An Adventure in Faith

Trust.

Are you a trusting person? Would you get on a bus not knowing where you were going or who was going with you?  

The Rev. Debby Bartley, associate pastor, First United Methodist Church, offered the first Mystery Bible Study in January. These outings combine Bible study, mission and a shared experience of anticipation, guesswork and surprise as participants ride together on the church bus to an unknown destination.

Our driver, Gene Wellinghoff, didn’t have a map, but took directions from Bartley.

“Go east on (Interstate) 70 to 270 south,” said Bartley to Wellinghoff.  All Bartley would tell us is that it would take about 50 minutes to get where we were going.

We drove south for a long time, and the 13 of us on the bus introduced ourselves and played an icebreaker game: “Describe yourself with a word that begins with the last letter of your first name.”

Too many of our first names ended in the letter “y ” and we needed to be inventive with our descriptions. My seat mate, Shirley, had the best with “young at heart,” while one person in the back used “yo-yo.” I wished that I had packed a dictionary as well as my Bible.

Eventually, Bartley told  Wellinghoff to turn west onto Highway 30. Finally, we took a left onto Scottsdale Road to Faith United Methodist Church in House Springs, MO. We were greeted by the Rev. Barbara J. Phiefer, pastor of Faith UMC. She was in outdoor work clothes because she and volunteers were clearing brush on the property that morning.

I had never been to House Springs. I had not traveled some of these roads before.

There is purpose to Bartley’s plan for each of the Mystery Bible Studies. Her intent is to take members of to other United Methodist Churches or to United Methodist-affiliated agencies, not only to visit and share a Bible study, but to help the places they visit with one of their mission projects.

Our instructions for our trip were these: bring your Bible, a lunch with something to drink and a healthy snack for kids that can be put into backpacks. Faith UMC is home to Head Start of House Springs. The last Friday of each month, backpacks are filled with food for the children to take home.

“It’s when food stamps run out," Pfiefer said, adding that the snacks we brought would contribute to backpacks for the 20 students at this Head Start location.

Bartley is organized and travels high tech. A GPS app got us to House Springs, her laptop was ready with a power point presentation including various images of Jesus in the gospel story. She brought coffee and doughnut holes.

We sat around tables in a meeting area off to the side of the lovely sanctuary. It was a gorgeous spring morning, so we opened the windows and heard the birds chirp, felt the cool air and saw sunshine, clouds and sky.

Bartley uses a book by James W. Moore titled The Top Ten List for Christians: Priorities for Faithful Living for these studies.

The topic of the Bible study for the morning was, coincidentally, “Trusting God.”

On the return trip, Bartley and I talked of the previous studies and ideas for the future. She told me that the studies are Monday, Wednesday or Thursday, so people who aren’t able to come on one of those days could come another day of the week. The studies do not rely on previous material, so you can attend any one and not be behind or feel left out.

This Mystery Bible Study idea could be adapted to any size church or denomination. No church bus? Caravan with a couple of cars and then switch places on the way home so everyone gets a chance to ride and talk with everyone else. No laptop? No problem with open Bibles and open-ended questions. 

Taking Bible study out of its regular place and time is a wonderful idea. In a different place, I might see and hear scripture differently than I have before. A Mystery Bible Study is an opportunity to look at scripture with a different mix of people than my usual Bible study group. There is a good chance for a new perspective on familiar stories from the Bible. I consider this all positive--and I might meet new people, see a new place and help others all in the same day.

I recommend the Mystery Bible Study to the members of First UMC, St. Charles. As a visitor--and as a person representing the media--I felt welcomed. I want to thank Bartley for that and all the people on the bus.

Other churches might want to get on board.