FALL 2024
Radix 13: The Shalom of God
Towards a True and Lasting Peace
OPENING PLENARY: SUNDAY, OCTOBER 20, 7–8 P.M.
SMALL GROUPS MEET: ONCE A WEEK FOR SIX WEEKS, STARTING THE WEEK OF OCTOBER 21*
*Sunday groups begin October 27 and conclude on December 1. Thursday groups will not meet on Thanksgiving (November 28), and will have their final meeting on December 5.
In this time when our hearts long for peace in the world, this Radix series will look to scripture passages that address what is means to be peacemakers, and the nature of peace in its various forms—brokered peace, imperial “peace,” inner peace, and the nature of “shalom” which is the replete peace of God to which the world leans in a long, hopeful arc.
Download the participant packet, containing readings, art, and discussion questions here.
UPDATE: A full video of the opening plenary is now available here.
About the Radix Project
What is a small group? A group of people gathered to get to know one another through shared stories, scripture, and prayer. It is not a working group and you don’t have to be a biblical scholar to participate. Radix is about getting to know scripture with one another through our shared stories and connections with God.
What is the format?
Each Radix series starts with an opening plenary (a meeting attended by all Radix participants) introducing the theme. Groups, guided by a facilitator, meet for six weeks, which offers the opportunity to get to know one another. Each session is 90 minutes with the opportunity for discussion, reflection, art, and prayer.
Do I have to be a member of Saint Marks?
No. Radix is open to anyone interested. Some of our participants have even joined out of state.
Why “Radix”?
The name for this communal effort—The Radix Project—draws on the Latin word for “root,” which is radix. Jesus modeled small group relationships in his life and ministry, and the early Church was structured on small groups who worshipped, prayed, and cared for one another.
Those are our roots, and in our time, when so many pressures of modern life leave us feeling alone and isolated, Christian community offers us a tangible way of entering into relationships rooted in trust and mutuality. The root word, radix, also gives rise to the oft-touted word we hear a lot these days—radical. A radical is not one who goes their separate way, doing their own thing. A radical is one who is so well-grounded with deep roots that they are able to stretch out to the fringes of existence and offer us all a different way of being in the world. We speak of radical hospitality or radical welcome because we claim our deep roots of this life in Christ, and we are willing to claim a radical vision for our lives and for the world. Radix groups reveal this connection in tangible and life-giving ways.
When did Radix start?
In January of 2020, before we ever knew about a pandemic, Saint Mark's launched The Radix Project: Small Groups/Deep Roots. For that first offering, more than 150 people in 18 small groups met weekly for six weeks to share their stories, reflect on Holy Scripture and sacred art, and pray for one another with intention. This format lent itself perfectly to the transition to an online-only offering when the pandemic happened, and groups met via Zoom for subsequent series in 2020 and 2021. In 2022, we began offering in-person and Zoom options.
Click here to view previous Radix Project themes.
