By Chakara Bennett, Guardian Summer Intern

Do you sometimes feel lost in religious terminology and doctrine when you go to church? Do you wonder about the history of some religious traditions? Is Bible study group no longer filling the abyss of ignorance you feel when you read ambiguous sections of the Bible? Do you yearn for a deeper relationship with the church and its history?

If this is how you feel, then the Education for Ministry (EFM) program is something that may interest you. A long-distance learning program of Theology Education, supported by the School of Theology Programs Center in the University of the South, Tenn., U.S.A. is available through the Anglican Church and open to any one seriously interested — no matter their denomination.

According to Canon Samuel Sturrup, an instructor, the purpose of E.F.M. is to make biblical understanding relevant to the (common) person. It attempts to address the changes that happen on a daily basis.

"In response to things like technology and the ease in acquiring other forms of information it was realized that it is easy to be left behind. Simply put, we needed to make things more readily available to people in the church," he said.

The program originally began to satisfy the religious questioning of people living in the immediate vicinity of the South University. Members of the university's theology department responded and created the program for their benefit, and is now being taught in Australia, Africa, Great Britain and the Caribbean.

"Education for Ministry is an excellent program not only for the lay people but also those persons who wish to join the priesthood," says Inez Adderley, who is a member which only allows 10 to 12 persons to study under one mentor.

Adderley, who joined the EFM program 20 years ago under Fr. Kirkley Sands, says the group is empowering and opens the eyes of its students to a more meaningful and insightful church experience.

EFM started out with the vision of enrolling a few hundred students. Within a few years it developed into a program reaching several thousand around the globe.

This program described as intensive is not meant for people who are not willing to commit at least one year at a time to the in-depth study, readings and seminar sessions required for its completion. The entire program spans at least four years for those diligent and committed although it is can take longer.

"It's a very enlightening program," says Dr. Gill Gibson, a current member. "You read the Bible all your life and this program just helps you to make the connections. It's a real eye opener. You learn from whence it all came and understand how the people who wrote the Bible were thinking. It's designed especially for persons who work so there is no pressure to keep up with the class as one unit if you really can't. You do it at your own pace so there is no need to quit if you aren't keeping up." Even after completing the program, it is not the end of learning and participating.

Mentors who include Canon Samuel Sturrup, Fr. Sebastian Campbell and Iris Sindleson, are re-trained at the university annually in order to remain accredited.