Summer Reading
Are you ready to “Read with Us” again? Many of you read the Bible with us in 2024. It was a powerful experience for me, Pastor Dawn, and Pastor Kerry as we preached through the Bible. I have heard from many of you about the great God moments you had and the things you learned. I also heard that many of you are reading Bible Recap again in 2025! The Bible Recap is truly an amazing resource. Sara and I are reading it again as well, as it will probably become a part of my yearly study of scripture.
One thing that stood out to me, especially as we entered into reading the New Testament, was how quick we read through the material. It seemed like the gospels flew by as well as Paul’s letters. Each week we would have multiple places within the books to choose to preach and I for one felt like I would have liked to slow down and spend more time in the New Testament after what seemed like a long time in the minor prophets of the Old Testament.
As your clergy team has reflected on last year we too would have like to have taken more time to reflect on the different books. We also miss preaching on a Bible reading plan. To be honest, it was a rewarding challenge each week to preach on what we had all read. We have missed doing that in 2025. So, we have decided to read the New Testament again. This time though, we want to read less chapters a day and take time to reflect on what God is trying to speak to us.
Beginning the Monday after Easter, April 21, we are asking you to read the New Testament with your clergy team. We are creating our own reading plan which will do a few things:
1.) You will read less a day.
The reading plan will normally be two chapters a day.
2.) We will read the Bible in the traditional book setting way.
This means we will not read chronologically but take each book as it comes.
3.) We will begin Acts the weekend before Pentecost.
This will give us the spring to read the gospels and the summer for the rest of the New Testament. I believe this plan, which again begins April 21, will allow us to preach on not only passages but even book themes.
I know that spring and summer are busy times for everyone. It seems this was the most challenging time period for people in reading the Bible Recap. Therefore the shorter time commitment for each day’s reading should make it easier to keep up. Plus, we are taking Sundays as a break day each week, which will allow a day to catch up on reading.
I am excited about the reading plan and the sermon series, entitled Summer Reading. Please plan to join us beginning April 21. You will be able to pick up a reading plan at the Information booth in the atrium or access the plan online. What I am really excited about is the opportunity to read and reflect on scripture again with you. God really moved and honored our commitment to His Word. I am excited to see what God will do again this summer!
Pastor Rob Holifield