Discover Your Bible Goes Global

A new website is now available in several languages for ordering the Coffee Break Discover Your Bible study series for small groups.

This is more than an online platform for obtaining materials — it also, importantly, provides access to resources and training.

“We have a growing global audience and wanted this new website so our global partners can get easy access to it,” said Sam Huizenga, director of Raise Up Global Ministries.

Besides Coffee Break, Raise Up includes two other programs that work to develop Christian leadership around the world: Timothy Leadership Training Institute and Educational Care.

While she is excited that this website is available so that people can now order materials and training in Spanish, Korean, and English, Huizenga said this is only the beginning of being able to better reach a global audience. “We dream of adding Chinese, Hindi, and more,” she said.

They have branded this site Discover Your Bible because the idea and/or the language "Coffee Break" doesn't translate well into other languages, said Huizenga.

“We are building up the Discover Your Bible branding alongside the Coffee Break branding in order to reach beyond our current audience with the tried and tested methods of Coffee Break,” she added.

As the Coffee Break mainstay and now as it evolves, the Discover Your Bible study series gives people the tools to read, understand, and dig into what the Bible says and means, said Huizenga.

At the same time, the Discovery style study is new to many parts of the global church.

“Most people expect to learn about the Bible from an expert teacher or pastor. Discovery-style Bible study allows everyone to be active learners and participants in the process. Small group leaders facilitate the learning process rather than teach,” said Huizenga.

Key to this series is its accessibility.

“Whether you’re familiar with the Bible or have never picked one up before, DYB is easy to use — and yet it fosters learning and deep discovery about the Bible and ourselves. Groups are set up to encourage asking questions, sharing observations, and experiencing God’s love in a small and casual setting,” said Tamara Gurley, the new Coffee Break director.

Discover Your Bible has been a foundation of Coffee Break for many years.

According to a history of the ministry, the outreach began in 1970 when members of a Christian Reformed church in a Chicago suburb started praying about how to reach out to their community. Since very few preschool options were available in their area, they believed God was leading them to fill that gap.

From there, says the history, “they began a weekly story hour for preschoolers, using crafts, songs, and Bible stories, to introduce the young children to Jesus and the story of the Bible.”

The leaders then realized parents could use some of the same help to learn about faith, and they invited parents to attend the weekly gathering to learn what their children were learning — and Coffee Break was born, said Gurley.

“From the beginning, Coffee Break’s goal was to reach people who had never studied the Bible before. Discover Your Bible materials were written specifically for that purpose. In a low-key, small-group setting, many women and men in global settings have come to know the God of the Bible for the very first time,” said Gurley.

Growing from that church in Chicago, Coffee Break spread to churches across North America and beyond — and this website will help participants tap into a site rich with materials, where they can find and join a group in their community and study the Bible, said Gurley.

To order Discover Your Bible studies, go toDiscoverYourBible.org. Click on Shop. You can order as a guest; yet we suggest you create an account.

You will also notice a new cover design, said Huizenga.

“The look was inspired by the Indonesian DYB study guide covers. We hope the new design will help you feel more connected to our global Bible discovery family,” she said.

When you place your first order on the new website, you will receive a Post-it note pen with a highlighter.

If you have questions, please email [email protected] or [email protected]. You can also call 800-272-5125 with your questions.

There are and will be training events in Spanish, English, and Korean. You can find more about training on the website.

“We will also be launching an online training center. Leaders will have access to skill-building training modules and connect them to the global community of leaders for shared learning and support. We hope to launch that in the fall,” said Huizenga.