Leader Resources for Amos Bible Study (by Jennifer Rothschild)

Hello, my friend! I’m so grateful you’re leading my Bible study, Amos: An Invitation to the Good Life. I just know you’ll be great because when God calls us, He equips us! So even if you’re feeling the tiniest bit nervous, just remember that He is with you, He will strengthen you, and He will help you! (Isaiah 41:10).

As you prepare to lead your women, watch this video for a big dose of encouragement, and then check out the 10 Great Ideas For Your Amos Bible Study below, which will inspire your women as they dive into the study of Amos each week…

One quick reminder before I share all of the fun ideas we put together for you… The teaching videos for this study are now accessible online to everyone with a study book! This means you can either watch the videos together as a group, or you can have your women watch the videos beforehand to allow for more discussion when your group comes together. And if someone in your group misses a session, they can easily catch up by watching the video on their own!

Plus, the video teaching summaries are a great way for your women to get an overview. Just have them request each summary here.

Okay, sister, let’s get to the fun stuff…

10 Great Ideas For Your Amos Bible Study

I taught Amos at my church in the fall of 2021, and my friend, Paula, helped me pull off a great group experience for our women. We did a few things that worked well with our group, so I thought I’d share them with you to get your creative juices flowing. Feel free to use any or all of them, or tweak them to work best for your group.

1. Adjective Exchange

This is a favorite! Every time I taught, I asked the women to exchange adjectives around their tables. For example, at the first gathering, I asked them to share an adjective that reflects their personalities. The second week, they shared an adjective that described how they felt or what they experienced while doing the first week of study. You get the idea!

Over the eight weeks, they exchanged adjectives that described how they felt that day, or adjectives they wanted to be true for them. Make this your own—be creative! It’s a simple and quick way to help women connect, especially if you’re crunched for time. It’s also an easy, safe on-ramp, especially for the more slow-to-open-up gals around the table.

2. Famous Amos Cookies

Come on … we’re going to spend eight weeks with Amos, so we gotta have us some Famous Amos Cookies, right!? We had individual bags of these delicious little cookies waiting on the tables to sweetly welcome the women as they arrived the first night of our study. Yum! We found ours in bulk at Sam’s Club, but you can find them at most any store or on Amazon (and here’s a link)!

3. Post-It Notes

At the end of Week 3 of our study (page 68 in the sidebar), I encourage you to write Post-It note affirmations all over your home and office. So at our third group session, we gave each woman a cute pad of Post-It notes so they’d be ready for this fun activity as they worked through their study that week. There are lots of options available, including some bright-colored ones from Amazon!

4. The Cows of Bashan

Girlfriend, put on your favorite cowboy boots and hold on to your cowgirl hat for this one!

In Week 4 of our study (page 98), we learn about humility by NOT following in the Cows of Bashan’s hoofprints. I also teach about them during our “Invitation to Live Humble” in Group Session Five. We had fun with this one by giving our gals a cow keychain (we ordered them from Amazon) and we even had a sticker made with a cow picture and a quote that said, “May I be a carrier of Christ’s mission, not just a consumer of Christ’s message.” You can download that sticker graphic here and then have it printed at a local or online print shop.

Obviously, these ideas are fun little reminders of what NOT to be or do, and I bet once you start thinking about cows, you’ll come up with all sorts of ideas like candy Cow Tales or serving the Laughing Cow cheese wedges. Okay, okay … moooving on!

5. Friendship Bracelets

In Week 6 of our study (page 151), I challenge you to intercede in prayer for someone for seven days. So, just for fun we gave all of our women a friendship bracelet at our sixth group session. We wore them for those seven days as a reminder to pray for our person. We ordered ours in bulk off of Amazon, but you may be crafty enough to make them, or better yet, maybe one of the women in your group would love to help. You could also pass out the Four Scripture Prayers for Intercession printable on my Amos Freebies page.

