Bible Study

Why study the bible? We believe that the Bible will assure us of our salvation in God in challenging times i.e., faith comes from hearing. We also believe the Bible will teach us, guide us and counsel us. The Word of God will enable us to know God in a deep and intimate experience. The more frequently we read the Bible, the greater the experience.

In fact, we take our cue from the words of the 119th Psalm, 105th verse: “Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path”. The more the words of the Bible are read, the more opportunities there are for them to personally speak into our life and gift us the channel of discernment to determine the guidance of God through life’s challenges.

In Diocesan terms, we take our mission from Bishop Stephen Croft’s vision of “To be Christlike”, which unpacked means to be “Courageous, Compassionate and Contemplative”. Bible studies are one of several tools in the Christian’s toolkit which helps in our transformation towards being ‘Christlike’ daily. We hope you can join us in our Parish studies but also encourage you to engage in personal studies. The Church of England Bookshop would be a good starting point to explore relevant resources for your Christian journey.

Parish studies occur at several levels:

Ad hoc studies via the recently established Fellowship Group under the leadership of Carol Gilmore (see Fellowship Group).

Annual Lent Bible Studies of five weeks at St Michael’s Church, which traditionally starts shortly after Ash Wednesday. These lessons follow the resourceful and excellent “Come and See” series of the Diocese of Oxford for Parish churches. Each lesson provides an insight into modern level with relevant discussions followed by use of the Contemplative Kit of meditative tools. Studies are also supported by SMS texts to your personal mobile phone (by registering online via Diocesan website) for 40 daily reflections, videos and online interviews about people’s faith journeys.

Parish of the Claydons