Community Bible Study

 According to the materials I was given September 11th, Community Bible Study began in 1975 in the Washington, D.C. area. It is an interdenominational now-international group that provides instruction through local leaders along with self-study with Scripture reading and working through questions. Small groups discuss the questions after the completion by the members done throughout the week. 

I belonged to a local group of CBS the first few years of our return to Indiana. It has been over a decade since my first participation. Last year the area group spun off a satellite to Grace Village. I thought about signing up, but I was expecting to have spine surgery and would thus miss sessions.

 I am a member of the current group at Grace Village (limited to 15). We started September 11th and will run through April 22nd of 2024. 

We follow the school district schedule so when they break so will we. My previous exposure to CBS at a large church included child care. Our group does not have that. Not everybody is a Grace Village resident in our group; we have a few "outsiders", but except for one lady, we are retired. 

This coming Monday we will discuss the book of Ruth. The rest of the lessons will be I and II Samuel. The end of February we will get a new study book, and we will explore Colossians. 

Our teacher likes "gimmicks". I guess last year she handed out squares of flypaper to remind the ladies to grab hold of the truths they were studying. This year she gave us bookmarks made of or including twine. Bind the Twine is the motif. Proverbs 6:20-22: "My son, observe the commandment of your father and do not forsake the teaching of your mother; bind them continually on your heart; tie them around your neck. When you walk about, they will guide you; when you sleep, they will watch over you; and when you awake, they will talk to you." NAS

I am looking forward to this new study even though it requires more work than the study I attended in 2019-2020 (which shut down in March 2020 because of COVID though it started again with audio recordings in September 2020). That group had 150-200 ladies with no smaller group discussion. I already am acquainted with 5 ladies in this group. It should be a nice time of fellowship along with the exposure to the Word.