DEVOTED STUDY

May 12, 2012 at 12:00a.m.

By LINDA M. LINONIS

austintown

Members of more than 50 churches representing 24 denominations explore the word of God through Community Bible Study.

The program, an interdenominational study of Scripture, recently marked its 20th year during a celebration brunch at Tabernacle Evangelical Presbyterian Church, 2432 S. Raccoon Road.

The daytime study involves 150 adults and 85 children at Tabernacle; the evening study attracts 75 adults to First Covenant Church in Boardman.

Ellen Blair, teaching director of the Bible study, estimated more than 1,000 people have taken the class. The 30-week session runs from September to May. There are some 450 classes conducted annually throughout the United States.

Blair, who has been teaching director since 1992, said the study was born out of prayer. She said a group of five people, including herself, prayed about starting a Bible study. That group first gathered in homes. Information about Community Bible Study was shared and eventually was organized.

Blair said the study draws participants from Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties and Mercer and Lawrence counties in Pennsylvania. Beth Harrell is assistant director; Anne Walston, coordinator; and Sharon Lieder, children’s director. “We cover a broad area,” Blair said.

Blair said the day sessions, which she instructs, revolve around home study questions, core group discussion then a lecture. Core groups of 15 people study together throughout the year. Blair said she tries to form groups with people of different ages, men and women, and denominations. The groups are predominantly women with a handful of men.

Currently, the study is focusing on Kings I and II, and next year it will be Deuteronomy and Hebrews. Participants work on study questions between sessions.

Blair attributes two decades of success of the study to three factors:

There are no denomination issues. “It’s a community of Christians.”

Classes tend to develop fellowship and friendships. “Shepherding by the leader helps build a sense of community and caring.”

Lives are changed by the study. “You get to know God better and have a more intimate relationship. There’s a safe place to get answers.”

Blair said the study benefits participants in many ways. “Because they’re doing it themselves and not being spoonfed, it’s more meaningful. They get to know God,” she said.

Blair derives satisfaction from participants growing in faith and understanding of Scripture. “This is something I’m gifted at. I’m able to communicate in ways that people understand,” she said.

A testament to the draw of the Bible study is evidenced in Jamie Kennedy, who has a 45-minute trip from Alliance. “I feel I’ve grown spiritually,” she said about what she described as “an excellent experience.”

Kennedy said she so enjoyed the first year she planned to return. Her 4-year-old son, Jameson, is in the children’s group; she home schools.

“The class taught me to freely rely on God,” Kennedy said.

While Kennedy is just starting out, Pam Wilson has participated off and on for 13 years. She had the first “CBS baby,” now a 19-year-old college student.

Wilson said she appreciates the “most rewarding study.” She also noted that the class helped her understand the relevancy of Scripture from Old and New Testaments. “By questions, I learned what the word of God says.”

Marty Dickinson, a children’s teacher for first- through third-graders and former assistant director, has participated for 17 years and got involved through a friend’s invitation. “It’s well organized, stays on topic and there’s no devisiveness,” she said. “The sensitivity of leadership emphasizes we’re ‘all one in Christ.’”

Dickinson said the study was a Godsend during a difficult time of her life when her daughter and husband died within a 21/2-year period. She said the study was on 2 Corinthians and it seemed to be “by divine appointment.” A passage from 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 was about “the Father of mercies and the God of all consolation, who consoles us in our affliction ...”

She said that was so meaningful to her. “God’s word gave me strength,” she said, adding, “I was able to hold onto God.”

From her experience as a children’s teacher, Dickinson said, “The truths learned at an early age will carry through life.”