I’ve always liked Florida. I’ve been going there off and on for vacation since I was a kid and have done business there, too. And while I have always enjoyed myself in the “Sunshine State,” September 14, 2013, was of particular note. Why? First of all, because I only spent about 5 minutes at the beach, which is unusual. More importantly, because it was the largest Journey Through Scripture training event we’ve ever held. Almost 230 people filled Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in the Diocese of Venice to participate in Genesis to Jesus, the foundational study in the program. (The next biggest was held in Diocese of Lubbock, Texas, a couple of years ago.)
Speaking of the diocese, Bishop Dewayne graciously took the time to attend part of the event and offered some great words of encouragement to the attendees. Special thanks also to Eric Sammons, Director of the Office of Evangelization and Dr. Kathy Kleinlein, Director of Catechesis for the diocese. Along with their team of fantastic volunteers (including St. Paul Center buddy Matt Caes), they made it a memorable day of learning what the Bible is all about and getting materials to teach a dynamic Bible study in their own parish or group.
If you were sun tanning and missed it, don’t fret. Not only are we planning on being back in Venice sometime in the Spring of next year, we have two more Journey Through Scripture events scheduled this year in other states. You can either follow the yellow brick road to Wichita, KS, for The Bible and the Church Fathers on October 5th. Or you can meet me in St. Louis for The Bible and the Virgin Mary on October 19th. Who knows, maybe a new record will be set.
If you’re interested in having Journey Through Scripture come to your area, check out www.JourneyThroughScripture.com for more information and contact the St. Paul Center at 740-264-9535.
God bless!