The Follow the Bible Tour: A Community Celebrating the Scriptures is coming to the Howard Performing Arts Center on the campus of Andrews University on Saturday, Jan. 23, 2010. A special program takes place from 4:30-6 p.m. and the Bible will be on display following. This event is free and open to the public.
This community event celebrating the Scriptures will host a one-of-a-kind traveling Bible written in 66 languages -- one for each book. Lebanon, Dubai, Mexico, Jamaica and the Arctic are just a few of the places the traveling Bible has visited as part of the Follow the Bible tour, a Seventh-day Adventist-sponsored event traveling the globe. The 12 x 18 inch Bible is a symbol of intercultural Christian solidarity and consists of 1,500 pages. Readers can view Deuteronomy in Japanese, Joel in Haitian Creole, Matthew in Indonesian and many other translated books.
The 4:30 p.m. program will include an archaeological standpoint of the scriptures by the Horn Archaeological Museum; "The Bible in English Literature" by Scott Moncrieff; recitation and chanting of scripture; scriptural songs lead by Stephen and Susan Zork; and more. Displays in the Howard Lobby will feature many organizations including Banner Books of St. Joseph, ABC Christian Book Center, the Old Rugged Cross Foundation, and art work from the Andrews University Department of Art. The lobby displays will be open starting at 3:30 p.m. and will remain open for a period of time following the program. For additional information, contact Glenn Russell at glenn@andrews.edu.
Follow the Bible is an initiative to stimulate a deeper interest in reading the Bible. The tour began fall 2008 in the Philippines and will travel to each Adventist world division until July 2010, when the journey climaxes at the opening of the Seventh-day Adventist General Conference Session in Atlanta, Ga. The tour's stop at the Howard Center is sponsored by the Department of Religion & Biblical Languages at Andrews University in partnership with various community Christian organizations.
Seventh-day Adventist leaders and church members in the Dominican Republic welcomed the Traveling Bible with open arms and a strong commitment to continue promoting the Follow the Bible initiative launched by the world church during its first journey in 2008. The unique Bible made its way into Santo Domingo on Jan. 12 where it was escorted by national police and followed by dozens of vehicles carrying banners and decorations until reaching the eastern part of the island.
The Bible arrived in San Pedro de Macoris, where a multitude of Seventh-day Adventist leaders, students and civil and military authorities were gathered. The fire department, national police, the Red Cross and the civil defense were also in attendance. The Bible journeyed through the streets of the city, stopping in the central plaza for a special program.
The Traveling Bible also made its journey to the mayor's office in Santo Domingo, the Supreme Court of Justice, National Congress and the National Palace. More than 1,000 Bibles were distributed to government officials and workers.
The Bible then traveled to the southeastern part of the island, where the governor delivered a speech defending the truth about the Sabbath to hundreds of people there. He spoke in front of the Faro a Colon.
The traveling Bible then made its way to the northern part of the island in Santiago de los Caballeros where the reading of the Bible was promoted with Senator of Santiago Francisco Dominguez Brito and Governor Nidia Bisono de Tavarez. They both spoke on the importance of reading the Bible to students and professors in the community. The Catholic Church sent its priest Miguel Marte, who read a portion of the Traveling Bible.
The special book continued its journey to San Francisco de Macoris, Bani, and Azua where special programs were held in public plazas and the Bible was paraded through the streets. An ambulance from the Vista del Jardin Medical Center accompanied the Bible throughout its journey along with pathfinders and master guides to cities on the island.
The unique Bible made a final stop in Santo Domingo's Olympic Book where a special program and baptismal ceremony took place.
In all more than 50,000 Bibles were distributed on the island during the Follow the Bible initiative which began earlier this year with Bible reading and transcribing marathons throughout every city and community on the island.
The Bible's journey into the Dominican Republic was the 116th stop around the world and the final stop on Inter-American soil.
The Traveling Bible arrived in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on Jan. 7, just days before the 7-magnitude earthquake hit the city, killing thousands and leaving thousands more homeless. The Bible had previously been in Puerto Rico.
Dozens of Seventh-day Adventist church leaders, government officials and church members welcomed the unique Bible at Toussaint Louverture International Airport's diplomatic room. About 20 members of the media were present to document the event.
