Session 1
Getting to know you

Introductions

Take a few minutes to introduce yourselves to each other.

About the course

Foundations is concerned with communicating and exploring the basic aspects of the Christian faith.

Altrincham Baptist Church runs a course called Workout, for people 'just looking' at Christianity. Foundations has been created as the next step. It is particularly appropriate for people who have recently become Christians, but will also benefit Christians new to the church, and those who feel they need a 'refresher' on Christian fundamentals.

We will be working from sheets similar to this one, so you will need to bring along a pen and a Bible each week. You will be given a folder for the material. Each session has a sheet to work through during group time, plus supplementary material. This includes a paper headed 'Teaching Extra', written by Nigel Wright, formerly Senior Pastor at Altrincham Baptist Church and now Principal of Spurgeons College London, which tackles some aspects in more depth.

You will find you gain most from the course if you do some preparation before the sessions, maybe looking up the Bible references and making a few notes in the boxes provided. At the end of each session, there is a suggestion for personal study and reflection, which you can choose to follow up at home.

In each session there will be some teaching, some investigation and some discussion. Occasionally there will be contributions from invited speakers. In the index you will see the topics that will be covered.

If there are other things you want to discuss, tell the group leader and we can make time for this or arrange for your needs to be met in some other way.

Expectations

Take a little time to talk about what you hope to get out of the course.

Your story

Tell each other something of your own spiritual journey so far. In particular, think about where you have come from and where you are now.

Your choice (Home study option)

Find, borrow or buy a Bible to bring along to the course, preferably a modern version - we tend to use the New International Version (NIV). If you are not familiar with the Bible, find the list of Contents near the front and use the page numbers.

Look up these verses. You may like to write them out and think about them during the week: