Photo via catholicnewsagency.com

Scripture distribution reaches for the heart of U.S. cities

Falling newspaper subscriptions are helping International Bible Society-Send The Light. CityReachers is a project that creates regionally-customized New Testaments and distributes them through the newspaper, reports MNN.

However, CityReachers Director Paul Tolleson says that with circulations down, they've begun their own distribution of the Scriptures door-to-door.

CityReachers' New Testaments are packaged in protective plastic bags and delivered to newspaper subscribers, or if funds are available, to every home in the city--usually included with the Sunday papers. In some cases, these custom New Testaments are delivered door-to-door by church volunteers.

The New Testaments cost $2.50 each: $2 for the New Testament and 50 cents for newspaper distribution. Churches, ministries, Christian businesses, and individuals within the target city raise funds to pay for the New Testaments and the distribution.

To date, IBS-STL has distributed more than 1 million New Testaments in the U.S. and Canada. Citywide distributions have been completed in Brampton, Ontario; Colorado Springs; the Colorado River Valley (Arizona, California, and Nevada); Houston; Jackson, Mississippi; the Virginia Peninsula; Philadelphia; Pittsburgh; Spokane, Washington; and the Tampa Bay area.

Distributions are planned the week before Holy Week for Hialeah, Florida, and Fort Worth, Texas. "We are doing an English/Spanish Gospel of John. They're being distributed by members of churches. In Fort Worth, we'll be delivering about 86,000 New Testaments."

The vision behind the project comes from the Great Commission: "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Matthew 28:19-20 TNIV

Is CityReachers effective? Tolleson says it is. "A lady came to church, and at the end of the service they had an altar call and she came forward. The pastor asked her, 'What brought you to church this morning?' She reached into her purse and pulled out our CityReachers New Testament; she had found information regarding that church on the newspaper bag."

New iPad POLL! VOTE NOW! Will you buy new iPad?

TAGS: USA newspaper subscriptions CityReachers Scripture distribution the Great Commission

[03/25/2009]

Print Version