Dave Johnstone passed on this email about a proposed new BSF in Aberdeen :
Dear All
We have talking together over the past few weeks about the possibility of restarting a Men’s BSF in Aberdeen through the vehicle of a Satellite Discussion Group (“SDG” since everything in BSF gets reduced to initials) which BSF have been introducing over the past two years. This allows people who are in an area where there is not – at least initially – sufficient potential members to support a full blown BSF class. It has proved very popular with around 700 SDGs being formed in the past 2 years.
Many of you will be familiar with BSF – either through the men’s class that used to meet in Aberdeen or through the Day and Evening Women’s classes here. It is an excellent in depth and consecutive Bible Study which many of us have benefited from over the years. If you are not familiar with it then you may find it helpful to look at their Home Page on the web.
For those of you familiar with BSF but not a SDG, the concept is that a Discussion Group similar to that in a full BSF class meets linked to but remote from a full class. The SDG leader attends the leader’s meeting of the Base Class by Skype or similar technology and sometimes in person and then leads the group discussion through the week’s questions in the normal way and the group then listen to the usual lecture on the passage for the week by DVD or similar.
There is no minimum number for a SDG although realistically you need around a minimum of six people, the group can meet when and where best suits the members of the group and a group meeting with the discussion and lecture lasts about 90 minutes. Sadly there is no children’s programme with a SDG.( There is, however, a pre-school programme attached to the Women’s Day class and a full school programme attached to the Evening Women’s class )
In effect it allows people to participate in a BSF study with the excellent material developed over many years, lea by a group leader who has had the benefit of attending a leader’s meeting ahead of the group but with a great deal of flexibility in terms of when and where they meet and without the infrastructure you need for a full blown class.
We are writing to you because we think it may be something in which you would be interested – whether because of previous involvement in BSF personally or by your wife or because you have expressed interest or otherwise – because we want to assess the level of interest there may be for a men’s SDG in Aberdeen.
We would like to suggest that if you are interested in at least exploring this as a possibility we meet for a curry at Shebaz in Rose street at 7pm on Wednesday 26th November for a chat and a catch up and some fun and fellowship. If you are free and would like to come can you please reply as soon as you are able so we can make a booking. Please also give some thought to when it might suit you best for the proposed SDG to meet.
If you are interested but not free to come on the 26th would you reply indicating that and also with an indication of the time and day that might suit you best.
Please feel free to pass this E mail to anyone else you think might be interested and invite them to come on the 26th if free and if not to let us know of their interest and preference in terms of time and day.
We are aware that everyone is very committed but – as those of you who were previously involved will know – it is an intense no nonsense study that maximises the use of time. One suggestion is that the SDG ( or one of them if there is enough interest for more than one ) meets at 6.30am ( yes AM!) on a Tuesday morning which would get the day off to a great start and not involve another evening or impinge on too many other activities – except sleep!
We look forward to hearing from you and your friends and contacts.
Keith Buchan and Bruce Smith