Over 175+ Finish the Church-wide Challenge

THE WOODLANDS, Texas -- Over 75 million people identify reading the Bible cover to cover, Genesis to Revelations, as one of their life-long goals. In the Fall of 2009, Christ Church United Methodist issued a church-wide challenge for the congregation to participate in a new bible study titled "Bible in 90 Days".

This challenge was to engage the participants to commit to reading 12 pages each day and getting together with a small group once a week to review what was read, hear from professors and theologians about the material and prepare for the readings over the coming days. Reading 12 pages a day sounds simple, but it is no easy task. After all, life gets us bogged down. And for many, the dream continues to elude them. But for 179 congregation members, the final 90 days of 2009 ended with the closing of one dream and opening of another!


"Over 200 congregation members - and some non-congregation members - began the Bible in 90 Days study. When we finished, we had a completion rate of over 50%," says Rev. Deanna Young, Pastor of Spiritual Formation at Christ Church United Methodist. "The feedback has been so well received that we will be offering it again in January for anyone - congregation member or not - who would be interested in participating". Additionally, there will be studies specific to the Old Testament and New Testament in 2010 which developed from teh feedback from the Bible in 90 Days participants. Their new goal is a deeper understanding of these areas of the Bible.

Some of the Fall session participants remarked, "My prayer life has changed. I am more 'in tune' with daily, hourly time with God. This course has increased my faith (which I thought was rock solid) and I am in a better place!"


"Everyone knows the Bible stories, but this program helps in understanding. I would not have read the Bible if not for this program," states another participant in an anonymous survey conducted at the end of the session.


Everyone began the challenge on August 30, 2009, when they attended the first session of The Bible in 90 Days. Small group sessions were held each week night and on weekends to give everyone interested a chance to participate. Each week for 14 weeks, small group sessions featured exercises, guest speakers via a video feed, and previews & reviews of reading. But classes were secondary -- the real focus of the course was each participant's mission of reading the Bible from cover to cover.


Most agree that the reading was challenging but manageable. They also enjoyed a deep sense of satisfaction from completing the process. "I wish I had done this 20 years ago!" declares one participant.


To varying degrees, each participant needed to rearrange some priorities in their lives. To achieve reading 12 pages a day, some carried their Bible in 90 Day bible with them everywhere to get a page or a paragraph in while waiting in line for kids, food or the doctor's office.


Both veteran and novice students of the Bible benefited from the experience.


You certainly don't have to register for the course to read the bible in 90 days. "However, the success rate is much higher with the course. There are several reasons for this, including: accountability, structure, group support, public commitment, question & answer sessions... plus increased learning due to the resources provided in the course. Individual responses to each of these elements vary from person to person. But, these and other elements work in concert to help participants complete the process" says Ted Cooper, author of the Bible in 90 Days program.


When asked why the Bible in 90 Day program is so effective, Cooper replies "I think it works because its sole goal is to help people do something that God wants us to do, which is to read His Word. All of it. The course is geared exclusively to helping participants complete this mission: To read, attentively, every word of the Bible in 90 days. Everything we develop or select for the course furthers that mission. Along the way comes insight and discussion and community and study... but the focus is always on the one thing that most people will die without ever doing -- reading the entire Bible".


If you've read the above and thought to yourself, "Maybe I should do that", then maybe you should! Please join us as we begin Cover 2 Cover: the Bible in 90 Days here at Christ Church on Wednesday's at 7 p.m. beginning Wednesday, Jan. 6. The cost is $20, which includes a special reading Bible and all course materials. If you register after the 6th - you can still participate and catch up on the reading!

For questions, contact Rev. Deanna Young at 936 273-2030 ext. 226 or register online at cc-um.org.