Kinfire 2024
Going to Kinfire this summer?
Planning to be at Kinfire 2024?
We are really excited to be at Kinfire this summer from Thurday 15th to Sunday 18th August at Kilkenny College (County Kilkenny, Ireland). Call in to the Bookstall & Exhibition area (located in the Music and Arts Block) and say hello to Dave!
You can find out more at the stand about how Precept can equip you in the study of God's Word, starting your own Bible study, and see some of the resources that we have available.
“Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire.””
New Horizon 2024
Planning to be at New Horizon 2024?
Planning to be at New Horizon 2024? Why not stop by our stand and say hello and find out more about how we can equip you in the study of God's Word.
Whilst there we will also be taking part on Thursday in a seminar run by our friends at Bible Society NI on having confidence in the Bible. So, if you’re around we’d love to see you.
“Scripture is like a river . . . broad and deep, shallow enough here for the lamb to go wading, but deep enough there for the elephant to swim.”
CONFIDENT24 - Event Report
Read a summary of our recent Confident24 event here.
On Wednesday 17th January, Bible Society NI and Precept Ireland hosted a special event at the T3 Conference Centre in Lisburn with one intention: to give Christians renewed confidence in God’s Word.
The evening was split into two sessions. During Session 1, Mark Wells (Community Partnership Manager at Bible Society NI) examined the reliability and authenticity of the Bible from an external perspective.
Mark highlighted the fact that the Bible we have today is a reliable copy of what was written originally. Mark discussed the lack of variation in manuscripts alongside the sheer number of manuscripts compared to other ancient texts. The session was full of interesting facts and attendees couldn’t help but feel in awe of how the Bible was crafted together.
“All Prophecies about Jesus: A big picture view of those promised in the Old & fulfilled in the New”
Taken from The Infographic Bible: Visualising the Drama of God’s Word (Zondervan, 2018)
Mark also took time to think about the complexity of the Bible, and how that should encourage our study of it, rather than cause us to discard it.
“Scripture is like a river . . . broad and deep, shallow enough here for the lamb to go wading, but deep enough there for the elephant to swim.”
After a short break where attendees were able to thumb through some of the books and resources that were on display, Dave Wilson (National Director at Precept Ireland) led the second session. As Mark had provided some reasons for why we should read the Bible, Dave then provided a method for how we can read it better.
Reading the Bible is a spiritual discipline that Christians readily admit they should do, but many struggle with how. Dave shared about the three ingredients of inductive Bible study: Observation, Interpretation, and Application. He then led the group through a study of 1 Thessalonians 1 using this method and very quickly the attendees were all discussing what they were learning from the passage and the clear applications that were coming from it.
Overall those who attended felt the two sessions were helpful and worthwhile, though both talks could have benefited from more time in discussion groups if time had permitted.
Thanks go to the House of Vic-Ryn for hosting the event at their T3 Conference Centre, and to Richard at The Book Well for providing some relevant books related to the topics.
For Further Reading & Study:
- “The Bible Course” – Bible Society
- “Why Trust the Bible” – Amy Orr-Ewing (opens link to The Book Well website)
- “Lord, Teach Me To Study the Bible in 28 Days” – Kay Arthur
Trip to Tralee
A trip to county Kerry had been planned since 2019, but due to circumstances and then the pandemic, the trip had not taken place. Finally, in November 2023 we had the opportunity to travel to Tralee to provide training for Tralee Baptist Church.
A trip to county Kerry had been planned since 2019, but due to circumstances and then the pandemic, the trip had not taken place. Finally, in November 2023 we had the opportunity to travel to Tralee to provide training for Tralee Baptist Church.
The pastor of the church is John Herrick, an American who has been ministering in Tralee for 35 years. John and his wife Amanda have been using Precept material for many years (Amanda first heard of Precept in 1998) and have alternated between 40 Minute studies and Precept Upon Precept workbooks. They have been active supporters of Precept Ireland, often attending online events. John and his wife Amanda announced that they were moving to begin work with another church in County Cork, and so a renewed effort was made to visit them in Tralee to bless them and the church.
On the morning of Friday 24th November, the staff team (Karen, Ben, Gavin, and Dave), left to make the journey down – a distance of nearly 300 miles from Belfast. We arrived at our accommodation in the evening, a B&B that was kindly gifted by two members of the church.
On the Saturday (10 AM - 2 PM) we ran three workshops at the Rose Hotel, Tralee:
Introduction to Inductive Bible Study
How to lead a 40-Minute Study
Introduction to Precept Upon Precept and In & Out studies
“Every Bible college, every seminary, ought to teach this kind of approach to Bible study because it’s really helped me in my understanding and ministry of the Scriptures.” - Pastor John Herrick, Tralee Baptist Church
We also brought a resource table which was well received and allowed attendees to see the various types of resources available.
After our workshop on Saturday afternoon, we went to John and Amanda’s home to hear of their experience of Tralee, learn more about local churches in the area, and hear about the future ministry they will be involved in.
On Saturday evening we went out for dinner and spent time with the church leadership (two elders, two deacons, and their wives). This was a good opportunity to chat and build a relationship with those who will be remaining at the church after the pastor leaves.
On Sunday, the team worshipped with the church and Dave had the opportunity to share about Precept and the work we are involved in. It was great to hear Pastor John preach on Jonah 4 and the clear demonstration of his own inductive study skills that he used to prepare for the sermon.
Our time in Tralee was a great encouragement to us as a ministry as we enjoyed fellowship and saw God at work in and through His people. Pray with us that in 2024 we will have many more opportunities to run events like this.
To find out more about how you can partner with us, click the button below.
Southwest Visit
We are delighted to be spending the weekend with Tralee Baptist Church from 24th - 26th November in County Kerry.
We are delighted to be spending the weekend with Tralee Baptist Church from 24th - 26th November in County Kerry.
We will be delivering a couple of workshops to the church on Saturday 25th and sharing with them on Sunday 26th during their Sunday worship time. There are a few ways that you can be involved in this trip!
1) Finance: As a small ministry seeking to build up the church across Ireland, trips like this are only made possible through the generosity of believers and churches who see the value in equipping Christians to read the Bible for themselves.
If you would like to make a gift to support this trip, or help us with future trips, please consider making a donation either through Stewardship, or by contacting us directly. Any gifts that are specifically for this trip should be earmarked “Southwest23” and it will all go towards this initiative.
2) Let people know: We have set aside time on Friday night and Saturday afternoon to meet with church leaders in that area as we want to connect with others and hear about their churches and the ministries they are involved in. If you know a church leader in that area, please tell them we’re going to be about! And pass on our email address: info@preceptireland.org. (P.S. We’ll buy them a coffee!)
3) Pray: Please pray for us as we leave Belfast on Friday 24th. It is a long drive to County Kerry, so prayers for safety in travel there and back are needed. Pray too that our workshops and training will bring benefit to the church in Tralee and for opportunities to share about Precept with others in the region.
Thank you for supporting us!
Blessings,
Dave
National Director