Coming October 24 & 25, 2020!
Some important things to know...
Interested in being a reading group facilitator? Want to get connected to a reading group? Contact Craig Mattes.
Have questions about what you are reading? Ask our pastor!
LEARN MORE ABOUT IMMERSE BELOW (which includes frequently asked questions)...
Immerse is built on three core ideas: reading a naturally formatted Bible, reading at length, and having unmediated discussions about it together. By simply reading and then gathering once per week in “book club” style groups, our congregation and friends will have a place to voice questions, talk about concerns, and celebrate “aha!” moments together.
From Immerse's webpage:
"Each Immerse experience is designed to take your congregation through a significant portion of the Bible in eight weeks. By setting aside eight weeks twice per year for a focused Bible reading campaign, your church can read through all six volumes together—the entire Bible—in just three years.
Immerse: The Bible Reading Experience begins its three-year journey through the Bible with the Messiah volume. Reading the entire Bible is a new challenge for most people, so we believe it’s best to begin with the most familiar part, the New Testament. This also helps reinforce that Jesus is the center of the whole biblical narrative."
Questions you may have:
- Reading groups will launch primarily via Zoom.
- Keep posted here as to when books will arrive and when reading group sign up will be available.
- Each book contains an 8-week reading guide (16-week reading guides are also available upon request).
- You would begin reading 1 week before your group first meets (which would happen on or the days following October 24/25).
Interested in being a reading group facilitator? Want to get connected to a reading group? Contact Craig Mattes.
Have questions about what you are reading? Ask our pastor!
LEARN MORE ABOUT IMMERSE BELOW (which includes frequently asked questions)...
Immerse is built on three core ideas: reading a naturally formatted Bible, reading at length, and having unmediated discussions about it together. By simply reading and then gathering once per week in “book club” style groups, our congregation and friends will have a place to voice questions, talk about concerns, and celebrate “aha!” moments together.
From Immerse's webpage:
"Each Immerse experience is designed to take your congregation through a significant portion of the Bible in eight weeks. By setting aside eight weeks twice per year for a focused Bible reading campaign, your church can read through all six volumes together—the entire Bible—in just three years.
Immerse: The Bible Reading Experience begins its three-year journey through the Bible with the Messiah volume. Reading the entire Bible is a new challenge for most people, so we believe it’s best to begin with the most familiar part, the New Testament. This also helps reinforce that Jesus is the center of the whole biblical narrative."
Questions you may have:
- Why Immerse Bible: Beginnings instead of your regular chapter-and-verse Bible? Answer: This special reader’s edition restores the Bible to its natural simplicity and beauty by removing chapter and verse numbers and other historical additions. Letters look like letters, songs look like songs, and the original literacy structures are visible in each book.
- How is Immerse Bible: Beginnings different than a "typical" small group Bible study? Answer: Immerse is designed for groups to encounter large portions of the Bible together for 8 weeks—more like a book club, less like a Bible study. By meeting every week in small groups, pairs and/or triads and discussing what you read in open, honest conversations, you and your community can come together to be transformed through an authentic experience with the Scriptures. Here is the easy format of questions suggested by Immerse Bible:
1. What stood out to you this week?
2. Was there anything confusing or troubling?
3. Did anything make you think differently about God?
4. How might this change the way we live?
- What if I am already in a Bible study during the time we are reading Immerse Bible: Beginnings? Answer: Even if you are in a group going through a particular study, you could meet in pairs or triads (making for a more flexible schedule) to talk through these readings each week. Or maybe within a small group, group members could pair up or break into triads (outside of the regular small group meeting time) to talk through the readings together. This would strengthen our discipleship making at St. Paul.
