The University Bible Group (GBU) with which we work in Portugal, catches people in a very formative stage of their lives. For those who are not followers of Jesus, it is a time where they are often open to exploring faith as an adult, and for those who are followers of Jesus, it is a time where they are able to be matured in their Christian faith and witness as they receive Bible teaching and training through GBU activities.

One of these key GBU activities is weekly Bible study groups in faculty groups. In Coimbra, the city in which we work, several leaders of the GBU Bible studies expressed a lack of confidence in how to lead it, and how to read the bible with others. In response to this, last year, we ran a Bible study leaders training course over 5 x 2 hour sessions during the semester aimed at equipping students with tools to be able to read the Bible well, and be able to lead others in it.

Some key focuses of the training included helping students understand the historical and literary context of a bible passage, how a Bible passage fits within God’s big story of salvation centred around Jesus, and how to make Bible studies welcoming and inviting to non-Christians. These were new concepts to many of the students.

The take up of the training was more than we had anticipated, with 15 students (half of the GBU Coimbra group) taking part, most attending with eagerness to learn and apply what they had been learning.

These are now 15 students who are now better equipped to handle God’s word and love those they lead, not only in the context of GBU Bible studies, but more significantly, in their respective churches across Portugal and beyond, now and for their lifetime.

—Samuel & Emily Loa-Ferreira, ECMers in Portugal