Some Changes on Sundays
Greetings Church Family,
I am writing this E-News article this morning to provide some exciting updates concerning our plans for Sunday Morning Bible Study. While we have been so grateful for the ways we’ve been able to connect on Sundays throughout the pandemic, we are excited because we feel that the time to provide additional Sunday Morning Bible Study has finally arrived. That said, as we have with so many of our ministries, the pandemic afforded us the opportunity to evaluate our approach so that we can make adjustments that we hope will strengthen these efforts. Consequently, our return to Sunday Morning Bible Study will look different but we are excited about the new approach.
Before I share the details of the changes, let me take this opportunity to reiterate the heart behind providing Sunday Morning Bible Study at all. We believe that some of the key ingredients of discipleship includes community, teaching and accountability. We hope you experience these things in our Sunday services, your Discipleship Groups and various ministries. It is our goal that these same elements are uniquely experienced in numerous arenas because there are certain benefits that you gain in one arena that you may not receive in the other. For example, the community you experience in your D Group is different than the community you experience in a large Sunday service. Therefore, when we engage in multiple arenas we all benefit from a more holistic exposure to discipleship. Sunday Morning Bible study is a critical arena to experience discipleship. We say this for a couple of reasons. One would be the continued dedication to study God’s Word. According to Acts 2, the early church was devoted to the apostles teaching. We need to demonstrate a similar devotion and provide numerous on-ramps for you to be exposed to God’s Word. Similarly, we have many gifted teachers who are called to share God’s Word. These teachers need to have an arena where they can use their gifts. This plurality of teaching voices often strengthens the congregation. It allows us the opportunity to hear from a diverse set of perspectives and experiences. This enriches our overall understanding of God’s Word. We also recognize that a Sunday Morning Bible Study option allows another touch point to foster community. It allows you to build relationships beyond your D Group but in a more digestible context than a large church service. These are just a few examples as to why we are excited to return to Sunday Morning Bible Study.
That said, it will look different. Here are the two options that allow you to engage in Sunday Morning Bible Study. The first is to participate in an intergenerational class that will meet in Harris Hall. This is a class that will feature a dedicated teacher for an extended period of time and will focus on a particular topic or portion of Scripture. This is a come one, come all sort of class. Anyone can attend. We are starting this class this next week, July 25th with a focus on “The Heart of God” and it will be taught by Caroline Poe and Becky Biser. A new series with a new teacher will begin in October. Throughout the year you’ll have the chance to build community and learn more about God’s Word while hearing from a variety of gifted teachers. If a large number of people engage we can begin looking at providing additional classes. We certainly hope you will participate. While we are excited about this approach, we also recognize that there are previous Sunday Connect classes that are eager to get back together. Or maybe there are other groups forming within the church that would like to meet up on Sundays and do a study on their own. We want to encourage this option as well by providing space for your groups to meet should you feel inclined to do so. All you have to do is reach out to Caroline Poe to offer some basic details (what will you study, how much space do you need, how long do you want to meet, etc.) and she can get you set up. We believe this will provide an appropriate mixture of flexibility and intentionality that will encourage our church towards community, teaching and accountability.
We are also excited to have additional time to engage with children and youth. Beginning on August 15th (Promotion Sunday), our children’s ministry will be providing a focus on knowing God through music on Sunday mornings. They’ll learn the value of Scripture and stories from the Bible and how God gives us the chance to express our love for Him in music and song. On that same date of August 15th, the youth will have age-based Bible Studies as well where they get the chance to hear from great teachers in an age-appropriate setting. So if you are a family, no matter the ages of your children, there will be a meaningful approach towards spiritual formation on Sunday Morning. We will begin providing childcare for the intergenerational class as early as this upcoming Sunday of July 25th, but this more specific programming will not start until August 15th. As for start times, the intergenerational class open to everyone will begin at 9:30. You can bring your children as early as 9:15 so you have time to be there for the start of the lesson. If your group is meeting independently we can discuss the best start time for your group.
I recognize this is a lot of information so please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions. Again, we are excited to start offering additional Bible Study on Sunday Mornings and hope you are eager to join us. Our prayer is that all of it would draw us to a closer understanding of who God is and how we can love one another.