COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (BP)–Every year, SummitView Church in Broomfield, Colo., hosts a retreat for its women’s Bible study participants. So when study leader Linda Erley heard that Beth Moore was conducting a Living Proof … Live event 90 miles away in Colorado Springs, she thought it would be a perfect setting for their annual gathering.
SummitView’s interdenominational study group has completed five of Beth Moore’s studies.
“So we were excited to be personally involved in a Bible study Beth taught since we’d had such good success with her studies in our group,” Erley said.
While 40 to 45 women regularly attend SummitView’s Bible study, 52 traveled to hear Moore May 14-15 at the Colorado Springs World Arena. Staying together at a retreat setting, they discussed questions raised by Moore following each of the three study sessions.
“We even wrote Beth a letter asking her to join our retreat,” Erley said. The women cheered at the beginning of the conference when Moore mentioned receiving their letter. “How fun is that?” Moore said. “I wish I could go!”
Meeting every Thursday, member Kathy Aldrich describes the group as interesting. “We have Methodists, Presbyterians, Baptists and more. We attract women from all over, between Denver and Boulder.”
SummitView’s women’s Bible study serves as an important Christian witness in a non-Christian area, Erley said. “The Denver-Boulder corridor is one of the most unchurched regions in the country. Only 13 percent of the population claims any kind of church affiliation.”
Erley said the Bible study also attracts non-Christian women. “Boulder has a lot of free-spirited people who are interested in spirituality, but aren’t Christian. Some of these women come to the Bible study and hear the truth for the first time. These Bible studies by Beth Moore are powerful, deep and full of truth.”
One woman in the group has an Islamic background and was drawn into the Mormon faith, but became a Christian after hearing evangelist Franklin Graham speak, Erley said. From there, she got involved in the Bible study and is growing in her faith.
When the study group from SummitView planned the retreat, they didn’t know what Moore would speak about, but they knew she would delve deep into the Word. “We didn’t plan any kind of program for ourselves,” Erley said. “We just planned to discuss what came up.”
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