Young Women's Adult Bible Study

St. Lukes Young Women’s Adult Bible Study--quite the mouthful, and it makes for an even more unruly acronym (SLYWABS? no one should ever call themselves “sly wabs”).So from here on out, I’m just going to go with “we.”  But one of  the cool things about this group is that the “we” is always changing. Every other Tuesday, some of us get together at one of our homes. We share a meal together and talk about what's new and good in our lives. Each meeting is different, with a different topic, a slightly different conglomeration of women--the presence of wine however is pretty constant.So what and how exactly do we "study" when we gather? The bible is, after all, a long-ish book with lots of unpronounceable names and confounding stories.  So in order to give us something manageable with maximum flexibility, we dive into the gospel reading from the previous Sunday’s lectionary. That way, one does not need to have been in church the previous Sunday--though it can give your week some added resonance with your Sunday morning. The ELCA puts out a curriculum (called Feasting on the Word) that we use to get some of the historical and theological background of the text. It points us to certain themes and gives questions to reflect upon. After reading and discussing the gospel, we respond to it in some way: sometimes we share stories and challenges, other times we take a more introspective approach and write thoughts, questions and prayers for our eyes only. Often times the material encourages us reflect on the gospel’s  connection to our life in the community of St. Lukes, as well as a specific connection to current events. Each week is new stories, new questions.In the summer, we are a little less formal. Once a month, we gather just for the sake of gathering. We get to know each other a bit more whilst taking advantage of summer in Chicago! Last year, we went to a free concert in Millennium Park and read A Year of Biblical Womanhood. After taking the month of August (or you know, the week before) to read the book, we variously marveled and balked at the attempt to take all the bible’s commands for women as literally as possible.This summer, we will again go to a downtown concert, see a movie in the park (on the Midway Plaisance), and read Bubble Girl, by Evanston Episcopal priest Kathryn Banakis. Hopefully she will be able to join us for the discussion!So if you find yourself free on either one of these upcoming events, join us! We are Logan Square-ers, Southsiders, single, married, parents, students, wage-earners, etc. We are new to the congregation, and we’ve been there a while. “We” is a varied bunch. And yes, we read and learn about the Bible.  But we learn about and through each other. We cook for one another, pray for one another. We laugh. SLYWABS (couldn’t resist one more usage) gives us the time to jointly explore our lived faith with that oh-so-tricky book.