Bible Studies

Usable for Group and Self Study

A new collection of bible studies titled “The Living Word” is under development for the Diocese’ Parish Health and Development Ministry. The collection is edited by Fr John Matusiak and is being piloted at St. Joseph Orthodox Church Wheaton IL.

The Living Word is a 25-session Bible Study collection for group and individual use. Each series consists of five study guides on specific topics central to the Orthodox Christian faith and life as revealed in the spoken words of Jesus Christ, the Living Word of God.

Using This Series

Group Study

Bible Study groups, as well as adult and teen classes, will find the study guides quite easy to use. After introducing the session’s topic, using the narrative at the beginning of each guide, participants look up and discuss each passage. Space is provided for notes and summaries.

If there is not sufficient time to look up and discuss every passage, participants can easily complete this task on their own.

Individual Study

Since, for a variety of reasons, the majority of parish members are often unable to participate in a weekday morning or afternoon study group – distance, work, and other commitments also may preclude regular attendance at evening sessions, while space and scheduling considerations may make a Sunday morning class difficult in some parishes – THE LIVING WORD is ideal for individual study.

Ideas for Dissemination

Reproduce copies of each guide and distribute them to all parishioners. Insert them, one at a time, in the bulletin on a weekly or monthly basis.
Make copies available at the candle desk or in the pamphlet rack. Send them by e-mail as PDF attachments to everyone on the parish’s e-mail list on a weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly basis. Doing this, even if the guides are used by groups and classes, will enable everyone to participate in Bible Study, even if they cannot be physically present.

Encourage everyone to use the guides as his or her schedule permits. Surely everyone can look up one or two quotes every day. Commuters using public transportation can look up one quote on the way to work and another on the way home. Workers can set aside one coffee break every day to look up a quote. High school and college students can look up a quote each day during study breaks or between classes. Families can look up one quote every day, perhaps at the conclusion of their evening meal.

It is important to keep in mind that there is no one specific “right” way to use these guides. “Whatever works,” works!