20 Years of Thursday Morning Bible Study
The Thursday Morning Bible Study group has been a staple at First United Methodist Church of Wichita Falls for many years—20 years this January to be exact! “This was such a meaningful part of my time at FUMC, and I’m glad to hear that it is still going!” said Troy Sims, one of the group’s founders.
It all began in January 2005 when Rev. Troy Sims and Rev. Dana (Compton) Coker decided to lead the Christian Believer study together. This study is part of the larger Disciple Bible Study series and focuses on theological writings about “orthodox” theological themes through the centuries. The group met in the old Sweeten Room through June, took the summer off, and then resumed in the Fall. Along the way, Dana Coker was appointed to another church, but the core group of laity continued. Troy Sims recalls, “For some, this first study was a challenge as many of us (myself included) realized that maybe we weren’t as ‘orthodox’ in our way of understanding faith as we might have expected! But, we found a bond of relationship that made us want to continue together in January of 2006.”
Next, the group tried Adam Hamilton’s Christianity and World Religions. Although Hamilton’s book was a nice change of pace from Christian Believer, the group found that they wanted something that went deeper. Sims explains, “We really hit our stride when we studied the first Living the Questions (LTQ) curriculum. Featuring the likes of Nancy Ammerman, Marcus Borg, Bishop Minerva Carcaño, John Cobb, John Dominic Crossan, Matthew Fox, Helen Prejean, and Tex Sample, we were stretched while helping us to better articulate our own faith beyond what others told us. And again, our relationships solidified.”
A Study in Practice
The group continued to do other LTQ offerings but also did Jesus in the Gospels Disciple Bible Study, short-term Disciple studies, and various books like Matthew Fox’s Original Blessing. The latter inspired the group to get the church to collect and recycle aluminum cans to support the Wichita Falls Area Food Bank. Also, quite often during the school year, participants would gather after class to pack PowerPaks, food for at-risk school children in the area. “It was a group that wasn’t just interested in studying but also doing,” Sims said. In more recent years, the group continues to serve the community. They have helped prepare and serve dinners for the Metropolitan Community Church (Downtown Dinner) and for Dinner and a Movie Night here at FUMC.
The group was mostly comprised of women through those early years. Sims names stalwarts like Retha Stone, Wanda Hoffman, Cary Campbell, Elizabeth Yeager, Linda Beltchev, Carolyn Bell, and Kim English. Men such as Clark Jones, Marshall Jones, and Jeff Ginn also took part. Attendees also included folks from other churches and even a few clergy from time-to-time.
Carolyn Bell recalls the groups beginning with 8-10 women and notes how significantly it has grown over the years. Today, the group is more diverse, made up of men and women from the following five local churches: First United Methodist, First Christian, First Baptist, Park Place Christian, and the Metropolitan Community Church.
New Leadership
In 2012, Rev. Georgia Harrison took over leadership of the group when she came on staff. During that time, the group shifted from studying Christian books to doing in-depth Bible study. She explains, “We work through an entire book of the Bible, alternating books from the Old Testament and New Testament. In the time I have been here, we have done an in-depth study of 14 Old Testament books and 15 New Testament books. We usually do a book study for the seasons of Lent and Advent.”
Harrison’s favorite thing about this group is the diversity of theology and opinions in the room, along with a willingness to hear other people’s viewpoints, a trend that has been constant throughout the group’s lifespan. Carolyn Bell echoes this sentiment saying, “I enjoy the heartfelt discussions, the openness of sharing, the respect for each other’s opinions, and the group study. You learn so much more when you study scripture with a group! We read the scripture aloud verse by verse. We respect one another’s opinions and grow from listening to the different perspectives.”
Bell adds, “This study is so important to me that I arrange my weekly schedule so that I can be in attendance. I love that it is a safe place to study the Word, to go deeper into scripture, and to share your thoughts and feelings. This study has been foundational for my faith. It has given me confidence and a true understanding of what I believe as a Christian. I hope that others will join us on Thursday mornings for coffee and study.”
Fall Bible Study Retreat
In 2017, the Thursday Bible Study group, in combination with those who attend the First Christian Church Bible Study led by Sherri Sutton, started the Fall Bible Study Retreat at Camp Chaparral as a way to bring the two groups together. Since then, a total of four churches have participated in the event where a guest speaker is brought in for study, lunch, and fun activities.
The retreat’s mission is to provide an event that is grounded in God’s love and grace. In pursuit of that mission, Georgia and the other event organizers “strive to build an environment of mutual trust, to offer an opportunity for fellowship, and to enrich individual spiritual growth for all participants.”
Rev. Georgia Harrison says anyone is welcome to join this group. There is no requirement to know much about the Bible, and all ages are welcome! “We have people from age 25-75, women and men, conservatives and liberals, and everything in between.” She’d love for you to join them and keep this 20-year tradition going strong.
The Thursday Bible Study group meets every Thursday at 10:30 a.m. in the Hospitality Room (110) at First United Methodist Church of Wichita Falls.