The 2012-2013 Virtue Women's Bible Study focuses on the life and teachings of Jesus across the gospels. If you live in Southern California, we invite you to attend the study in Riverside or Irvine. If not, we'd love for you to follow along with us online!

Wednesdays: Harvest Orange County
Mornings: 9:15–11:15 A.M.
Evenings: 7–9 P.M.

2727 Campus Drive Irvine, California

Sign ups are ongoing. Simply attend the study and you'll have the opportunity to sign up. For more information contact Havest Orange County at (949) 407-6770.
Thursdays: Harvest Riverside
Mornings: 9:15–11:15 A.M.
Evenings: 7–9 P.M.

6115 Arlington Avenue Riverside, California

Sign ups are ongoing. Simply attend the study and you'll have the opportunity to sign up. For more information contact the Women's Ministry at (951) 687-6902.

hosting a small group

If you cannot make it to any of our studies in person, we invite you to follow along online. The small group time of our study is very important. If you are able to be a part of, or host, a small group and go through the study together, we encourage you to do that! If you feel led to host a small group, here are some guidelines we’ve put together to help you.

Helpful guidelines to help you moderate your small group:

  • Choose a time and place to meet, and keep it consistent.
  • Our videos follow about a week behind the actual study. It would be a good idea to time your study more than a week behind, to make sure that the videos will be posted when you meet with your group.
  • Videos will not be available every week. We take breaks for Koinonias (see below) and holidays, so please check the calendar if you are following with us closely.

Preparation tips for the moderator:

  • Pray for yourself and your leadership.
  • Pray for each lady, including yourself, that you would receive all that the Lord has for you from your time in His Word.
  • Have your lesson completed and highlight questions or portions of questions so all the text does not have to be read out loud to your group.
  • Be familiar with the theme and content of the chapter you are studying.
  • Be attentive and take notes during the video presentation of the teaching. This not only helps reinforce important facts to you, but serves as an example as one coming to study with the approach that God is going to share something “note-worthy” with her!
  • Again, remember to PRAY for yourself and your ladies!

Tips for moderating your group time:

  • Open your discussion time with prayer asking the Lord to bless your time together in His Word.
  • Read your highlighted questions (You may want to ask some of the ladies to read the question along with their answer if they feel comfortable in doing this as the year progresses.)
  • Respond to each answer with acknowledgement (this can be encouraging and motivating for the women to participate). If an incomplete or wrong answer is given, you may respond with: “Can anyone add to that thought?” or “Does someone else want to share their answer?” Remember to be tactful and encouraging with all the responses given. You may want to share your answer to the question. NOTE: Remember you are called to moderate not dominate the group as its facilitator!
  • Don’t allow discussion to get sidetracked. Bring the group back to the focus of the lesson in a considerate and tactful way.
  • If you know ahead of time that your group does not have the time to discuss the whole lesson, you, as the leader, pick out strategic questions throughout the whole lesson, so women will still do all of the lesson and not just the first couple of pages. Allow the ladies to have the freedom to ask if they have a specific question or comment that especially ministered to them that they want to share on. Promote open interaction with the lesson!
  • Always bring your discussion time to a close, in keeping with your prearranged timeline for the Bible study discussion time. Remember to close in prayer asking the Lord to seal the truth of His Word in your heart and for His empowering in applying the truth you learned.
  • If your group decided to close in group prayer, ask one of the ladies to open the prayer time and for them to lift up their own prayer requests. You close the time of prayer lifting up any urgent prayer request from an absent member or one who needs prayer support.
  • You may encourage the ladies to write down prayer requests or have a woman volunteer to write out requests and email them to the group, if you want to pray for one another throughout the week.

If you have a large enough group, consider using the gifts and abilities of the other women in your group to:

  • Lead worship, or choose a few songs each week for you all to sing along to
  • Oversee a prayer journal or chain
  • Send out weekly encouraging reminders
  • Oversee a Koinonia (see below)
  • Oversee refreshments

Periodically through the year the Virtue Bible Study takes a break from regular study for a time of fellowship (Koinonia). This will mean that a video will not be available that week. Please see the calendar for our schedule. If your group would like to have a Kononia, here are some ideas:

  • The moderator, or someone else in the group can share a 7–10 minute devotion. It could be expanding on a topic we’ve studied in recent weeks, or other biblical topic that would be encouraging.
  • It could be a time of each woman sharing her personal testimony (maybe 5 minutes each).
  • Follow up with a sharing question. Something that springboards from the devotion or time of sharing. This gives all the women a chance to participate.
  • If your group wants to, have a meal together. Do whatever suits your group (full meal or just dessert, potluck, etc.).

