About 150 men from all over Central Texas will gather Monday night to continue a tradition that began in 1994.

They are gathering to study the Bible, specifically the Old Testament book of Isaiah. They will meet at the First Baptist Church of Woodway, 101 Ritchie Road, then break into small groups to intensely examine Scripture.

The session marks the beginning of a new Bible Study Fellowship class for men. So far, men from 40 area churches have signed up to attend the Monday classes.

Scott Pitzer, former president of Puremco Dominoes, makes notes as he reads his Bible. Pitzer is one of 150 men who will participate Mondays in the Waco-based Bible Study Fellowship class.
Duane A. Laverty/Waco Tribune-Herald

The class is not limited to church members, or to any particular denomination, leader Paul McMullen said. It welcomes those searching for answers in their lives and hoping to find them in the Bible.

“This is much more in-depth than a normal Sunday school Bible study,” said McMullen, a local chiropractor.

For example, the group will spend the next 30 weeks only studying the 66 chapters of Isaiah.

Besides attending the meetings, held from 6:55-8:45 p.m., they will refer to Scripture daily.

They will have questions to answer and will discuss “what the Holy Spirit has revealed to them in studying those passages,” McMullen said.

The Waco-area class is affiliated with San Antonio-based BSF International.

The organization began in 1958 in the California living room of A. Wetherell Johnson. It has grown to more than 1,000 classes for men and women worldwide.

BSF makes study materials available to classes at no charge. Participants pay nothing to attend.

Scott Pitzer, 69, former president of Puremco Dominoes, said he enjoys the classes because they do not focus on religion. The emphasis is strictly on Bible study.

“We study the entire range of a story, such as where an event is placed geographically and at what time. We also get exposed to varying viewpoints,” Pitzer said. “In the study of creation, we discussed the six most common views and what we believe. We saw all sides, which, in my opinion, brings the best result or understanding.”

Pitzer said he also appreciates the fact that social status means nothing in this program.

“I graduated from Baylor and this is almost like a college course, but no one seems to be concerned about your education,” Pitzer said. “We know that the foot of the cross is level.”

The BSF course does not sugar-coat its treatment of biblical heroes, Pitzer said.

“King David was a man after God’s own heart,” he said, “but became an adulterer and murderer. It’s sort of like what life is really like.”

Mike Puryear, 56, who works for a local insurance company, said he likes the discipline the course demands.

“We are introduced to the word in four different ways,” Puryear said. “We have daily questions to be answered with our individual Bible study, as well as discussion groups, lectures and study notes.”

He said he’s excited about the new study of the prophet Isaiah. He said he will encourage friends and colleagues to attend but will warn them “that you get out of it what you put into it.”

Waco’s BSF class for men started in 1994, when Waco orthodontist Robert Nowlin, orthopedic surgeon James Bowden and attorney Greg White agreed “there was a spiritual hunger in our community,” Nowlin said.

“There was no class in Waco, so about 20 of us drove to Temple, which had the nearest class back then,” Nowlin said, adding that it became clear Waco would benefit from the program.

Many churches now offer in-home Bible studies for their members, which dilutes the need for BSF, Nowlin said, “but I still think it is the best because it is so personal and application rich.”

mcopeland@wacotrib.com

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