Bible study group guidelines – handout one
Bible circle: a bible circle is a group of persons who dedicate themselves to deepen their knowledge of the Scriptures. It is a journey of faith, learning for the experiences of men and women in the Bible so that a new way of life can germinate from a constant with the Word of life.
Unlike what happens during Bible sharing, in a bible circle it is allowed to discuss to contradict the other if one does not share the same view with him/her. However, the study should be done in an atmosphere of fraternal charity so that one’s intervention doesn’t offend whoever is in the study group. The study should take place in an atmosphere of prayer, because it is not like any other study, but of a biblical text, or the Word of God.
Preliminary steps:
– Material of study:
1. Photocopies of the bible passage to study
2. A Bible with explanatory notes (The Jerusalem Bible, the African Bible…)
3. A pen
– Choose the moderator of the Bible Circle (a priest, a nun, a brother, a catechist, a professor of religion, etc.) His/her role is to facilitate the sharing. He/she should see that each member shares his views…
– Make the group sit around the table will lighted candle and open bible if possible.
Method 1:
1. Opening prayer or a song (3-5 minutes)
2. Reading of the biblical passage by a person chosen by the moderator (3-5 minutes)
3. Each member of the group reads the text for himself and mark it by the following signs on the margin of the photocopied text.
a) ?: before an expression not understood.
b) !: for something discovered for the first time.
c) = (arrow): something which strikes your heart.
4. Explaining what is not understood (30 minutes)
a) The moderator asks the members about what they have understood.
b) The moderator asks if one member can explain the problem. They can react one by one. The moderator may be the last to intervene.
c) The moderator may also consult explanatory notes in the Bible to see whether the problem is explained (the African Bible, the Bible of Christian Communities and the Jerusalem Bible are very good for biblical study).
d) If the group doesn’t solve this problem, they can keep it. Each participant should go and ask somebody who is more competent and he/she will give the feedback to the group during the next meeting.
Nota: If there is no difficulty/problem, the animator reads the notes of the Bible concerning the studied text.
5. Sharing about discoveries (20 minutes)
a) The moderator asks each member what he/she has discovered, marked by!
b) The moderator consults again the Bible to see whether the new discoveries are explained.
6. Sharing:
a) The moderator asks each member what has struck him/her, passages marked by = (arrows)
b) If one wishes, he/she could say why this passage has struck him/her.
7. Closing prayer or a song (3-5 minutes)
Comments:
This approach is being used at St Peter in the archdiocese of Durban where a group of parishioners meet regularly every Wednesday from 18h00 to 19h39 around the Word of God. The group explores the Scriptures and uses various techniques of bible sharing, the Lectio Divina and windows on the Scriptures from the Catholic Bible Foundation (Johannesburg). Family biblical forum is organised every last Friday of the month when families come together, sit around tables, and discuss given themes following a video projection of the scriptural account to be studied. The celebration begins with holy hour and ends with a sharing of snacks.