Every summer, ISM changes its Bible study format to smaller and cozier group. This Bible study format change provides three advantages. The first advantage is that we can meet at ISM members’ homes in Alameda. Unlike the more austere and lecture-style classroom setting, homes provide a more relaxing and welcoming environment. Meeting at homes also allow us to have better food (nothing beats a home-cooked meal). Although coming to Alameda is a bit far from campus, the distance actually allows the students and scholars to have a short excursion away from their all-too-familiar research setting on the Berkeley campus.
The second advantage is that we can hold a more discussion-driven Bible study, which allows for more interaction among the students as well as with the Bible study teacher. Another advantage is that the discussion topics can be different for different groups. This allows us to tailor the Bible study topics according to the questions and the needs of the students and scholars. Lastly, it’s always nice to have a change of setting once in a while.
In the past two years, we have tried offering classes such The Book of Romans, Genesis in Space and Time, Worldviews Today, and others. This year, we are divided into three smaller groups: one group studies the Devotion Time (DT) passage provided by Gracepoint Fellowship Church; the other two groups study the Alpha Course material.
We just started the new format last week. I pray and hope that through the new format, our ISM students and scholars will build more relationships with one another and get to know God more through the Bible studies.
hello all, i’m back in singapore! touched down this morning after 18+ hours of flying. i was feeling miserable during the ride, the humidity here is suffocating, and i’m missing berkeley already.
but i’m out to eat good local food now, and there’s the great singapore sale going on; shopping makes everything better. 
will catch up with you guys later.
cheers from sunny singapore, siao charn
hello siaocharn, it’s good to know that you got back to singapore safely! we all miss you here.
uh..local food! i wonder what kind of food you have over there! if you have time, take some pictures of your food and send them over. i am guessing that there must be a lot of cold dessert kind of thing over there. thinking about it, let me go grab one of those dreyer’s ice-cream left over from last week’s Bible study.
keep in touch…
Hey Siao Charn, we missed you tonight at our sm grp Bible study!! You would have loved tonight’s food… fish tacos, prepared by Hubert and Jesse! When you come back, you’ll have to make us some Singaporean food.. =) Hope you’re having a good time w/ your family!
oh, singaporean food… i might have to change small groups!
j/k. we have the dumpling queen in our group so i won’t complain.
haha…my man you married to the dumpling queen. You’re not allowed to complain
Hi Siao Charn! I so wish I was there enjoying the local fare with you…have fun. I’ll console myself with the weather
See yoU!