Wednesday, January 09, 2008

Erin Church Growth Ideas: The Coffee Club

Years ago, when I ministered in Maybole, Scotland, I set up a weekly Bible study at the church and called it “The Coffee Club.” It started with about ten people and we gathered in the church hall. We sang some hymns, shared some prayers, and discussed different passages from the Bible. It was a wonderful group and as the years passed, it grew in size, faith, and fellowship.

Podcast version here

Isaiah 2:3 Many peoples will come and say,” Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.”

Recently, I’ve wanted to get back to some basic Bible teaching, so I have decided to establish a similar group over here in Knoxville, Tennessee. Like the Maybole group, we’re going to meet on Wednesday mornings, have coffee and discuss a chapter of the Bible each week. It will be similar to the Maybole Club, but with the new technology that is available, the club will be extended in several ways.

First of all, there will be a Coffee Club extra held on Wednesday nights for those who can’t make it in the mornings. Secondly, home study material will be made available to everyone on Sunday mornings, that way if they can’t be at the Wednesday meetings, they can study at home.

Thirdly, the study material will be available online via email – which means that anyone, anywhere in the world, can sign up for the studies, just by sending me an email at pastor@erinpresbyterian.org

These are exciting times for the ministry of the church, both here at Erin and throughout the world. We begin a 17 week session with the Gospel of Mark, starting next Wednesday. I’m looking forward to this new journey of faith.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for the stories about Your life that are contained in the Bible. Thank You for the words of encouragement and inspiring events that mean so much to us even today. Help all of us to make and take time to study Your ways, works, and words. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

No comments: