Adult Bible Study: Developing a Closer Understanding of God

In the Gospel, Jesus makes clear that He does not intend for our spirituality to be an individual endeavor. Instead, He promises us to be present in a special way every time we choose to experience prayer, worship, and faith formation in community — “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:20).

Here at St. John Before the Latin Gate, we are blessed to have a Bible study group that offers parishioners an additional opportunity to learn and grow in their faith together. Our Adult Bible Study is facilitated by Jim Fangmeier. Jim has been a participant in Bible study groups for close to 50 years, experiencing firsthand the many benefits of this continued faith formation.

“By studying and understanding the Bible, people develop a closer understanding of God,” Jim says. “Even in Catholic school, we were taught the religion for a child’s intellect, and through the Gospel of Matthew. many of us never received the instruction on an adult level. The Scripture is an integral part of Catholic teaching, and it will all fit together for you and delve right into the pinnacle of worship, which is the holy sacrifice of the Mass.”

In addition to increasing our “book” knowledge of the faith and Catholic doctrine, making the time to read and learn about the Bible — especially in a group setting — is a great way to develop a closer walk with Christ.

“You’ve probably heard people make the comment, ‘I’ve read the Bible front to back three times,’” Jim says. “And I say, ‘What are you going to do to understand it?’ It’s very difficult to understand on your own because there is a problem with the translation of language, the customs of those times versus now, and so on. If you don’t have somebody to guide you through it, it’s awfully hard to understand what the Bible is saying. So together, we try to clarify things so that there’s a better understanding of what’s going on.”

Last year, our Adult Bible Study followed the Book of Revelation. In previous years, the group covered the Book of Acts, the Gospel of John, and more. With the hopes of resuming meetings in 2021, after a long break due to COVID-19, Jim plans on facilitating a study that covers the history of the chosen people of God from Genesis through the Gospel of Matthew.

There is no cost for the Bible study other than the purchase of a workbook. The meetings have a very open and welcoming atmosphere, so participants can feel relaxed and comfortable sharing their thoughts and questions with the group.

Over the last several years, our Adult Bible Study has grown from a relatively small number of people to over 25 regular participants! Jim is quick to thank the many people in our parish who come together to make these faith formation opportunities possible.

“We have the support of our priests and deacons,” he says. “Fr. John is really great at being available when I talk about what I want to do, and he is very cooperative and supportive. Also, Sandy Pickett has another adult group that meets in the afternoons for those who don’t want to be out in the dark. Credit also goes to my predecessors in facilitating this group. No man is an island — it takes the work of everybody.”

Jim hopes that many parishioners will come check out our Adult Bible Study once it is up and running again. After all, there is nothing quite like the feeling of gathering to dive in and explore the Word of God together as a group!

“If I do my job well and the material is good, people get excited about it,” Jim says. “The high point is when everybody is really working together and talking a lot about the subject. Sometimes people will ask a question, and off you go with multiple conversations! You get a lot of views, and people have really good ideas. That is always exciting.”

Our Adult Bible Study is hoping to resume its usual Monday evening meetings soon. For more information, please contact Jim Fangmeier at 918-333-0023 or jfangm@aol.com.

Jim Fangmeier is the facilitator of our Adult Bible Study.