Men’s Fellowship Breakfast: A Radical Beginning
A Radical Beginning: A Journey Through the Prayer of St. Francis
Our breakfast speaker is Father Tim Gavin, Head Chaplain of The Episcopal Academy. His talk is titled: “A Radical Beginning: A Journey Through the Prayer of St. Francis,” based on his recent book. Father Gavin will explain how Francis’s Prayer gives us a blueprint for living the Gospel. Join us for this conversation about wisdom from one of Christianity’s most well-known Saints, and enjoy a delicious breakfast prepared by Mike Tucker and his crew. Breakfast begins at 8 a.m. and the talk will begin around 8:30 a.m.
A suggested donation of $10 per person will also be accepted online when you RSVP, or via cash/check at the door.
The Rev. Tim Gavin is an Episcopal priest, serving as Head Chaplain of The Episcopal Academy. In addition to his ministry at Episcopal, he serves on the Clergy Council of ECS, The Discipline Board of the Diocese of Pennsylvania, and The Commission of Ministry. He is also the co-executive director for the NAES Haiti Partnership Program. In addition to his most recent publication, “A Radical Beginning” (Olympia Publishers, 2023), he is the author of “Lyrics from the Central Plateau”, a book of poems released by Prolific Press in November 2018. His articles, essays, and poems have appeared in “The Anglican Theological Review”, “Barrow Street Review”, “Blue Heron Review”, “Blue Mountain Review”, “Cape Rock”, “Chiron Review”, “The Cresset”, “Grow Christians”, “Digital Papercut”, “Evening Street Review”, “Library Journal”, “Magma”, “Poetry Quarterly”, “Poetry South”, “Poetry Super Highway”, and “Spectrum”. He lives with his wife, Joyce, in Newtown Square.
“A Radical Beginning” offers an original and unique insight to the Prayer of St. Francis, which will lead the reader to a deep appreciation of what it means to aspire to true Gospel living. The book divides and classifies the prayer into four movements, each of which offers a personal reflection on the meaning of the movement followed up with a scriptural reflection. “A Radical Beginning” provides any parish book club, biblical studies group, or high school religion class an opportunity to examine how the prayer captures the essence of Gospel living. Each chapter provides questions for further group discussion. The questions provide an opportunity for the readers to explore ways in which they can live into the prayer.
The book reveals the true nature of Francis and Christian living. As a result, Francis who lived the Gospel literally provides us with the most beautiful prayer that sums up the entire Law of the Gospel. Francis condenses all the teachings of Jesus in to 14 sentences, giving us a blueprint for Gospel living. Francis knew intrinsically what Jesus tried to teach his disciples after the feeding of the 5000, “The Spirit gives life; the flesh is useless.” In essence, Francis embodied the spirit of Christ in all that he did. He saw beyond the trappings of the flesh and allowed the image of God within himself to reach out to embrace the image of God in others. “A Radical Beginning” addresses the reality of living in the spirit by engaging the image of God in others – easier said than done.