August 30, 2010 – September Newsletter article
Dear Grace Friends,
What an exciting time of year! School will soon begin again, and so will Sunday School, Confirmation, Senior High Youth Group, the After School Faith and Fun program for elementary children, the Boys and Girls Club Middle School youth meeting at Grace, and more. This is a time of new beginnings and new possibilities for our life together as a congregation. I encourage you to get involved this fall!
Pastor Chuck Olmstead of Hope Lutheran Church in Fargo notes that in “the Lutheran Church, after Confirmation, there is often little involvement with reading and studying the Bible to seek its application for daily life. In fact, every Christian Church in America struggles with this challenge.” Gallup Polls recently noted these statistics:
Bible Reading – only 59% of Americans read the Bible at least occasionally
Bible Study – only one in seven Americans report any involvement with Bible study
Bible Knowledge – only half of the adults interviewed could name any of the four Gospels; just 37% could name all four Gospels; only 42% of adults were able to name as many as five of the Ten Commandments; 70% were able to name the town in which Jesus was born but only 42% could identify him as the person who delivered the Sermon on the Mount.
This means that, if you have not been reading the Bible regularly lately, you are not alone! Do not be discouraged or ashamed about that: the Bible can be an intimidating book. The Bible really is a divinely inspired library of books, written over more than 1,000 years by dozens of authors. We need a way to get into the Bible that is user friendly and not overwhelming. One way to answer this need this fall is Adult Sunday School! Beginning Sunday, September 19, interested adults will gather for a Bible study during the social hour after worship. We will begin with a Bible study called Making Sense of Scripture, a course that includes short videos with Dr. David Lose and discussion about specific Bible passages each week. No experience or prior knowledge is necessary, and everyone is welcome. Another way to get into regular Bible readings is to follow the Daily Bible Readings available at church and on Grace’s website.
God’s Work, Our Hands,
Pastor Eric Lemonholm
