An exciting new development is coming to the Cathedral’s Bible study programme. This morning we have started broadcasting the weekly “Cathedral Bible Study” through TV and on the web. It will be broadcast each Sunday at the very favourable time of 7:30 am—just as many Christians are getting ready for church.
The core of Christian fellowship is being gathered by the word of God to prayerfully and obediently hear the word of God. So it is not surprising but usual that Christians gather to study God’s word. Sometimes this takes the form of small group discussion or teaching, sometimes lectures or sermon—but the hearing of God’s word is central to Christian gatherings.
Each of our congregations has Bible study groups operating. Many of these meet mid-week but some are on Sunday before the main gatherings. If you are interested in joining one, please ask the staff, or the person leading the congregation, or phone the office on 9265 1661 during business hours.
If you are completely new to Bible study, or a bit over-awed because you do not know much or are not sure you know how to study—then do not worry we would love to help you. The groups are not there to intimidate but to help. Nobody is going to be embarrassed into reading out loud or required to answer questions. We even have special beginners groups if you prefer to start there.
Some of our Bible studies are for members “across the congregations” and some are “public Bible studies” which we advertise outside of the Cathedral for anybody to join.
One Bible study that serves people from across the congregations is “Thursday at Ten”. It is a Bible study for women from any of our congregations. It meets in school terms in the Chapter House. Women from various congregations come to study the Bible in small groups. There is a crèche for the pre-school children.
One of our “public Bible studies” is our one-day men’s convention called “Train”. It is to be held on the holiday Monday next weekend. A key part of Train will be eight half hour talks on Genesis 1-11.
Another of our “public Bible studies” is held on Thursday lunchtime in the chapter house. It is called the City Bible Forum. The forum gives opportunities to ask questions of the speaker.
About two years ago we commenced the “Cathedral Bible Study”, held each Tuesday at lunchtime. The “Cathedral Bible Study” draws a crowd of nearly 100 people for the thirty-minute talk. Hopefully this will grow with added advertising. At the moment we are working through Ephesians.
Nothing beats coming into the company of other Christians to hear God’s word taught. But in the age of mass electronic communication we have the added opportunity of spreading the teaching of God’s word to multitudes of people who can never meet with us.
As the printed word was to the fifteenth century and the radio and cassette was to the twentieth; so the wonders of the digital world have opened up new opportunities for communication in the twenty-first century. Digital technology has meant that we can make and transmit visual images cheaply and quickly around the world.
Our friends from Audio Advice record the Cathedral Bible Study each week. They send the recording to the TV and place it on the web. They will also be recording and distributing next weekends Men’s convention: Train.
The Sunday morning TV broadcast can be seen on the Australian Christian Channel. This channel comes as the free part of pay TV providers package. If you use a digital receiver or a set top box, this is Channel 46 on the free-to-air channels. It can also be watched live on the Internet. If like me, most of this is technologically beyond you, then catch the train and come into the Cathedral to be part of the real event on Tuesdays at 1:10pm.
