First Bishop's Bible Course begins!
The first Bishop's Certificate Course began on 8th October, at Church of Ireland House in Donegall Street. The numbers for the first course were set at 18 and it is fully subscribed with people from across the diocese. Some 18 people have provisionally signed up for 2010.
The course will be on one evening each week for seven weeks per term over three terms and those who successfully complete it will receive a certificate signed by Bishop Harold.
Topics to be covered will include: Why is the Bible so important?; How did the Bible come to us?; Why is the nation of Israel so important?; What we can understand of the God of the Bible?; Who is Jesus?; What is the message of the four gospels?; What does St. Paul tell us?; and much more.
Canon Robert Neill, Rector of Drumbo, who is organising the course and teaching some of its units, comments that the course is, "designed to help people into the Bible, as it were, to enable them to learn more about what they are reading and enhance their understanding so that they achieve much more through their own study of Scripture."
Canon Neill has been ordained for thirty years and has always felt that opening up the Bible was an important part of his ministry. He helps with the training of diocesan readers in Down and Dromore, tutoring them in New Testament. His fellow teacher on the course will be Archdeacon Philip Patterson.
It is hoped that the course will run each year in the diocese and enable and encourage individuals in a deeper study of Scripture and, perhaps, challenge them to develop a calling or ministry.