English Speaking Group Bible Study in Laureles

Hello from beautiful Medellin, Colombia. Grace Church Medellin is pleased to announce a new English Speaking Group Bible Study in Laureles beginning Tuesday September 3rd at 7:00 pm. Grace Church Medellin officially started our ministry on March 1, 2019. We minister through “Bible-study, fellowship groups” using guidelines established by Saddleback Church in California. We currently have two groups in Poblado, and we are excited to announce our brand new group in Laureles. God has worked out the details in just the past few days. We now have a local church and pastor who are providing the space. They saw what God is doing and immediately wanted to be a part.

Thank you to Pastor Carlos Roberto Cardenas and Iglesia Cristiana Confraternidad (Christian Fellowship Church) for helping to make this group a reality. Here are the details:

• Where – Calle 32F, No 78-36, Laureles, Medellin, Antioquia
• When – Tuesday Nights at 7:00 beginning September 3, 2019

What To Expect In The Group

Our groups are totally English-speaking. Occasionally we have a spouse or guest who doesn’t speak English and we do what we can to make the time meaningful for them. We emphasize fellowship and interactive study of the Bible. We sing new and old Christian songs and hymns, with lyrics and music from Videos. In our study time, we read passages from the Bible and then discuss the meaning and how we can apply the Bible to our daily lives. We pray specifically for one another’s needs, and look forward to seeing God answer our prayers. And we end each meeting with Communion, remembering Jesus Christ’s ultimate sacrifice in which He paid in full the penalty for our sins. We plan the meestings to last 1 1/2 hours, and we will do our best to maintain that schedule so you can get home at a reasonable time.

How We Study The Bible

We believe the Bible is the Word of God, verbally inspired in every word, absolutely inerrant, and the only infallible rule of faith and practice. We study the Bible by selecting a book of the Bible and studying it verse-by-verse. In that way, we take the Bible as God wrote it. Everyone is encouraged to read and express their observations or ask questions. In this way we can all grow together. For this study, we will start in Chapter 1 of the Gospel of John.

Our Groups in Poblado

As shown in the photos below, we have two different groups in Poblado. One meets during the day because most of the members are retired from North America and live or are visiting in Medellin. We thought that ministering to retirees was going to be our primary focus. But shortly after we started, several younger people contacted us and asked for a night group because they worked during the day. Michael and Nichole Thayer volunteered to host that group so now we have two small group Bible studies. Our morning group continues to have between 7 and 12 people depending on illness and travel schedules. And the night group is alive and well with an average attendance of 8-10. The night group has had as many as 15 participants.

Both of our groups continue to study the Gospel of John, which is proving to be an excellent study. We are learning so much about Jesus and the many ways He is clearly revealed as Fully God in the flesh who existed before creation and through whom everything was created.

Our New English Speaking Group in Laureles

Laureles is a Bario in Medellin that is the second-favorite area for English speakers. We have been considering for several months how to start a group there. Unknown to us, the Lord was away ahead of us. This past weekend, Paulette and I visited Laureles (about 30 minutes by bus in light traffic). An acquaintance from Georgia owns a restaurant (Sweet Georgia Cafe) that is very popular with Expats. He took us around the corner to a Spanish speaking Baptist Church. We visited with them Saturday, came back for church on Sunday, and met with the Pastor. One of their members spoke fluent English and stayed with us the entire time to translate.

After sharing our story and desire for an English speaking Christian group for a few minutes, Pastor Carlos pretty-much insisted that we use their space for the group. That was more than we could hope for! He also committed to helping us get the word out. We are praising God. Then a few days later, we met with another Pastor of a Spanish Christian Church. This time he spoke very good English which made our meeting much easier. He was very encouraging, agreed to help publicize the group, and knew Pastor Carlos very well. And he gave us a few more contacts.

Our Outreach Methods

So far, our outreach process has basically been through our website and Facebook page. But we have been considering more. For several months we have talked about wearing shirts with a message in English – “Ask Me About Our Bible Study Groups”. This week our talk changed to action, and now we have 12 such shirts. We believe the Holy Spirit will use these shirts to draw people to us for more information.

To kick off our new group in Laureles, we also designed and purchased posters. We will be placing these in high-traffic areas in hopes of reaching more English speakers who might like to check us out.

Thanks for your comment. Be sure and leave a comment below. And let us know if there is any way we can minister to or pray with/for you.

Steve Tuggle