Brothers and sisters,

 

Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! Can you believe that summer is already gone? And what a busy summer it has been: Vacation Bible School, Appalachian Service Project, Youth Camp… It’s a wonder any of us found time for vacation! As September rolls in, we’re shifting from one kind of fun to another. Our new season will kickoff on September 7^th, and I hope we’ll be seeing you all at the picnic.

 

September also means a new season of Disciple Bible Study. I was twenty years old when I first took the Disciple Bible Study. My pastors had been trying to get me to take it for years. When I finally agreed to take the study, I was terrified. I was afraid of what would happen when people realized how ignorant I really was. But Dr. Brunkow assured me that everybody needed to learn more and that, by the time the study was over, I would feel confident that I actually knew what I was talking about in church. He was right!

 

As it turned out, my fears were unfounded. Everybody in my class was in the exact same boat I was in. And what a class it was! I think we ranged in age from twenty to eighty. We had nothing in common but a desire to learn the word of God, and that was what made it great. We each had a different take on what the Bible was saying, and we all learned from each other.

 

What I should have been afraid of was the changes Disciple would make in me. Transformation is the purpose of Disciple… it’s not an academic exercise. When you read the Bible and seriously study it for the first time, it changes you. I’ve never looked at God or, for that matter, anything the same since. It was the best time I’d ever spent in church. That’s why I went on to teach it myself more times than I can remember.

 

We all know that we’re supposed to read the Bible. Very often, we want to read it, and fully intend to read it… someday. Sometimes we start reading, get lost in Numbers, and give up in frustration. Disciple takes us through 70% of the Bible, holding our hand the whole way.

On a personal note, Disciple helps me to pastor. My job is to bring the Word of God to bear on the lives of the people in this community. Disciple brings the people and the Bible together in my heart. Disciple, and other studies like it, has been the cornerstone of my personal piety and my pasturing for ten years now.

 

Please take a moment to look at the Disciple promotion in this newsletter. If you decide to take the plunge, you will need to purchase a good study Bible. Please speak with me before doing so. No matter what any bookseller tells you, there is no “best” study Bible, but I might be able to help you find the best one for you. I promise that, if you take Disciple, you will be glad you did.

 

Your brother and pastor,

 

Stephen W. Humphrey, Jr.