The word of the Bible is the most important thing to one local interdenominational Bible study that kicked off its program this week.

The Explorers Bible study started Wednesday at First Presbyterian Church, 1501 Cherry St., and will meet weekly. Although the group meets at First Presbyterian, leaders say denominations have no part in the study.

“We don’t talk church. We don’t even know where everybody (worships). People think I go to this church because I’m in charge of it right now, but I don’t. I’m down the street,” leader Rosalye Baldwin said.

Baldwin said she has learned a lot from attending the study over the years and has formed a bond with many of the women through the fellowship they experience during the study.

“I have learned so much from God’s word about God’s word, and it’s just a beautiful thing,” Baldwin said. “It’s meant so much to me.”

She said there has been an Explores Bible study in Vicksburg for at least 33 years, and this year’s study focuses closely on the gospel of Matthew for the entire 31 sessions held over eight months.

“We basically take a chapter a week right now,” Baldwin said.

Each meeting starts with a group gathering consisting of a hymn and a devotional and then breaks up into five small groups to discuss the previous week’s homework questions.

The study has a workbook with questions the participants work on at home. Baldwin said the most important text to the class is the Bible where all the answers to the workbook questions can be found. She said leaders are encouraged not to use any kind of commentary.

“The Bible is our text, but the books we use come from Explorers Bible study,” Baldwin said. “We’re here to get all of our answers from God’s word. We use the Bible to get our answers and the Holy Spirit’s guidance of course.”

Once small groups are over, everyone reconvenes for a video lesson by Marni McKenzie of Batesville.

“She has a gift for understanding scripture and presenting it in an easy (way). She just has a gift for Bible teaching,” Jennifer Sluis said.

Sluis is leading one of the five small groups this year. It is her third year to lead a group and her 17th year to participate in the study.

“It’s wonderful. Studying the Bible verse by verse and the fellowship of the women, it’s great,” Sluis said. “It’s a wonderful time where you can learn even more than what you get at Sunday school.”

Many of the participants have enjoyed the study so much they continue to come back year after year. Maurice Tadlock said she has been going to Explorers since about 1983 and has been through the entire Bible. She continues to come back to learn more about God’s word.

“It speaks to you daily,” Tadlock said. “Only thing you have to do is open it up, and it speaks to you.”

Even if she’s done the study before, she continues to learn from the word and from the people who attend the class.

She said when each person shares their point of view, it opens her eyes to different interpretations of the word.

“It’s refreshing all the time,” Tadlock said, and Baldwin agreed.

“There’s just a beauty in those coming together with different backgrounds because you get ideas of what someone else saw in God’s word that may be different from you,” Baldwin said.

The study is from 9:30 to 11:15 a.m. every Wednesday starting in late August and ending in late April with weeks off for Thanksgiving, Christmas and other holidays.

“We basically go for 31 weeks, and we pretty much follow the school schedule,” Baldwin said.

At this time, there are 86 participants signed up for the study, but Baldwin said its not too late to sign up. The group is open to anyone, and she said people are welcome to attend a lesson before they decide to join.

“We’re not a clique. We’re not a denomination where you have to do this and you have to do that. All you need is a copy if God’s word, and if you don’t have one, we’ll get you one,” Baldwin said.

The study costs $60.

Scholarships are available to those who can not afford the study.

“If there is a need and they want to come, we want them to come,” Baldwin said.

For more information, call 601-638-3994 or 601-630-7383.