The St. Martin's Adult Bible Fellowships welcome you.

Prime Timers is a St. Martin's Adult Bible Fellowship (A.B.F.) geared towards people in the Prime of Life, ages 50-64. We meet in the Payne Education Center in rooms 207-209 from 10:15am to 10:50. You are invited to explore the Bible with us in a course authored by the United Council of Churches.

The Prime Timers are studying the Old Testament, Restoration and Covenant Renewal.

Our readings in May are from Haggai and Nehemiah on rebuilding the Temple and renewing the covenant. If you can't wait, the reading for next week is at the bottom of this page!

Rebuilding the Wall 

Class was shortened this week due to the St. Martin's Annual Parish photo. All the ABF's let out early so everyone could participate. Ben Welmaker conducted class and made the most of the time he had. He framed the story of Nehemiah rebuilding the wall as characteristics of leadership. The Jews returned from exile to find their temple ruined and plundered, the wall protecting the city destroyed. Nehemiah oversees the rebuilding of the temple, but the people lived in a constant state of worry and fear while the wall remained down. Nehemiah goes about systematically arranging for the rebuilding of the wall, getting the sanction of the king, for instance, and letters to those involved for safe passage and acquiring of materials for the rebuilding.

Ben enumerated the characteristics of a good leader, starting with 1) Vision. Nehemiah has a vision of what needs to be done and why. 2) He has the deep conviction needed to see the project through (Nehemiah 1:4) "When I heard these things, I sat down and wept." 3) He uses prayer to begin the project. 4) Nehemiah develops a plan, (Nehemiah 2:7-9) and puts it into action. He is specific and detailed in his requests for letters and materials. 5) He encounters opposition from Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite, but is undeterred. Then 6) Nehemiah carefully gets the facts and details of what needs to be done, and 7) inspires others to follow his vision and solve the problem. (Nehemiah 2:17-18) Finally, 8) he is not afraid to confront evil, by calling is by its name and rejecting its power.

The Bible is filled with great stories like this, with lessons that hold up through millennia. Ben is reading William Manchester's books about Winston Churchill and read some passages from The Last Lion, Alone 1932-1940. Its a story of leadership from a man with no vision, Neville Chamberlin ("Peace in our time" after meeting with Hitler) to Churchill, the visionary leader. From page 505 "It was Britain's misfortune, and the world's, that the men at the helm of His Majesty's Government in 1939 had lost England's compass and, lacking the wisdom of Caesar, thought you could strike a deal by shaking hands with barbarians."

Here is Manchester describing Admiral Nelson before the Battle of Trafalgar, page 510 "He signaled his captains to form for the attack in two columns. Then:  Nelson went down to his cabin to compose a prayer.  'May the Great God whom I worship grant to my country and for the benefit of Europe a great and glorious victory...For myself, I commit my life to Him who made me, and may His blessing light upon my endeavors for serving my country faithfully.'"

Page 506:  After a German submarine got into Scapa flow and on October 13, 1939 sank Royal Oak taking down its captain and 833 sailors, Churchill wrote down these lines from the Irish poet Thomas Moore:

I feel like one
Who treads alone
Some banquet hall deserted,
Whose lights are fled,
Whose garlands dead,
And all but he departed.

Ben concluded class with a prayer.

The Lesson for Sunday, May 25th is "Call to Renew the Covenant"

Key Verse:  Nehemiah 8:3

Focus of the Lesson: The rebuilding of life requires reestablishing right relationships. What relationships are important to reestablish? Ezra challenged the returned Israelite exiles to reestablish their covenant relationship with one another.

The reading is Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 13-14, 17-18. This text is from the New International Version. (NIV)

Background Scripture:  Nehemiah 8

   ¹All the people assembled as one man in the square before the Water Gate. They told Ezra the scribe to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses, which the LORD had commanded for Israel.

   ²So on the first day of the seventh month Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, which was made up of men and women and all who were able to understand. ³He read it aloud from daybreak till noon as he faced the square before the Water Gate in the presence of the men, women and others who could understand. And all the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law. 

   ⁵Ezra opened the book. All the people could see him because he was standing above them; and as he opened it, the people all stood up. ⁶Ezra praised the LORD, the great God; and all the people lifted their hands and responded, "Amen! Amen!" Then they bowed down and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground.

   ¹³On the second day of the month, the heads of all the families, along with the priests and the Levites, gathered around Ezra the scribe to give attention to the words of the Law. ¹⁴They found written in the Law, which the LORD had commanded through Moses, that the Israelites were to live in booths during the feast of the seventh month

   ¹⁷The whole company that had returned from exile built booths and lived in them. From the days of Joshua son of Nun until that day, the Israelites had not celebrated it like this. And their joy was very great.

   ¹⁸Day after day, from the first day to the last, Ezra read from the Book of the Law of God. They celebrated the feast for seven days, and on the eighth day, in accordance with the regulation, there was an assembly.

NIV