|
|
|
ADULT BIBLE FELLOWSHIP
|
With the merger of Edgewood Community Church and Valley Bible Church, our size has
increased as has the difficulty of building close Biblical relationships with each
other. To help overcome this new obstacle, I and the Elders have decided to replace
the Adult Sunday School hour with a ministry called “Adult Bible Fellowship.” Please
take time to read through the information provided here and prayerfully consider
becoming involved in one of these new Sunday morning fellowship groups. We think
it will be a great benefit to you personally and to us as a church family!
-Pastor Frank
What is an "Adult Bible Fellowship"?
Adult Bible Fellowships (ABF) help create community within the larger body of Edgewood
Bible Church through providing smaller groups in which adults can be connected to
other believers and encouraged to further growth. These mid-sized groups, ranging
in size from 15 to 50 people, meet each Sunday from 9:30-10:45 a.m., replacing the
Adult Sunday School hour. Each group spends time in fellowship, prayer, and study
of God’s Word, being Shepherded by the Elders and
Pastoral Staff.
ABFs exist to glorify God by teaching the truths of Scripture while promoting fellowship
and sharing.
“And they were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching
and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” Acts 2:42 NASB
“And
we proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, that
we may present every man complete in Christ” Colossians 1:28-29 NASB
What do ABF's do?
On Sunday mornings, each group meets separately for refreshments (cookies and coffee,
anyone?) and informal fellowship. This will lead into a time of sharing prayer requests,
and taking those requests together to the Lord in prayer. Following Prayer, will
be 35-45 minutes of Bible instruction. An Elder or Pastor will lead the group through
an inductive study of a Bible passage or Scriptural topic.
Eventually, the ABF studies will vary from group to group, with the Elders in each
group selecting a book of the Bible for study. However, as we merge the two churches
together, the ABFs will all simultaneously teach through the book What is a Healthy
Church Member?, handed out to each family on our inaugural Sunday. The Elders and
Pastoral Staff believe the truths communicated in this book are extremely important
for the entire church body and we are eager to see many at Edgewood Bible Church
committing themselves to a systematic study of these biblical principles.
What Adult Bible Fellowships are being offered?
Currently, we are offering three Adult Bible Fellowships. Next fall, if needed,
we will look to increase our number of ABFs. The following list explains each ABF’s
name, location, and leadership.
“Petros” - Taken from Matthew 16, the name “Petros” emphasizes the reality that
we are only the “little stones” in relation to Jesus Christ, our foundation stone.
This group meets in the Sanctuary and is led by Elders Steve Thompson, Paul Woodward,
Al Kessler, and Pastor Ryan Peterson.
“Koinonia” - is the New Testament word for “fellowship.” It reflects the Biblical
truth that as believers, we have a joint participation in this life of faith, with
one another and with our Lord Jesus Christ. This group meets in the upstairs sanctuary
classrooms 3 and 4. Elders Chris Van Liew and Eric Peterson will provide instruction
and leadership.
"Charis” - There is probably no sweeter term to believers than “grace.” “Charis,”
the Greek term for grace, will be the name of our third group being shepherded by
Elder Pat Thatcher, and Pastor Ryan Wood. This ABF will meet in the
Chapel Sanctuary.
How do I join an ABF?
The simple answer is “just show up and get involved!” However, since we are just
beginning this ministry, we’ve incorporated a little system to help disperse people
somewhat evenly to the three Adult Bible Fellowships. Inside the front cover of
the copy of What is a Healthy Church Member? that you received on our first Sunday
together, you’ll find a colored sticker. Each color corresponds to an ABF: blue
for “Petros,” yellow for “Koinonia,” and red for “Charis.” We suggest that you go
to the class that corresponds to the color of the sticker. However this is only
a suggestion. Please feel free to go to whatever class you like or your needs require.
If you have further questions, feel free to contact Pastor Ryan
Wood, our ABF coordinator.
|
|
