Author: James Howard-Smith, 30 August 2024
Your support for Bible mission puts God’s word in people’s hands and changes their lives. And persuading your friends to join in may be more fun than you’d think. Bible Society supporters have a great record of finding creative ways to encourage their friends to give. Here are three current examples to inspire you:
Out of his passion for the Bible, David Arkell has written Divine Loves: A Medley of Lyric Musings. David is a retired teacher and an active church organist. His poems are rooted in Scripture and according to Revd Amanda Duncan they ‘invite us on a journey to a place of peace, a place of praise and awe, a place of trust in the God who knows and loves us.’
David has 150 copies of Divine Loves to sell and he’s hoping to turn every one of them into a Bible for someone who is craving God’s word. Here’s are the opening two stanzas from one of his poems, which expresses the awesome message of Isaiah 61.1–3:
Spirit of the Sovereign Lord
Anointing with His lavish grace,
Magnified by all, adored;
Reaching out in wide embrace,
Healing lives in turmoil, broken,
Setting captives loose from chain.
Good news to the poor is spoken,
Sight recovered prisoners gain.
This summer, Mike Smith biked the Bible-loving life of William Tyndale. That’s a 350-mile journey from Gloucestershire to Vilvoorde in Belgium. With his friends behind him, he raised £1,649, which is enough to provide more than 200 illustrated Bibles for children in West Africa.
Mike says, ‘I love the Bible and want others to love, read, learn and memorise God’s truth.’ He has that in common with Tyndale, who illegally translated the Bible into English 500 years ago so that people without an education in Latin could experience the power of Scripture.
‘I started my journey at St Cyr’s in Stinchcombe and spent three days cycling across England. From Dover, I took the ferry to Dunkirk and rode on to Vilvoorde. It was wonderful that the hotel where I stayed was a former prison, built on the site of the castle where William Tyndale was imprisoned and executed. The William Tyndale Church was located within the complex of the hotel and I was pleased to attend a service there on the Sunday morning.’
Mike called the experience a week-long retreat on two wheels. He learned more about the history of Bible translation and it’s given him a great opportunity to share the importance of Bible literacy today. On top of that, his pedalling has put the Bible in more people’s hands.
You don’t have to travel as far as Mike or buy a bike. Emily is walking 220 km to raise £220, which is one kilometre walked, and hopefully one pound raised, for every year of Bible Society’s existence. Bible Society was founded in 1804 by evangelists and philanthropists inspired by the love of Scripture that made Mary Jones walk 24 miles to buy a Welsh Bible.
‘I’ve been walking about seven and a half kilometres a day, just around my neighbourhood in the evenings,’ Emily says. ‘During my walks I’m either praying for my community, listening to the Bible or enjoying a podcast.’
Emily’s £220 could provide Bibles for 22 people who are serving prison sentences in this country. And you can bet that each one of those Bibles will be seized by someone who urgently wants to hear God’s voice. Revd Tim Wright, a prison chaplain in the Midlands, told us that seeking Jesus isn’t a hobby for prisoners: ‘These men are desperate for change.’
If you want to walk with Emily or bike like Mike, the easiest way to get people involved and manage your sponsorship funds is to set up a page on JustGiving. You’ll need to start an account, but that’s easy.
David Arkell’s book of poems, Divine Loves, is available to buy for £7.10 (£5 plus postage). It’s 110 pages long and was first published in 2019. Email him at [email protected] if you’d like a copy.
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Put your faith into action and step out for Scripture!
Bring the transformative power of the Bible to people today by taking on a walking challenge and raising money for Bible Society. Bible Society was founded because of a walk.Over 200 years ago, 15-year-old Mary Jones trekked 26 miles across the rugged terrain of North Wales to buy a Bible in her own language. Her story inspired our founders to make the Bible accessible for everyone.
How far will you bike for Bibles this summer? Get active this summer and fundraise for Bible mission by signing up to do a sponsored bike ride – there are so many ways to take part!
Are you ready to do something amazing? You could change lives, for good! No matter how you do it, the money you raise will help with Bible mission around the world. Just imagine the impact you could have...
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