If you need further guidance or help, please leave a comment here. If you do not want your comment to be posted publicly here, please say so. We’d love to hear what the Lord is doing in your home groups, please feel free to share that here as well!

  1. Christina says:
    October 10, 2011 at 2:12 pm

    I would love to join a small group but was wondering how do I find out if there are any that I could join. I am new to the church and do not know any women there yet. If there is any one who could do Tuesdays or Friday evenings that would be great!

    Reply
  2. Karen says:
    October 13, 2011 at 7:27 pm

    Christina,
    I am new to the church as well. I am open to joining a small group as well.

    Either day works for me. I am wanting to get connected again.

    Reply
  3. Lisa Parson says:
    December 16, 2011 at 10:17 pm

    I was wondering if there is a group in Albuquerque, New Mexico so I can join in this study. Thank you.

    Reply
  4. Stevie says:
    January 9, 2012 at 10:34 pm

    Is there a study group in the Antelope Valley?

    Reply
  5. Cheryl says:
    February 9, 2012 at 3:29 pm

    I am prayerfully considering a group Bible study…but need some encouragement. Please pray for me to do God’s will.

    Reply
  6. Olga says:
    February 20, 2012 at 10:57 am

    Want to start Bible studies online please pray for me to know God’s will in my life.

    Reply
  7. Sonia says:
    March 21, 2012 at 12:14 am

    Would love to stay connected on line. Please let me know of any Bible studies starting on line.

    Reply
  8. Evelyn says:
    September 28, 2012 at 9:02 am

    I’ve been following on line for 2 years now and it’s been amazing! Thank you ladies very much for your dedication, and your insight. I love following along and am tremendously blessed by it!

    Reply
  9. Kim says:
    October 4, 2012 at 11:24 pm

    I was forced to move out of Riverside County by my husband, sadly going thru a divorce, and for now I live in Los Angeles. I am grateful for the studies left available for download online…I was able to catch up and do even more studies, and then some. Although I can’t be there like I need to be, and miss everyone very much, Thank you Harvest for being there for me even if it was only online :)

    Sincerly,
    Kim

    Reply
  10. Lisa says:
    October 6, 2012 at 3:53 pm

    I was very excited to start this study but this first week was so busy with work and other things. I feel as if I am off on the wrong foot. I need a little encouragement to get started on this week’s lesson… I would very much like to follow the lessons and stay connected online with anyone who is interested.

    Reply
  11. Hannah says:
    October 23, 2012 at 4:28 pm

    Are there any groups in Temecula?

    Reply
  12. Sandra says:
    October 30, 2012 at 8:22 pm

    Are there any small groups taking place in the area of Beaumont?

    Reply
  13. Stephanie says:
    November 20, 2012 at 9:19 am

    I am fairly new to Riverside and to Harvest church. I have not been able to get connected to a women’s fellowship group, because of a crazy work schedule. Looking for a women’s bible study between the hours of 7-9pm.

    Reply
  14. Tish says:
    January 24, 2013 at 5:41 pm

    I have tried in the past but been unsuccessful in getting into a women’s fellowhip. And right now I really need it. I need that fellowship, support and encouragement.

    My husband passed away a few months ago and I struggle everyday. I want to go to the Widows meeting but I have a crazy schedule between working night shifts and taking my teen sons to school and watching over them.

    Reply
  15. Mary says:
    March 13, 2013 at 9:35 pm

    Do you do the homework first then watch the video, or watch the video first and then do the homework?

    Reply
    • Virtue says:
      March 18, 2013 at 1:33 pm

      At the Virtue studies, the homework is done during the week before. On the day we meet, we hear from one of the teachers (what’s on the video), then we split up into our small groups and go over the week’s lesson.

      Reply
  16. Lori says:
    March 28, 2013 at 8:44 am

    Is there a book that goes along with this study other than the Bible and the Lessons?

    Reply
  17. Sel says:
    April 2, 2013 at 8:19 pm

    I have been following the lesson but the group still in the transition to utilise these kind of learning process. Please pray for us all.

    Reply

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