The president of the Protestant Federation in Haiti joined the Seventh-day Adventist Church to receive the multi-language Bible, which was hand-delivered by the delegation from Puerto Rico. The Bible was then taken in a caravan through the city of Port-au-Prince for the second of many celebrations.
"It is my privilege to hand you this traveling Bible," said Pastor Jose A. Rodriguez, president of the church in Puerto Rico, as he handed the Bible to Theart St. Pierre, president of the church in Haiti. "We hope that this Bible can be a light to shine and guide Haiti. Read the Bible, Practice the Bible."
Pastor St. Pierre, along with his team of union, fields, institutions and church members, pledged to read the Bible and promote Bible reading throughout Haiti.
Church leaders, members and community leaders participated in transcribing Bible passages and reciting scripture. They also enjoyed a special exhibit of the oldest Bibles in Haiti.
On Saturday, Jan. 9, nearly 3,000 people gathered at the Auditorium of the Bible in Port-au-Prince for a huge celebration. About 120 government officials and religious leaders were invited as special guests. Among them were representatives from the presidential office, the Apostolic Nuncio, the President of the Protestant Federation, a representative of the voodoo church, political leaders and dozens of ministers from other evangelical churches.
Each guest read a Bible passage from the Book of Joel in French or Creole, and each received a special Bible from Adventist leaders. In addition to Bible-themed Sabbath activities, church leaders distributed some 450 Bibles to female inmates and police guards at the Petion-Ville Women's prison after a special Bible-focused program.
Over 15,000 young people and church members marched with Bible in hand through the streets of Port-au-Prince. Using loud speakers, leaders invited listeners to read the Bible. More than 15,000 Bibles were given away during the march. In addition, Pathfinders and Pathfinder Master Guides sang special songs about the Bible.
The Traveling Bible left Port-au-Prince on the morning of Jan. 12, towards Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, just hours before the earthquake hit.
January 18, 2010 -- San Juan, Puerto Rico. [Freddy Sosa/IAD staff]
The Seventh-day Adventist Traveling Bible made its way into the island of Puerto Rico on Jan 3, 2010. Dozens of church leaders and members awaited the arrival of the unique Bible, which was escorted by a three-member delegation from Martinique.
Church members held a special press conference when the multi-language Bible landed at the Luis Munoz Marin Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Luis Valladares, representative of the island's governor, joined church leaders and praised the church for its Follow the Bible initiative.
A caravan of vehicles escorted the Bible from the city of Ponce to the city of Guanica, ending with a ceremony in a nearby baseball park. The ceremony emphasized the importance of the study of the Bible. Hundreds of copies of "Priorities" missionary magazine were distributed during the day.
More than 1,500 church leaders, community leaders and church members gathered for the special celebration.
Representatives of the office of Guanica were in attendance. Jesus Calderon, president of the city's municipal district, addressed the crowd.
"It is a pleasure for us to host this activity which elevates the spirit of our people through the emphasis of the Word of God," Calderon said.
Pastor Rodriguez, president of the church in the West Conference, spoke of Guanica as the place where the North American armed forces entered in 1898. Along with the troops was American soldier David Trail, the first Seventh-day Adventist to step onto the island. It was in Guanica where Trail requested the General Conference to send a missionary to work on the island.
"This is why the city of Guanica was chosen as a special place to receive the traveling Bible," Pastor Rodriguez said.
The unique Bible continued to the north of the island where thousands witnessed and learned of its journey around the world.
The visit of the traveling Bible in Puerto Rico culminated the church's months of activities related to the Follow the Bible initiative. The island's two Adventist radio stations promoted the various Bible-related activities such as Bible reading marathons, Bible transcribing marathons and special community projects.
Top church leaders then traveled to Port-au-Prince, Haiti on Jan. 7, where the Bible remained there for five days.
To view photos of the traveling Bible in Puerto Rico, visit flickr.com.
December 17, 2009 - Kingston, Jamaica...[Kimone
Thompson/Nigel Coke/WIU/IAD]
Whether you speak Chinese, Russian,
German, French, Spanish, English, or any of the 66 languages of the
traveling Bible, the
Good Book is awash with best practices for all situations.
That was the core message on Dec. 13, at
the National Arena where the 16.68lb, 18" x 12" Bible that is at the center of
the Follow the Bible
initiative made the final of three stops in Jamaica. The process is intended to
foster a deeper interest in reading and studying and sharing the Bible particularly since, according to
information from the world church, recent surveys indicate
that fewer than 50 percent of the church membership engages in daily study.
