The Bible and Spiritual Life Community is seeking funding to support two regional Bible workshops in Southern California and Texas in early 2018. Both will feature our long-time Community member Barry Huff, Associate Professor of Religion at Principia College. Richard Davenport, our Executive Director, will also be part of this program and he describes his long-time friend this way:

“Barry is concluding his lengthy and very substantial PhD dissertation this coming summer. In his mid-thirties, he represents the future of Bible scholarship in the Christian Science Movement. His dissertation work and teaching commitments in the classroom, where college students have repeatedly chosen him one of their favorite instructors, have kept him from speaking in the field for a number of years. I am so grateful for his enthusiasm in making appearing again in our Community such a priority as he becomes available to speak. The subjects of these two workshops will feature Barry’s expertise in the Book (and questions) of Job.

·       How do we respond when our prayers don’t appear answered?

·       When confronted with seemingly intractable challenges – physically, relationally, financially, spiritually -- how do we address feelings of guilt, shame, failure, or responsibility?

·       How does the Bible support us in the dark moments when God seems silent, when our despair feels overwhelming?”

Our successful conferences of this past summer, and the surge in attendance in our virtual offerings this fall, have confirmed the eagerness of our Community to explore these subjects. We think many newcomers of all ages will enjoy Barry’s discussions of these issues that reach beyond any one religious community. Inviting non-Christian Science friends and younger adults would be natural.

As expressions of our deep appreciation for your tax-deductible donations to meet our $15,000 goal, we offer the following:

For $50 donations, you will receive a signed copy of our newest Foundation Stones volume on Matthew that includes a summary Coda of the whole twelve volume series.

For $100 donations, your choice of a free audio download of one of the following:

·       The talks at the 2016 Asilomar Conference

 ·       The talks at the 2016 Cedars Conference

·       The study notes and recordings of the discussions in our six-session study this fall of Rolling Away the Stone: Mary Baker Eddy’s Challenge to Materialism by Stephen Gottschalk (including related discussions on Harmonialism and the ecumenical work with other Christians) 

For $200 donations, you may select two of these downloads.

For $250 donations, you may select all three downloads.

For $500 donations, you may receive all three of the above as well as the electronic versions (email) of our Foundation Stones study guides on the Gospel of Luke and Acts 1-8, along with audio commentaries by the authors of the two volumes.

For $1000 donations, you will receive usage rights to share any of the above within a group study in your home or church.

People enjoy listening to these audio downloads on walks, in the car, or at bedtime. They also make wonderful Christmas gifts. Charitable giving such as this at the end of the year is easy by simply donating via this GoFundMe page or you may mail your check, made out to Bible Study Seminars, to 167 Lamp & Lantern Village, #230, Chesterfield, MO 63017-8208. Monthly donations may also be arranged by contacting AmiLynne at [phone redacted].  

For your convenience, we will run this campaign through Dec 31, 2016.

We thank you all for your support and interest this past year, and look forward to this coming year and some dynamic new activities.