This meeting gets rolling 6:00 every Sunday night at The
Wild Hare Bistro downtown Bemidji.
Come and enjoy our eclectic brand of praise,
delta blues, Gregorian chant, classic hymns, pop and rock;
we do a little of everything. Then sit back with your cup of
coffee and listen to Joe take you deep into the Bible, Christian
history and theology. Afterwards linger awhile and chat, make
new friends; we won’t kick you out till nine. The nice thing about new
churches is that there aren’t a lot of rules.
This is our main weekly “gathering,” and we
try to make it as informal as possible without losing a certain
sense of reverence. This meeting thinks in terms of the past
as well as the present. We try hard to draw on a sense of
history, reminding ourselves that we as Christians come from
long line of descendents with great traditions and ceremonies
Christendom has enjoyed for centuries. On the other hand,
we understand that the historical culture of Christendom
can not be confused with Christianity itself and try to keep
ourselves relaxed and casual. It’s a great mix of the
two that gives us our roots without tying us down to the
past and gives us leave to explore new possibilities.
This meeting is named for the Areopagus (or “the Hill
of Mars”), the place Paul defended the gospel before
the council of Mars Hill, Greek philosophers and priests defending
the old deities. With respect and knowledge Paul, using their
traditions and culture, moved many of them towards a new world
view and a new understanding of a God they had always seen
but never known. This then is where we take our cue, discussing
all manner of ideas, theology, philosophy, history and many
more varied subjects all focused around the center theme of
Christianity. All are welcome in this lively dialogue and debate.
Currently we are discussing the history of Biblical exegesis,
(the interpretive techniques one uses with their Bible) as
well as modern exegesis. It’s a fascinating study because
so few people are familiar with not only the modern techniques
in use, but even less so the historical ones from as far
back as 200 B.C. There is no book being used or followed,
I am just teaching it as I go so it’s easy to drop
in and join the group.
Wednesday
Night Bible Study(temporarily not meeting)
Yes, it’s the classic Bible study, but here again,
a bit different. We go a little deeper than some, delving
into history, culture, languages, and yes, even a little
theology here, too. Right now, we are traveling through the
Book of Hebrews, exciting stuff! What ought faith to look
like in daily life? Is it really true that “once saved,
always saved?” And what about its own authorship;
what do we know of the author of this text? The discussions
are always spirited and guaranteed to be thought-proving.
Come and join the dialogue.
