Closer Walk With Thee starts Nov. 25

From the Pastor:

In the spring this congregation engaged in a season of prayer and scripture readings. During those 40 Days of Prayer everyone was invited to read the same daily scripture passages, pray, and listen for God’s guidance around the question: What is God calling our church to be and do in the coming year? That season was certainly fruitful for our congregation. I think it opened our minds, our eyes, and our ears to recognize where God is already at work in our neighborhoods and to hear the invitation to join in that work.

I also heard from a number of you how much you appreciated the time of ordered reading and prayer. Even if you read the Bible passages alone and never talked to anyone about it, you still felt the connection knowing that others at St. Andrews were reading the same words. Some asked that we do more of that. There are popular programs out there for reading the entire Bible in 90 days (a big, intense commitment) or in a year (we’ve done that here a few times over the years). Rather than attempting one of those, which usually involve a much smaller portion of the congregation, I started looking for something a little different.

Providentially, not long after we completed our 40 Days of Prayer I learned that some friends of mine from seminary had similar thoughts a year earlier. David and Mandy Ealy are pastor and Director of Christian Education, respectively, of Hawfields Presbyterian Church in Mebane, North Carolina. Together they created “Closer Walk with Thee: Gospel Reading Project” for their congregation and happily shared it. After conversations with our session and other leaders, I’ve adapted their plan for St. Andrews.

One of the things about being a Christian is knowing a thing or two about the One we claim to follow: Jesus Christ.  The Gospel Reading Plan (GRP) aims to do two things principally.

First, we want to get people reading their Bibles* and, more specifically, the Gospels, in parallel, from beginning to end. A reading list and study guides frame this congregation-wide Bible study.

Second, we want to build the friendship of our congregation members through the use of reading groups. They need to be small and meet regularly. Each group will be self-directed and have a host to help convene only. These folks will be trained in their task. These hosts have chosen times and places to meet. You are invited to sign up for the time slots that work best for you.

The center of the project is the reading list. In order to read the Gospels completely, together and in conjunction with our typical church calendar, there will be some degree of jumping around. In the end what we’ll have is a sustained study of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John along with some supplemental pieces.

We will begin Christ the King Sunday (November 25^th) and end on Pentecost (June 9^th). This would substitute for our typical adherence to the Lectionary.

Please sign up online for a small group time slot through this link, or by filling out a form available in the narthex.