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I have constructed a Bible class for the adults in our parish using Understanding the Scriptures (ISBN: 1-890177-47-4), a high school textbook authored by Dr. Scott Hahn and published by the Midwest Theological Forum, an Opus Dei publishing house. This post will describe how I organized and put together this course. You may purchase this textbook for $45 a copy from mwtf.org (this is the lowest price possible), and the Teacher’s Manual is available for $40 (ISBN: 1-890177-49-0).

Our parish Bible class has been publicized on both the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology website (here) and in the Center’s monthly newsletter, which is entitled Breaking the Bread. This newsletter is mailed monthly to those who financially support the Center, something I highly recommend to those looking to help the advancement of Biblical literacy among the faithful. The St. Paul Center is an apostolate founded by Dr. Scott Hahn, and it has already born great fruits through exciting conferences and both online and printed publications. Understanding the Scriptures is one such fruit of the Center.

The course is structured around the chapters of the textbook. There are 30 chapters, and the course is composed of 32 sessions. The first session is introductory. The next 30 sessions cover each chapter of the textbook (one chapter per week). The final session is a group social event to celebrate the completion of the course.

Getting People to Participate

I will begin by explaining what I did to get approximately 90 people to participants in this Bible course (quite a large number, even for our parish). First, I began by placing a Scripture commentary in the Sunday bulletin each week. In it, I tie together the four readings (including the psalm), showing how they fit together. This started interest in learning the Bible to better appreciate and to get more out of the Liturgy of the Word. (I am currently compiling these commentaries together for future publication).

Next, I began by advertising for the study by surveying the whole parish as to what day and time would work best for each parishioner. This survey was put on our parish website, in the bulletin, in the town newspaper, and on 3 x 5 inch registration cards in the back of our church and in our perpetual Eucharistic adoration chapel. This survey was administered for around 5 weeks. This helps the parishioners feel like they have a voice in the study, and it gives them a sense of ownership (and it does). It also helps get the word out. People start talking about it and asking questions.

Through a local printing company, I published on cardstock paper a two-sided letter size handout (1,000 of them). On both sides of this handout, I described the textbook, placed a picture of the textbook, told about the nature of the study, and gave any other important information the people would need to know. In one corner of the handout, I placed a 3 x 5 inch textbox which served as the registration card. Then, people cut out the registration cards and mailed these in, put them in the Sunday collection basket, or dropped them off at the parish office. They also were given the option of registering online on the Bible study portion of our website: Bible.BrenhamCatholic.org.

This handout (printed on cardstock paper) was inserted into all of the bulletins on one weekend I had designated in the summer time to promote this upcoming Scripture study. I recommend having your pastor promote the study in his homily. After the post-communion prayer at each Mass on this weekend, I spoke for 5 minutes on the Scripture study. I didn’t just read a pre-written presentation. Rather, I held up the textbook, showed the congregation some of the pages, and I gave a personal invitation to register. I also called active adults in our parish and asked them to register and to encourage their friends, family, and co-workers to register. In most parishes, a personal invitation and word of mouth is most effective.

Budgeting, Costs, and Collecting Money

The cost for the course was set at $45 to cover the cost of the textbook. For those who could not afford the textbook, partial or full scholarships were given, and I made this opportunity clear from the outset so people would not be deterred from the course for financial reasons. Couples were allowed to share one textbook, so two people could participate for only one registration fee, and many couples took advantage of this. Our parish absorbed the shipping and handling costs of the textbooks.

In the end, our parish covered the costs for the following: newspaper advertisements, printing costs, shipping & handling, nametags, scholarships, and a large 4 x 6 foot dry-erase board. These costs vary tremendously depending upon the advertising costs (including to what degree and form of advertising you wish to implement) and what equipment you will need to present. We neded to purchase the dry-erase board for our class in the gymnasium because we did not have a large enough free-standing writing surface available for when I taught the Wednesday evening group (our largest group). I was also able to find a donor for half the price of this board, which was a great help.

People were given a variety of payment options. They could (1) prepay online using any major credit card (using PayPal), (2) prepay by dropping off their registration card and payment at the parish office, (3) prepay by putting their registration card and payment in a blank envelope of their own and dropping it off in the Sunday collection basked, (4) prepay by by mailing their registration card and payment to the office, (5) pay the first day of class, or (6) choose the scholarship option, with no questions asked (we covered the full cost for everyone who requested a scholarship, which only amounted to a few people).

Most people opted to pay on the first day of class, but that didn’t hurt our cash flow because I put the textbooks on a credit card by ordering them 10 days before the first day of class. That way, the checks and cash were deposited before the credit card bill came in the mail. I use a Visa card for all purchases I make for the parish. It helps me itemize, keeps my parish purchases separate from my personal purchases, and it is versatile - I keep it with me at all times, so if I just happen to be at Wal-Mart and need to pick up something, I have the flexibility to do so.

