Weekly Bible Study

First Congregational Church, Woodstock CT

Fall 2005 Tuesday mornings, 10:30-12:00 p.m.

We invite you to a weekly Bible Study on Tuesday mornings in the John Eliot Library. We will begin with a brief time of worship and prayer, then study the scripture lessons for the coming Sunday. By "study" we mean not just understanding the Bible better, but experiencing scripture in a way that transforms our living. Our goal is to enable each other to move toward the sacred possibilities inherent in each one of us by listening for God's word together on numerous levels.

During the fall the selected passages encourage us to reflect on what it means to be the church Jesus invites us to be...the Body of Christ in the world, called by Christ to acts of mercy and justice. As individual followers, we are called to discover the meaning of our discipleship within this community of faith.

During this season, we listen to exhortations, encouragement, stories, and letters from Matthew and Paul. Both are writing to and through three very early Christian churches. Concerns of love, war, peace, work, relationships, health, and God are all included. Through the words of Matthew and Paul-- originally intended for the Christian communities at Antioch (possibly the church of Matthew's community), Philippi, and Thessalonica we receive wisdom to guide our lives as the church today.

Date	Scripture focus
Sept 13	Philippians 1:21-30
Sept 20	Philippians 2:1-13
Sept. 27	Philippians 3:4b-14
Oct 4	Philippians 4:1-9
Oct 11	1 Thessalonians 1:1-10
Oct 18	1 Thessalonians 2:1-8
Oct 25	1 Thessalonians 2:9-13
Nov 1	1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
Nov 8	1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
Nov 15	Matthew 25:31-46