Brothers use Bible study as witnessing tool at high school

It takes but a few minutes of conversation with Samford freshman Marvin Leathers to realize he is wise beyond his 18 years. Two years ago, as a high school junior, he learned that he not only had to “talk the talk” but “walk the walk” when it came to taking a stand for his Christian beliefs.
   
After spending a week during summer vacation at Centrifuge (a national Christian youth retreat) the Winfield teen returned home with a desire to make a difference among his peers.
“God laid on my heart that I needed to start a Bible study,” Leathers said. So, he met with his youth minister at First Baptist Church, Winfield, Kip Faught to outline a plan. He also sought advice from his grandfather, Billy Taylor,  pastor of Rockwood Baptist Church in Franklin Association.
   
Developing a nondenominational Bible study, Leathers said, “I wanted to have kids come to a place where we could get to the meat of the Word.”
   
At the time Leathers was a star football player at his high school of 400 as well as a student government leader. His original plan was to invite some fellow team members to his home on Thursday evenings for an in-depth Bible study that he would lead. He wanted “to get Christians at the study to share the gospel and to win the lost.”
   
With a preparation time of four to seven hours each week, Leathers grew in his own faith through the Bible study. Within a year the number of attendees grew from seven to 80, moving the group outside due to space limitations.
   
Still, Leathers paid a price for his stand. Heavy topics were discussed such as premarital sex and drugs and what a Christian’s position should be based on a biblical perspective.
   
“I wasn’t going to give up or change my stand,” he said. “I knew that Satan was trying to stop us. I stressed at the Bible study that we couldn’t just be closet Christians. We had to draw a line in the sand for Christ and not talk the Word but live it as well. Some of the kids didn’t want to hear that.
   
“There were so many kids who started coming who had never been to church or heard about basic biblical teachings,” he explained. As Leathers concluded his senior year he knew he wanted the Bible study to continue once he graduated.
   
His brother, Taylor, was beginning his freshman year in the fall. Leathers discussed the possibility of Taylor continuing in his footsteps and his younger brother agreed. “Taylor is a cool kid. He initially had the weight of the world on his shoulders with thinking he had to live up to something. I urged him not to compare himself to me. I reminded him that not everyone at the school had heard the gospel.”
   
The Bible study is going strong under Taylor’s guidance with an attendance ranging from 13 to 26 teens.
  
And since passing the torch to his brother, Leathers is now pursuing a different avenue of witnessing. An accomplished musician, he was asked to join a Christian rock band known as “737” (see sidebar photo, this page), named for John 7:37 which says, “If anyone thirsts let him come unto Me and drink.”
    
The band is comprised of six members ranging in age from 18 to 32. Leathers plays guitar and sings harmony. Although the band has been in existence for less than a year the group has already cut a CD and is playing in local coffee houses and area churches. “ ‘737’ is a non-
denominational band and we want to promote unity through the body of Christ,” he said. For information, call 205-412-3012 or visit Web site www.seventhirtyseven.com.