Sunday Night Bible Study

The Sunday Night Bible Study group began meeting in 1994. Alex Jones, an original and current member of the group, approached Bill one day and said, "I want to know more about the Bible". To which Bill responded, "Me too!" To which Alex then responded, "If you'll lead a Bible Study, I'll come to it". And so . . . it began . . . eight folks, meeting together at Tapp Middle School in the Commons area to study God's word [and they are still going strong 12 years later!]

From such humble beginnings, the Sunday Night Bible Study group has grown to 30 members! The group meets every Sunday evening from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the church. The group is open to anyone and there is great diversity among the members - singles, couples, men, women, young and young-at-heart. The multiplicity of ages and life experiences allows for a variety of opinions, view points, and perspectives to be expressed during meetings and discussions.

The primary focus of the group is Bible Study, but there's plenty of fun and fellowship mixed in as well. Indeed, members of the group enjoy cookouts together, holiday and special event parties, and birthday celebrations. In addition, the group attends plays, concerts, and Braves games, and visits area theme parks (i.e. Stone Mountain, Six Flags). The group also has a heart for service and spent a great deal of time and money in 2005 cleaning up and beautifying Macland's prayer garden. The group also purchases hymnals in memory of members and/or their family, adopts families for Christmas, and provides needed items to residents at the mental health center.

When asked what being a part of the Sunday Night Bible Study group has meant to him, Bill Thompson always replies with the same answer . . . "family". "These people are like my family . . . my extended family," Bill says. "We love each other, we care about each other, we take care of each other, we are there for each other whenever any one of us needs anything. We work together, we play together, we laugh and cry together, and we pray together. Through good times and bad, these people are the absolute best. I am blessed by the many close relationships in the group, and I couldn't ask for a better bunch of folks to lead. It's my privilege, and I learn as much from them as they ever do from me." The Sunday Night Bible Study group is the longest-running small group at Macland. While 30 members might not make it a "small" group in the physical sense, the elements of Bible study, prayer, fellowship, and outreach make it a small group in the truest spiritual way. As stated earlier, this group is always open to new members.