Being a Christian involves both believing in Christ and belonging to the body of Christ – the church. In a large congregation like St Andrew’s, this sense of belonging is most often developed in growth groups, where we get to know fellow believers on a more personal level.

In my past year at St Andrew’s, I have benefited greatly from being in a group at Oxygen, the small group ministry for young adults. Every week, we gather together to study a Bible passage, discovering the riches of God’s word and seeking to apply these precious truths to our lives. In the middle of a long work week, it is so refreshing to gather with fellow pilgrims and remind ourselves of our true identity in Christ.

As Christians, we believe that the Bible is the very Word of God, and as such, it is worth a whole lifetime of seeking to understand its richness and wisdom. There is something about a small group setting that allows us, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to interact more deeply with a text and unravel its meaning for ourselves. I have often come away from a text we’ve studied seeing its meaning in a new and clearer light.

In the upcoming semester, we are excited to start a Bible overview series that will show how the sixty-six books of the Bible come together to tell a coherent message: the great story of how God worked through history to redeem a people for himself.

COVID-19 has taught me to appreciate the face-to-face interactions I have with my group members. It has also reminded me of Jesus’ words, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away” (Luke 21:33). I hope you will also be encouraged to join a growth group to study God’s Word in fellowship!