Organizing the Course

From the survey’s results, I scheduled two identical weekly sessions. The first is on Tuesday mornings from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. This session allows for those who do not want to commute at night to attend the study, and most of this group is composed of homemakers and retired parishioners. It also allows for the participants to have the time to go over to the church and prepare themselves for the 12:15 p.m. Mass we offer every Tuesday afternoon.

I scheduled the second session for Wednesday evenings from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m., and about three times as many people as the Tuesday group registered for this time. In fact, there were so many people (approximately 65), that the only place on our parish campus that would fit that many chairs with tables facing in one direction is our gymnasium. So, every Wednesday night, we have been meeting in our parish gymnasium where I use the dry-erase board. On Tuesday mornings, I use a chalkboard provided in the classroom.

You could arrange for there to be refreshments, and I opted not to for the sake of simplicity and to have as much time as possible to teach during each session. However, it was very important that I provided childcare for the Wednesday evening session. So, I arranged for three childcare providers (all are of high school age) to take care of the children. When people registered, I asked whether they needed childcare, and in hindsight, I should have asked how many to gauge how many sitters I would need to round up.

During the first introductory session, I collected money and distributed textbooks. At the end of the session, I assigned as homework Chapter 1. That way, the second session would cover what they had read in Chapter 1. The third session would cover what they had read in Chapter 2, and so forth. Thankfully, the chapters are not long at all, and they are fun to read. Asking the participants to read one chapter a week is in no way too much because of the abundance of pictures, charts, timelines, maps, the font size, and margin space. At the end of each session, I distribute a 2-sided handout that has on it the answers to the questions in the back of that chapter. These answers are available in the Teacher’s Manual.

The Wednesday evening participants (5/6 of them)

Teaching the Course

What is unique about my situation is that I have spent the past six years studying Scripture with an emphasis upon what Dr. Scott Hahn has written and taught. I earned my M.A. in Theology and Christian Ministry from Franciscan University of Steubenville, where Dr. Hahn teaches as a professor of Sacred Scripture. This background has given me a good grounding in the Biblical concepts underlying Understanding the Scriptures. When I prepare for class, I pull out my class notes, books I own (e.g. A Father Who Keeps His Promises), and my marked-up Bible to put together a teaching outline that teaches more than what the textbook provides. One example: I go deeper into the meaning of the covenant and oath-swearing. I emphasize that the covenant is a kinship bond, the blessings and curses associated with it, and the necessity of the swearing of an oath (Hebrew: shevah; Latin: sacramentum). This allows me to connect the material to the nature of the Christian sacraments, which provide entrance into and renewal of the New Covenant and serve as the foundation for the blessings needed to live out the life of grace, life in Christ.

It is important to understand that the teacher of the class is very important, and at the same time, he/she does not need the background that I have. To emphasize the first point, the teacher should be well acquainted with the material by having read the chapter well in advance and have put together a teaching outline for each session. The Church places great emphasis upon the catechist in her documents on teaching the faith. One example is the Congregation for Evangelization’s document titled Guide for Catechists (accessible here). Not just anyone should teach this course. The teacher should be in full communion with the Church, regularly receive the sacraments, have a strong prayer life, and be committed to the task. To stress the second point, the Teacher’s Manual is a great resource to prepare your lesson from. It is designed for teachers, so use it! Anyone who is given the charism for teaching (1 Cor 12:28; Eph 4:11; Jam 3:1) and who has the desire to live out this vocation is suitable for the task. We are weak and feeble creatures, and the grace of God is what empowers us to do what we are called to. So, if you feel God’s tug on your heart, test it out!

We begin each session with prayer. Announcements are made, and I give out any handouts I will be teaching from. Following this, I teach without intermission for about 80 minutes. We close with prayer and by passing out the answers to the questions at the end of the chapter the participants were to read for that lesson. The reason I wait until then is to avoid giving the participants the temptation to read the answer sheet during the presentation and then miss out on anything taught.

Our Bible Study Prayer

Lord Jesus Christ, be present now,
And let your Holy Spirit bow
All hearts in love and truth today
To hear your word and keep your way.

Give us the grace to grasp your word,
That we may do what we have heard.
Instruct us through the Scriptures, Lord,
As we draw near, O God adored.

To God the Father and the Son
And Holy Spirit, three in one;
To you, O blessed Trinity
Be praise throughout eternity.

(download this prayer)

More to Come

I am considering publishing my teaching outlines.? Unfortunately, we did not record the session covering Chapter 1, but I might just re-record this lesson.? Fortunately, I will be able to podcast each session that I do record,?beginning with Chapter 2.? To learn more about how to subscribe to the podcast and listen to these presentations, select the “Podcast” tab at the very top of this page.