Thursday, July 9, 2009

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A new lease on life By Chakara Bennett ~ Guardian Summer Intern: The Education for Ministry Program (EFM), a theological study designed 20 years ago to provide a thorough education to lay people about the church is about to get a new lease on life. The Rt. Rev'd Laish Zane Boyd Sr., Archbishop of The Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Diocese has agreed to become the patron of the local EFM program. This means that the program which has benefited so many religious conscious Bahamians will now be able to benefit those of other uninvolved Caribbean nations, according to Fr. Samuel Sturrup, director of EFM for The Bahamas and the Caribbean. The Education for Ministry program, a theological study program is designed to provide education to lay people about the church. It began with the intentions of only educating a few hundred curious people who lived in the outskirts of the School of Theology in Sewanee, Tennessee, but as the students learned and they began to invite and tell others about the program, more people became interested. After a few years the seminars were developed into a program that has spread across the world. The Bahamas got caught in this spiritual blaze under the direction of Sturrup who assisted in the first EFM classes locally. Today, more than 20 years after its establishment, there is a new development that will take EFM beyond The Bahamas in this region. "The current contract that we have with the School of Theology at the University of the South allows us to teach the program in this region but currently we have not been exploiting it" said Sturrup. "So we hope that with [the Archbishop's] presence that EFM will be launching out more forcefully — not only in The Bahamas but in the Caribbean as well. He would have far more opportunities to converse with other church heads at provincial meetings," said the Holy Spirit Anglican Church associate priest. Furthermore, in these times of crime and religious uncertainty learning more about the Bible and one's religious history may be just what many people need to find peace within themselves. "EFM exists to answer questions and help with the spiritual security of many people. The program aims to make participants more effective ministers of the Christian gospel. I'm not talking about becoming a priest or a deacon but rather just someone who is well-informed and can answer questions about their faith, and have more understanding and authority than the average Christian would be able to do." Sturrup admits that although EFM has been in The Bahamas for more than two decades the program still faces challenges. And that although everyone wants to know more about their religion and their biblical history, they still refuse to keep up with the necessary readings. "We still have not discovered how to get Bahamians to read. This is important if you want to get a full appreciation of what EFM can offer you," he said. Thursday, June 11, 2009