Following a successful and well-received Good Book Club during Lent and Easter, plans are being finalized for the next Good Book Club journey – the reading of St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans during the Epiphany season.
 
The Good Book Club is an Episcopal churchwide initiative.  In its first outing, the Good Book Club invited the reading of the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles during the liturgical seasons of Lent and Easter 2018.  Led by Forward Movement, the Good Book Club readings finished on Pentecost (May 20).
 
The reaction was overwhelmingly positive.  “We were thrilled to see the broader church come together to read the Bible together, every day,” noted Richelle Thompson, Forward Movement Deputy Director.  “Along with our partners, we heard from people across the church—from around the United States, in Canada, and even Uruguay—tell us about how the experience strengthened and deepened their spiritual lives. And they asked to do it again, with another Good Book Club!”
 
Using their own Bible, online Bible studies, podcasts, video series, daily devotionals, in-person studies, and other resources from over 20 partner organizations, resources were widely accessible in print and digital formats, with social media sharing the wide variety of engagement opportunities throughout the church.
 
“Responses to a pre- and post-Good Book Club survey of participants show that the Good Book Club had a positive impact on participants,” Thompson said. “Those who took part reported growth in their understanding of, and desire to engage more with Scripture, as well as a deepening of their prayer life. Perhaps most significantly, the percentage of people who reported reading the Bible on a daily basis increased to 73 percent at the end of the first Good Book Club reading, from 45 percent when it began.”
 
Building on the enthusiasm and interest, the next reading will be in 2019 during the liturgical season of Epiphany, starting on January 7 to Wednesday, March 6 (Ash Wednesday).
 
In the survey, participants picked Romans as the top contender for the next Good Book Club, expressing a desire to continue learning about Paul and his missionary travels.
 
Sign up for email alerts at www.goodbookclub.org to stay up-to-date about Good Book Club plans.
 
Partners
Partners in the Good Book Club are:

The Episcopal Church
Forward Movement
Acts 8 Movement
Building Faith at the Center for the Ministry of Teaching
Center for Biblical Studies
Consortium of Endowed Episcopal Parishes
ChurchNext
Episcopal Camps and Conference Centers
Episcopal Church Office of Latino/Hispanic Ministries
Episcopal Church Women (ECW)
Episcopal Church Women ReadCreate
Episcopal Church Foundation
Episcopal Communicators
Episcopal Migration Ministries
https://www.episcopalrelief.org/
Forma
Gathering of Leaders
Grow Christians
Invite*Welcome*Connect
Missional Voices
PlainSong Farm
RenewalWorks
The Living Church
United Thank Offering
 
For more information, contact Jason Merritt at jmerritt@forwardmovement.org.