Grace is IBI’s Online Learning Co-ordinator, responsible for the development and facilitation of our online modules. Grace is from Cork, where she lives with her husband Tom.

Tell us a little bit about yourself?

I have been IBI's Online Learning Coordinator for 7 years now and it thrills me to be involved in making Bible study more accessible in Ireland and beyond. I love learning and helping others to learn, especially when it means helping people engage with the Bible.

I live in West Cork where I am part of Amazing Grace Community Church in Skibbereen. I am married to Tom and we have a 3-year-old boy, Perran. We are bi-vocational missionaries with European Christian Mission.
In my free time, I love being outdoors - especially by the sea - walking, swimming, surfing, kayaking...whatever/whenever I can! 

What is your role in IBI?

As the online learning coordinator, I get to teach a whole range of courses online as they are based on a selection of our modules in IBI. I facilitate courses such Biblical Interpretation, The Life and Teaching of Jesus, The Story of the Bible, Church History, Old Testament Survey and Pastoral Care. I also teach some of the first year BA module Interpreting and applying the bible.

Why are you passionate about Online learning?

Online learning is exciting! Firstly, I love how flexible it is for those who cannot get to the classroom in IBI. It’s such a valuable opportunity for people to access quality material in their own time and to study at their own pace. At the same time, online learning is also very interactive. I work hard to ensure people still learn in community. This is a vital part of the learning experience. In the online classroom, we require students to consistently reflect and respond to what they are studying and to engage with the ideas of their classmates. At first this can take some getting used to – there’s no option to sit quietly like you might in a physical classroom setting! Active learning is a big benefit of online learning – if you commit to engaging well, you will learn lots. Finally, online learning is dynamic. Combining a mix of media and resources, online courses cater for all kinds of learning styles. 

How does Online Learning shape people - head, hands, heart?

Our online courses are designed to biblically inform minds, develop godly character and equip people for living life and doing ministry. Reflective class discussions foster this kind of learning. It’s one of my favourite parts of the job – hearing from students how their study has changed their understanding, their attitudes and how it will get applied in their own context. All the while, I’m there to help people tease out their thoughts – I get the fun job of asking questions and encouraging students to ask their own!

Why are you passionate about Biblical Interpretation? Why does it matter?

God has been gracious enough to communicate with us and when you open your Bible, you’re looking at how he decided to do it - a collection of 66 different kinds of books, written in two ancient languages, over the space of 1,500 years! If this is how God has made himself known to us, then I think it is worth working hard to interpret it and apply it correctly. The Bible should shape all of life – interpreting it wisely should be the foundation for everything we think, everything we value and everything we do! Living life and doing ministry biblically requires us to know how to read Scripture well. In a nutshell: through the Bible, God is speaking. We need to learn how to listen.

Sometimes I think it’s a shame how every page of our bibles “looks” the same! If you really step into the Bible, rather than monotonous terrain, you will find a beautifully varied literary landscape. God has chosen to communicate with us and engage with us in so many different ways. This is a particular passion of mine. I love exploring that as well as a theological and historical book, the Bible is a divinely inspired literary work. It says what it says in a very intentional way – God has designed it to intrigue your thoughts, shape your heart and move you to transformed living. That is worth paying attention to!

It’s my privilege and joy to get to teach Biblical Interpretation to students both in the classroom in IBI and online.