Catching The Spark Bible Study Series is BACK!
One of the joys of working on a long-term project is finally reaching the point where ideas become experiences.
Over the past year, we've been sharing pieces of our Prayer & Bible Study Initiative, one of the projects taking shape through our You Are Not Alone campaign. We've talked about the need we heard in our listening sessions: a desire for meaningful engagement with Scripture, opportunities to gather around the Bible together, and approaches to Bible study that help people move beyond simply reading the text toward truly exploring it.
This fall, we're excited to begin the next chapter of that work.
Catching the Spark is officially launching this September.
If you've been following along, you may remember that we first piloted Catching the Spark a couple of years ago in partnership with our friend, Dr. Derek Suderman of Conrad Grebel University College. Those early gatherings gave us the opportunity to experiment, gather feedback, and discover what resonated most with participants. Since then, we've continued refining the experience and thinking about how these gatherings can serve congregations well. Now we're ready to begin again!
Starting on September 17th, we'll be hosting Catching the Spark as a four-week gathering at Erb Street Mennonite Church in Waterloo. Together, we'll explore the Book of Ruth while introducing approaches to reading Scripture that encourage creative observation, thoughtful questions, and meaningful conversation. Although Ruth will be our starting point, our hope is that participants leave with ways of engaging the Bible that they can carry into any passage they study in the future.
The goal is to help people rediscover the joy of reading Scripture together.
One of the things we especially appreciate about Derek's approach is that it doesn't depend on having all the answers. Instead, it begins with learning to notice, ask better questions, slow down, and to trust that careful reading and shared conversation can reveal things we might otherwise overlook. These are practices that can enrich personal devotional reading just as much as they can strengthen small groups, Sunday school classes, and congregational Bible studies…. and this is just the beginning.
Following the Waterloo series, we'll be taking Catching the Spark on the road later this fall with our first Catching the Spark Weekend in the Listowel area. We'll share more details about that event in the coming weeks, and we're excited to continue expanding these gatherings into other communities as the initiative grows.
As we said when we first introduced this project, we're not trying to replace the Bible studies already happening in churches across Canada. Our hope is to encourage them. To resource leaders and create spaces where people experience the richness of Scripture together and leave eager to keep reading.
Thank you to everyone who has offered ideas, encouragement, and feedback as this project has taken shape. Your insights have helped us refine Catching the Spark into something we believe will continue to grow and serve churches well in the years ahead.
We're looking forward to gathering around Scripture with many of you this fall.
Catching The Spark This Fall!
Using the Book of Ruth as our guide, we'll experiment with approaches that uncover new insights and open fresh perspectives. While our focus will be on Ruth, the practices you'll experience can be used with any passage of Scripture, enriching personal study, group discussion, preaching, and teaching.
Session 1: The Return of Naomi and Ruth
Session 2: Gleaning in Boaz's Field
Session 3: Ruth Demands a Response
Session 4: Boaz and Ruth’s Marriage: a Redemption Story
Thursday from 7:00pm - 8:30pm starting September 17th
Erb Street Mennonite Church: 131 Erb Street W. Waterloo Ontario
Tickets at $20 (supported tickets available if the ticket price is a barrier)