6. Figs

Okay, this one is a nod to Amos, our fig farmer! We saved this for our last gathering, but you could do it at any session. We ordered a bag of dried figs for each table (yep, from Amazon) for us to munch on. I was so surprised by how many women had never eaten a fig!

You can also do fresh figs, Fig Newtons, or put together my favorite Amos snack mix of dried figs, raw almonds, and Bake Believe dark chocolate chips. Who knows, maybe a woman in your group has a favorite fig baked good they’d like to share! No matter how you serve them, figs are a tasty and fun connection with our buddy Amos.

7. Trust Box

I didn’t do this with our group because I hadn’t thought of it yet, but I wish I had! During the seventh teaching session, I invite you to live prayerful. I share about my trust box where I write what concerns me on an index card and put it in the box. This is my way of praying instead of worrying (Philippians 4:6).

You could do so many things with this one, from having all your gals purchase their own trust box and decorating them together, to gifting them a box (you never know, maybe you’re a woodworker and want to build a bunch of tiny boxes! Or run to Michael’s or Hobby Lobby!). You could even get a big trust box for the group that you put your prayer requests in every week. Whatever you decide will be great! I just know that my trust box has helped me be intentional in taking my concerns to our Heavenly Father in prayer.

Check out this video with me and my friend Paula where you can see our trust boxes. Also, here are some quick links to a few trust box options on Amazon:

Alive Central Bamboo Storage Box

RSVP International Bamboo Recipe Box

Zen Earth Inspired Wooden Recipe Box

Woiworco Bamboo Box for Crafts

8. Live Justly Project

During week 5, I invite you to “Live Justly.” During the personal study, we lament issues and situations and learn that lament is not a final destination but a stepping stone on the path to redemption. There are countless needs around us, and because we can’t do everything, we’re often paralyzed and do nothing. So, we took action together!

Paula and I invited women to bring items to donate to a local foster and adoption ministry in our community. Each brought what they could, but it all added up to make a big impact! Perhaps your church already has a local ministry they partner with that your group could help, or one of your women might just be passionate about a local non-profit that carries Christ’s mission of serving the least of these (Matthew 25:40). Join together and take action!

9. The Prophet by Francine Rivers

After I wrote the Amos Bible Study, I read this fictional account of Amos by Francine Rivers. It was really good and can be a compliment to what you’re learning, so feel free to recommend it to your ladies—especially if they’re having a bit of trouble getting a grasp on Amos.

10. Liturgy

One last thing: My friend Paula loves liturgies and often shares them at our Bible studies. Check out two of our favorite books at everymomentholy.com. For the “Live Justly” message (Session Six), we shared A Liturgy For Embracing Both Joy and Sorrow, which is available as a free download at everymomentholy.com.

Now… aren’t you getting excited to lead this study?

Of course, all of these “extras” are not essential to making a study great! What is most important is gathering together around God’s Word! Yet, often simple, small gestures let women know they are special and serve as a visual reminder of some of the big truths we’re learning together.

Don’t let these little things overwhelm you. In fact, you can delegate! So often, women just need to be asked to use their gifts of decorating a table, gathering fun prizes and snacks, or putting their million-dollar smile and warm personality to work in welcoming those newest among us. I’ve made some of my best friends while serving together, so invite others in because we are always better together!

Speaking of being better together, I can’t wait to hear all about your ideas. Be sure and share your best tips here on my Facebook page where you can post a picture of your idea in the comments!

My last bit of encouragement to you as you begin this journey is to pray! Pray for each of your women as you gather. Encourage them to pray for one another. And know that I am praying for you and cheering you on!

Love,

Jennifer

P.S. Needing to get a jump start on the study? You can watch the first video teaching session and download the entire first week of study for free! Plus, I’ll send you the video viewer guide to accompany all eight teaching sessions. Just click the button below…

Watch Session One Order the Amos Study

Promote the Study in Your Church

Spread the word about your study with these fliers, bulletin inserts, and other promotional materials. After clicking the link, download the item you would like to use and then customize it by adding the details about when and where your group will meet.