Breaking Bread
An Ecumenical Campus Ministry at Tusculum University
We meet weekly during the school year
for a meal and “faith conversations that matter!”
You will hear our group referred to as “Breaking Bread.” Since the Church began with the Apostles, when Christians gathered in Jesus’ name, they broke bread as they shared a meal in common. That meal became the sacrament (an outward and visible sign of the inward and spiritual grace we receive from God). So, we refer to our time together as “Breaking Bread.” Often, we will have time to share the sacrament of bread and wine (break bread together) when we gather together.
See you Soon in Fall 2024
Recent discussion topics (chosen by the students) included:
Sodom & Gomorrah
Faith & Mental Health
Iconography
Mystics / Mysticism
Child-Like Faith
End of Times / Escatology
Second Coming of Christ
Mixed Denominational Marriage
Gnostic Texts (Gnostic Gospels)
Tracts – Use of Literature for Evangelism
The Person of Jesus
Different translations of Holy Scripture (the Bible)
Creation Care / w/ Pastor Leah Schade
What things/traditions have been lost or gained due to mistranslations
C.S. Lewis / J.R.R. Tolkien
Theology in Movies – “Popcorn Theology”
The Dali Lama & Bishop Desmond Tutu
Women in the Bible
Prayer Practices
Worship Practices (Similarities and Differences)
Feminine Theology
Multi Denomination Households
Religious Orders
Sabbath
We welcome you in the name of Jesus the Christ.
How we started
In the Summer of 2018 the Rev. Dr. Kenneth H. Saunders III (Fr. Ken) and Mr. Bill Smith (formally of Tusculum Baseball) of St. James Episcopal Church in Greeneville, Tennessee, envisioned this ministry, then partnered with Reformation Lutheran in Greeneville, TN, to form Breaking Bread.
How we are supported
We are supported by St. James Episcopal Church in Greeneville, the Episcopal Diocese of East Tennessee (The Episcopal Church), and the Southeastern Lutheran Synod (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America).
Who we are
The Rev. Dr. Kenneth H. Saunders III (aka Fr. Ken) is the Priest at St. James and our missioner. We are also pleased to have Jordan Baker of the Tusculum Biology Department on our Ministry Team as a ministry leader and faculty advisor! In the Summer of 2022, we welcomed the Rev. Greg Cartwright of First Presbyterian Church of Greeneville and Natasha DeBord, a United Methodist pastor, to our ministry circle to offer a broader and more inclusive ecumenical program.
What we do
Our primary purpose is to provide everyone on the Tusculum Greeneville campus an opportunity to gather, discuss, learn, and be together in a welcoming, learning, and worshipping Christian community. We aim to be grace-filled and Christ-centered. We welcome ALL students, faculty, and staff, regardless of their religious affiliation or background. We welcome ALL people of any faith or no faith! We welcome seekers, skeptics, devotees, sinners, saints, sis-gendered, LGBTQIA+, poets, and scientists – It doesn’t matter who you are. EVERYONE IS WELCOME! This is a safe space!
We encourage you to bring your doubts, hopes, and questions, your longing for community and authenticity, and your search for worship, relevance, and connection. Bring your genuine self, whoever you are, and whomever you want to become.
There is love here! There is a place for you at this table regardless of age, race, gender, sexual orientation, current religious affiliation, GPA, SAT/GRE score, or anything else. In the name of Christ, you are welcome in this faith community!
Come and See!! Visit, Learn, Worship, and Fellowship with Breaking Bread to discover how to connect.
Contact Us at BreakingBread@StJamesGreenEville.org
