Friday, February 29, 2008
camp bible
So it’s church camp this weekend. I am really looking forward to being able to simply hang with people, to talk and walk and laugh.
As part of camp, we’ve been wrestling with how we engage the Bible. We’ve got ages 0 to 80. We’ve got people from across our congregations.
So we’ve hatched a plan. On the Sunday morning, before morning tea, we will offer 4 different options. People can choose how they engage the Bible; whether by Bible Study, by Dwelling in the Word, by Godly play, or by interactive adventure. Over to them. Different options, but every option will be engaging the same Bible text (Philemon).
Morning tea will gather us and then, around the communion table, we will read the Bible text we have all engaged with, and then invite an open mic time, with people sharing what God might be saying to Opawa.
It will be fascinating to see how it goes and whether the offer of diversity around the Bible enhances unity.
(And, don’t tell anyone, but it is also an experiment for me in whether this could actually be a regular part of our life. I.e. on a Sunday morning could we gather for shared worship – then offer diverse options (say sermon, kids time, discussion, service in our community) – then return for communion together. And whether the offer of diversity might enhance our unity.
This is brilliant. We, too, are asking how our congregation’s worship could be more interactive around the text – less speeching and more conversation.
I’d like to hear more about how you are framing the “Bible Study” as a distinct option from Dwelling in the Word.” To be specific, how are you understanding what “Bible Study” is? I just wrote something about that on the Missional Journey blog over at Allelon (where I referenced you, incidentally). That’s what brought me to your blog again today and here I discover that you’re playing with the same things. Very cool!
Comment by Ryan Bell — March 4, 2008 @ 9:31 am