EllieAna Hale
Reporter

With the upcoming Superbowl with the Kansas City Chiefs playing against the San Francisco 49ers in Paradise, Nevada, an air of anticipation fills a portable classroom at Faith Lutheran Middle and High School in Las Vegas, NV. A unique gathering is about to unfold: Tuesdays with Taylor – The Eras Bible Study, spearheaded by Becky Chaplin, the director of family ministry and an unabashed “Swiftie,” or fan of Taylor Swift. 

Every Tuesday at 8 a.m. nearly 20 students gather to connect Taylor Swift lyrics from each “Era,” or album, to Bible verses and teachings. 

“There’s 10 months of the school year and we can do an era a month,” Chaplin said. “October was Speak Now and Red was November, and so on. Every week I just take a song from that era, and then break it down into different Bible verses that connect to lyrics and things like that.”

The group has gathered an enthusiastic following of students that only has ambition of continuing the tradition into school years to come. 

“We take Taylor Swift song lyrics and we connect them to Bible verses and then we just talk about how they connect,” student leader of the group Michael Vardanyan said. “I really like this club because we get connections, we get some peace and we get a common liking. I walk away with hope, with love, and with just happiness because I just love talking about Taylor Swift and love talking about the Bible.”

This particular bible group sees Taylor Swift’s music and albums as an opportunity to use current, modern culture as an opportunity to combine their interests with their passion for following their faith.

“I go to Taylor Swift Bible Study because I love Taylor Swift, and I started listening to music, and it changed my life because her music means that life is real,” sixth grader Emylia Camacho said. 

Tuesdays with Taylor also uses food as a fun way to encourage students to connect the lyrics to the topics as well, through Taylor Swift-themed snacks.

“Every week, I have a snack that also connects to that song. We just did a song called “Endgame” which is in the Reputation era and it was perfect because it also has some football vibes and we were all excited about Taylor and Travis [Kelce] and everything that happened when they won the championship and like getting ready for the Super Bowl. So I got football themed cookies because it was tied to the “Endgame” lyrics but also it was exciting for Taylor and Travis.”

Chaplin encourages other community groups to gather to combine modern culture with their passion, whatever that may be.

“I think that finding something that’s relevant to your community and to culture is important,” Chaplin said. “I’m passionate about finding connections to the culture because that’s where we’re at… People are already watching sports, football games, movies and shows that are popular on Netflix, and how do you seize that opportunity to build a group?”

Tune into the Superbowl on Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024 at 6:30 p.m. where the Kansas City Chiefs will play against the San Francisco 49ers in Paradise, Nevada, home to the Las Vegas Raiders.