EfM to Me

When I started EfM seven years ago, I wanted to know more about the Bible—specifically, the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible. I had been involved in many Bible studies over the years, but they all focused on the New Testament and usually only the gospels. I was hungry to know more, to understand more, to go deeper. What I have gotten is so much more.

Circumstances caused a gap between my first year and my second. However, I did learn a lot about the Old Testament, and read the real stories of Moses, David, Noah, Jonah and the ”whale”. And I finally read Isaiah and his prophecies that are quoted by Jesus in the New Testament. Boy, all those movies I watched over the years sure got a lot of it wrong! I also got a new appreciation for metaphors, because the Bible is full of them.

The very best thing I got out of that year was the friends I made. Even though COVID and distance have changed so much of our lives, I still am close with about half of that group. Those friendships have enriched my life and would never have happened without EfM.

Because EfM is designed for all four years to be working independently and as a group, there is an opportunity to discuss not only your own reading but the other years as well. No one is ignored, and everyone is treated with respect and love. We share news about our lives over a meal provided by someone different each week, and everyone gets a chance to share. But you can pass if you choose – I don’t think anyone ever did. Many times, just talking about something made it easier to deal with. We open and close our time together with prayer.

Last September, after 7 years, I started my second year. In those years in between, my life has taken some very unexpected turns. Being a full-time caregiver to my ALS husband leaves me very little time to myself, but I know I have to do things just for me in order to be able to do the best for him. We talked it over and decided that I needed to get back into EfM and continue my spiritual journey before his health got worse and he needed me more. I registered and started right after Labor Day along with six others – three of whom were also in Year Two.

We start each year by presenting our own personal spiritual journey to date. It was hard talking about the changes in all aspects of my life since my husband’s ALS diagnosis, but a big part of what gets me through each day is my faith, and my faith got me through that. Listening to the others gave me some insight into them and their journeys. I was a long way from comfortable or at ease, but I was getting there.

Year Two is the New Testament – for me – in one word, challenging. Especially Paul and his letters. Anyone who’s been in a Bible Study with me knows how low my opinion of Paul is. I tried to keep an open mind but reading the letters – REALLY reading them – l found my opinion didn’t change much, but I do feel I understand him more. And I have learned that reading the Bible in context is the best way to read it. The biggest challenge for me this year has been the Theological Reflections – especially leading them. Theological Reflections, or TRs, are designed to guide the group through a spiritual reflection about a “subject” using specific questions and guidelines. Each person contributes to the discussion and through those guidelines, finds themselves a little deeper into their spiritual journey. That’s a very basic explanation of a TR. Hard as they are for me, I find myself listening and reflecting more before I speak during discussions. The growth I experienced this year, both through the TRs and the Year Two reading, is beyond my ability to put into words.

The theme for this year was “Living As Spiritually Mature Christians.” I feel certain that I have matured as a Christian and as a person this year. Our readings, reflections, and community have made me go deeper within myself than ever before. This year’s Interlude books challenged my personal beliefs more than I was honestly comfortable with at times, but I listened to the others, asked questions, and tried to express myself with some small bit of intelligence. More than once, I was asking myself what I’d gotten into. But as the year comes to a close, I know that I am not the person I was back in September. I have been challenged, heard, comforted, appreciated, and allowed to be myself without judgement. I am friends with those people I barely knew, and I care very much for each one of them. I also have a stack of books for summer reading whose titles came from conversations and/or references to them in our reading. I still want to know more.

Education for Ministry is not a Bible Study, nor is it a preparation for ordained ministry. It is an intense, guided program to knowing yourself better, going further on your personal spiritual journey, and developing your own theological perspective. It can help you be better equipped to take on a leadership role, to lead better in a current role, or just better lead through your actions, words, and how you treat others. It is worth every penny you spend. EfM will change your life.

To find out more about EfM in your area visit: www.edsd.org/discipleship/efm