The Bible. Just hearing the word makes some people sing and other people cringe. For some it conjures up images of crusades and inquisitions and preachers shaking their fists at unrepentant sinners. For others it evokes feelings of comfort, joy, and warm memories of Sunday School songs and church pageants. Still others recognize the influence that the Bible has had on art, architecture, music, and literature, its rich base of stories and imagery that are woven into the fabric of western culture.

Perhaps you think, “I don’t even know enough about the Bible to attend a Bible study – I’d be completely lost.”

• Are you hard pressed to name a Biblical story or person (or maybe you can name one or two)?
• Have you been attending church but never really spent much time with the Bible, other than hearing it read at weekly worship? Never really read the Bible on your own, nor with a group?
• Are you intimidated by the Bible – “it’s so big”, “there are so many parts”, “it’s hard to follow”, “where do I even start?”
• Are you a bit embarrassed by your lack of familiarity with it, even though you’ve been part of a church community for months or years?
• Have you ever wondered what all the fuss is about? Are you a bit skeptical? How can such an ancient text be relevant today?
• Do you appreciate and love the Bible and many of its uplifting verses, but don’t know much about how it was put together and when, its context?

Well, if you answered ‘yes, that sounds like me’ to any of the above questions, then the series, What Is the Bible? is just right for you. This small group study series will help you explore some of the best-known Bible passages, discover some of the many ways that they can be interpreted, and learn your way around the wonderful, baffling, beautiful, unsettling book called the Bible. We will be using a curriculum from the Massachusetts Bible Society and, according to Rev. Will, it is ‘very UCC’! (He’s taught it before.) The course is designed for six weekly sessions with a group of eight to fifteen people.

• Session 1: Orientation to the Bible Jan 22
• Session 2: Which Bible is Right for Me? Jan 29
• Session 3: Overview of the Old Testament Feb 5
• Session 4: Overview of the New Testament Feb 12
• Session 5: The Bible and Its Authority Feb 19
• Session 6: Archaeology and the Bible Feb 26

If you are interested, start thinking about how you might fit this into your schedule. Click here if you’re ready to sign up. You can also contact Rev. Will Burhans or Anne Hoenicke who will be co-leading the program with questions or to express interest.”

There are many places to start a faith journey. An introduction to the Bible, in community with other curious novices, can be one of them. Please join us! Click here to register.

—Sponsored by the Adult Faith Exploration Ministry: Co-Chairs Sarah Gallop and Laurie Roby, Team: Judy Arnold, Anne Hoenicke, Andy McKinley, Karen Roberts

Find out more about the curriculum here.