NATCHEZ — What started a couple of years ago as a sort of theological book club at Trinity Episcopal Church has become a place where the members of the Thursday Theologians come to openly share their thoughts on faith without the fear of judgment.

The group started out of a desire from a few church members to form a theological book study, member Bruce Scarborough said. In that time, he said, the members have formed a trust and a bond that allows them to have honest conversations about their spirituality and how it affects their daily lives.

“It’s a safe place where you can express opinions and beliefs and not be judged or belittled,” Scarborough said.

The group just finished “Falling Upward: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life” by Richard Rohr and will soon begin “Saint Saul: A Skeleton Key to the Historical Jesus” by Donald Harman Akenson.

Although the group started out of its members’ wishes to study theology, it has become more about the conversations the books help start, Scarborough said.

“It’s less about the books and more about what is discussed,” he said. “It allows people to open up, and we get to learn a lot about people in the church we only know by a name or a face.”

The sense of community is very important in the Episcopal Church, member Kathleen Jenkins said.

“We’re all just kind of trying to figure out where the spirit is leading us,” Jenkins said. “It’s an important thing to be doing that in a group.”

Member Adam Gwin said the sense of community in the group is large part of why he enjoys the Thursday Theologians.

“What we have done is create a community of people,” he said. “We trust one another, and when you’re able to trust someone, you open up more.

“I can say that we get to chew on some pretty deep topics, topics that get down into who we are, and the more I get to share with others who share similar ideals and thoughts, the more I get to help them and the more I get to help myself and learn about myself.”

Member Terry Rouprich said the community of a church is built in small groups. The diversity of the group, she said, has allowed her to step into the shoes of others and see their spiritual journeys from a different perspective.

“I’ve learned so much, and you know, we all come from such different backgrounds and have different perspectives,” Rouprich said. “Hearing all the different viewpoints has been really interesting.”

Walking a spiritual journey as a community, Scarborough said, can strengthen one’s personal relationship with God.

“Being in a position where you’re open and make yourself vulnerable to other people, it just deepens that whole sense of relationship with God by deepening your relationship with others,” Scarborough said.

“I feel like ultimately that’s how you experience God is through each other. That’s ultimately how we see God is in each other.”