Looking ahead to Pentecost – a season of learning

EfM Online Open Houses:
Tuesday, May 12 and Wednesday, August 26 In-person Open House: Wednesday, June 10, at St Anne’s Byron, all at 7pm

“The Advocate, the Holy Spirit… will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you” (John 14:26).

By Rev. Canon Val Kenyon

One of the things I have always appreciated about our tradition is the cycle of the liturgical seasons, a tried-and-true way of walking through the story of Jesus from waiting in Advent, to celebrating at Christmas and Easter, to growing as disciples in the long season after Pentecost. Each season has its own focus, mood and colour, helping us experience different aspects of our faith as the year progresses.

Currently we find ourselves in the midst of the 50 days of the Easter season, a time of joy and celebration, too marvelous in its scope to be limited to a single day. In Easter we focus on new life, hope, and the many surprising ways Christ meets us, grounding us in the realization that death will not have the last word, as God is always bringing life out of what at first might seem lost.

Within a few short weeks, we will be celebrating the wonder of Pentecost Sunday, and subsequently entering into the longest season of our Church year. As we approach Pentecost, we are invited into a time of growth, a steady, patient, Spirit-led growth. How apt that the colour of the Pentecost Season is green!

The Day of Pentecost itself reminds us of the incredible gift of the Holy Spirit, breaking in with wind and fire, courage and clarity, supporting the realization that God is not distant from us but actively at work within and among us (Acts 2:1–4). Yet like Easter, Pentecost is not only a single day but rather it unfolds into a season, the longest in the Church year, where discipleship takes root in ordinary life. What an appropriate time to consider Education for Ministry (EfM) and where it might fit into our lives.

EfM is not simply a program of study; it is a practice of listening to Scripture, to tradition, to one another, and above all to the quiet, persistent voice of the Holy Spirit. In many ways, it mirrors the work of Pentecost itself. The same Spirit who inspired the apostles continues to guide, challenge, and form us as disciples today.

During the Pentecost season, we are invited to ask: What does it mean to live as followers of Christ in the everyday? Week by week, participants in EfM reflect on Scripture and theology while also engaging in their own life experiences.

As we move toward the summer break, this is a natural moment to pause and reflect. What has the Spirit been stirring in us this year? Where have we sensed growth, challenge, or new understanding? And perhaps just as importantly: what might God be inviting us into next?

Whether considering our four-year Classic EfM programme, or our one-year Wide Angle programme, September offers a gentle invitation to begin again. New groups form, new conversations begin, and familiar Scriptures are heard with fresh ears. In the rhythm of the Church year, Pentecost reminds us that formation is ongoing. We are never finished being shaped by God.

If you would like to learn more about Education for Ministry and joining us, our online Open Houses will be on Tuesday, May 12th and Wednesday, August 26th with an in-person Open House on Wednesday, June 10th, all at 7pm at St Anne’s Byron, 1344 Commissioners Road West. Please email us at the email below if you are interested in attending.

Please reach out to  Libi Clifford the Diocese of Huron EfM Coordinator or me, Val Kenyon at EFM@huron.anglican.ca to learn more, be sent a link to the Open Houses, or to schedule an alternate date for a presentation in your parish.

Rev. Canon Dr. Val Kenyon is EFM Animator in Huron.
EfM@huron.anglican.ca