year: Approximately 32 - 36 covering 30 set Study Chapters plus 8 Common Lessons – exercises set for all group levels.
Length of Sessions: 21/2 to 3 hours
Aims: Every baptized person is called to ministry. EfM (Education for Ministry) provides people with the education to carry out that ministry. EfM offers an opportunity to discover how to respond to the call to Christian service.
Through study, prayer, and reflection, EfM groups move toward a new understanding of the fullness of God’s kingdom. This process can be illustrated by a two-rail fence. One rail is the Christian tradition. The other is the collective experience of the group’s members. The rails are linked by fence posts which represent the seminar sessions where life and study meet. The fence is grounded in the soil of regular worship which is vital to the life of the group.
Over the course of the 4 years participants study Hebrew Scriptures (OT) [Year 1], Christian Scriptures (NT) [Year 2], Church History [Year 3] and Theology [Year 4]. As well, through a series of 8 Common Lessons which are the same for every level for that year participants reflect on the events of their own lives. The focus of the program is on life as ministry and understanding that ministry.
Mentors: Mentors attend a training session and are then accredited. They should have experience in serious religious study, a familiarity with methods of biblical scholarship, a mature faith, be able to live with the ambiguity within the interpretations of the biblical tradition, possess skills which help a group to develop its own life, and demonstrate a willingness to perform administrative duties.
Below is a quote from the EfM Information Booklet:
EfM is a serious learning program which accepts the basic challenge for all Christian Education which is to enable people to see and to experience the connection between faith and daily life. It is a significant Adult Christian Education endeavour requiring a high level of commitment by mentor and member.
The Readings present the Story of the People of God from its beginnings some 3,500 years ago through to modern times. As the story unfolds, participants learn how the People of God thought about God, about themselves and the world; how they lived their faith; how they related with others; and how they worshipped as individuals and as a community. The later chapters bring the Story to Australia and to the present time, and then deal with major theological themes associated with life themes in which we are confronted with choices.
Through guided exploration and personal reflection, participants are able to deepen their perceptions of the Story and connect with it.
The community established by the regular group seminars is at the centre of EFM.
Within the group seminar, participants share their insights and through discussion clarify their understandings of the tradition. As the skills of theological reflection are mastered by the group, the participants learn to reflect on their own experience with a view to being more intentional about their life and the exercise of their ministry.
Ministries of serving and proclaiming are undertaken everyday by every baptised person. The challenge resides in the quality of ministry.
EFM provides good education for lay people. Whilst it is vital for clergy to have access to the best theological and ministry education possible, the education of the laity is of no less importance. Frequently lay people have the difficult and often subtle task of interpreting the richness of the faith in the neighbourhood, shopping centre, work place, sporting club, and school.
Entry is open and it is assumed that those who enrol are motivated to study. No formal qualifications are necessary. Though EFM is a four year course, the participants in each parish group commit themselves for each years work.
EFM, which has been used in Australia since 1978, is made available by the Anglican Church of Australia Diocese of Brisbane operating as EFM Education For Ministry Australia.
Since EFM began, thousands have found in it a foundation for living out their Christian vocation in their local community. EFM assists individuals and communities to understand the call to service and to respond with meaning.
Ministry in the Church - the practice of Christian living, and the Ministry of the Church - the engagement in mission to the world, are the vocation of all the baptised.