Thoughts on a Bible Study

My dh has left to pick up MB and taken Kate with him for the company.So I sit here in my quiet house with only little EM for company and ignore the call of the laundry and dishwasher. I figure this is the perfect time to work on some decisions I need to make regarding a bible study I need to develop/plan.

Background info:

I participate in a weekly Bible Study in which we commit for a whole year. During that time we explore and discern are spiritual gifts, then we take those gifts and with the help of the other members we discern a service or ministry to perform. This can be for the community, church, world or even personal. I have been called to start-up a new type of bible study for our church. Small groups in the larger church setting have always been an interest of mine, and with us being a small church that is just starting, small groups are very important. We have a couple of bible studies that do well and are great, but serve a limited number of people. I have been told that some people don't do the studies because they don't feel as though they can make the commitment or because of families it is to difficult. Others don't feel like they fit in with the existing Bible study attendees. My vision is to create bible study seminars. Something that doesn't require a long commitment, but has one or two sessions of maybe a couple of hours. I am hoping that this may be a springboard for other studies to start or just to springboard others into personal studies.

I really need to start nailing down the specifics of my program as I would like the first one to run in late spring. Since this is during Pentecost I was thinking that a study on the Holy Spirit or maybe what makes a church would be timely. Of course we could just do a study on the Book of Acts, but that is a long book to fit into the time period I have. This is what I am thinking now.

If this one is successful enough our church would like to continue the program and I have to decide if we are going to study "Books of the Bible" or "Life Issues with the Bible for guidance." I have heard a call for both within the membership.

If anyone has any suggestions of bible studies to look at or have had experience with something similar to what I am trying to do, please share.

Thanks


Though I write the multitude of my instructions, they are regarded as a strange thing. Hosea 8:12

Amy