How are you using your retirement?

Group Bible Study

In Quebec, two retired professionals decided to lead a course teaching other retirees the main message of the world’s all-time bestseller: the Bible. This was the write-up they had for the course which was advertised in an academy for retirees:

Does The Bible Make Sense?
This workshop is for those who are interested in the all-time bestseller: the Bible. Manon, with a degree in Pedagogy and Science (Microbiology) from the University of Sherbrooke, and Sylvie, with a degree in nursing, both passionate students of these ancient writings for the last 30 years, invite you to examine the answers this ancient book provides to many of life’s important questions, such as the meaning of life, suffering, death, and the after-life. You will be encouraged to draw your own conclusions concerning the reliability of the Bible as we allow the story to speak for itself. Required material: Book Par ce nom and the companion workbook.

Over a span of eight weeks, the group of retirees met for two and a half hours each session, for a total of 20 hours. Although seven signed up for the course, five were able to commit the time to complete it.

Week over week, Manon* and Sylvie read aloud from Par ce nom (the French edition of By This Name) and used visual aids to reinforce the teaching points. When they finished the course, the class gathered for a meal and to exchange feedback. One of the retirees publicly shared that she believed everything they had read and later on, two others inquired which church Manon attended while one other lady said she was interested in visiting it.

Manon wrote, “Sylvie and I were completely blessed by God for having done this ministry. We felt very privileged to have participated in sharing the Good News. The rest is in God’s hands. He knows how to make the seed grow!”

It’s encouraging to see believers take their roles as ambassadors for Christ seriously. While Manon and Sylvie were not trained Bible teachers, they saw that reading aloud and using visual aids were simple and effective ways to communicate the Gospel. Reading aloud helped to keep them on track and they didn’t have to struggle to know what to say. Perhaps you could also consider leading by reading and organize a little study in your home or in a retirement home in your community.

(*Names changes as per GoodSeed policy.)

Resources:

 

Photo credit: “AIGA WI Sustainable Design Book Club 5” by AIGA Wisconsin is licensed under CC BY 2.0

 

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