"The Bible outlines best practices," said
Pastor Derek Bignall, president of the church in the West Indies, as he
addressed thousand of people - including church and civic leaders - happy
to have had a glimpse of the specially prepared Bible, which will end a two-year
journey around the world at the General Conference Session in Atlanta, Georgia in
June 2010.
"If you do business, there is a way to do
best business, Pastor Bignall continued. "Good measure, pressed down, shaken
together, running over. That's how you must do business; no hanky panky
dealings. And if you're lazy, the Bible gives you a way to learn to do better: go to the ants. If
you are parents, the Bible has given best practice to teach the
children. The best thing to teach the children is to give them a Bible and
you must teach them everyday, when you walk by the way, when you sit in your
house, when you lie down, when you rise up."
"We need to bring the Bible back to the
top of the agenda," he said. "The TV has got too much and the Internet has got
too much. We must put back the Bible where it belongs - in the minds of
men."
Bignall said he wasn't discrediting the
importance and use of technology because it is also a source of education but
said it needs to be regulated and administered with care.
In his address, Bignall was critical of
Charles Darwin's theory of evolution and called on the Ministry of Education to
do more in the way of promoting Creationism.
"Until these things get back in our
schools, we no longer have a say in the nation," the head of the church said.
President of the East Jamaica Conference
Pastor Adrian Cotterell also addressed the gathering on Sunday.
Also present at the National Arena was
speaker of the House of Representatives, the Hon. Delroy Chuck who represented
the Prime Minister at the historical event.
He accepted a copy of the Bible from the
church leaders and said it would be placed at a convenient location in
Parliament where "everyone visiting can take time out to read it as they see
fit".
The traveling Bible arrived in Jamaica -
the 112th country in its worldwide tour - from Costa Rica on Friday,
Dec. 11. It was handed over to Pastor Bignall by Pastor Guenther Garcia,
Secretary of the church in South Central America at the Donald Sangster
International airport. Its sojourn took it to Montego Bay, Mandeville and Kingston
where motorcades and bands comprising Pathfinders and Master Guides signaled
its arrival in each town.
In Montego Bay, the program was conducted
under the theme: 'The Bible - Our Torch of Truth'. It included "walking, talking" replicas
of the Bible and costumed Biblical characters. More than 250 Bibles and 4,000
pieces of Christian Literature were distributed to motorists and pedestrians
during the motorcade and at Sam Sharpe Square where a civic ceremony was held.
Pastor Charles Brevitt, president of the Adventist Church in Western Jamaica
admonished parents to buy Bibles for their children and study with them. This
he said will help to restore families and create a healthy society.
On Saturday, the traveling Bible went to
Mandeville in central Jamaica where the theme was 'The Bible - the Book of
Hope'. The morning's
program included drama presentations depicting the 12 tribes of Israel as well
as the Apostles, andreadings
from the huge book in Greek and Hebrew. Pastor Glen Samuels, secretary of the church
in the West Indies Union delivered the main address in which he re-enforced to
the congregation that the Bible is the Book of Hope. A civic ceremony was held
later in the afternoon at the Mandeville Park where over 200 Bibles were given
to non-Adventists. Pastor Everett Brown, President of the Adventist church in
Central Jamaica delivered the main address.
Sunday's program, under the theme, 'The
Bible - The Book to Live and Die For', featured singing, choral speaking and drama presentations of the
work of Christian martyrs and pioneers such as Paul, Martin Luther and the
Millerites of the Great Disappointment of 1844 fame. President of the Church in
eastern Jamaica, Pastor Adrian Cotterell challenged the gathering to keep the Word
and spirit of God inside their heart.
"The
Traveling Bible will continue its journey throughout Inter-America by making
its way to Martinique in the coming days."
December 10, 2009 - Alajuela, Costa Rica [Plinio Vergara/IAD Staff]
After making its final stop in Central America, the Seventh-day Adventist Traveling Bible leaves behind thousands of fans in Costa Rica after a six-day journey through the country.
Hundreds church leaders, church members, pathfinders and master guides gathered at San Jose's Juan Santa Maria Airport to witness and celebrate the arrival of the unique Bible, on Dec. 4, 2009, on its 111th stop around the globe.
National television stations and the print media were present to cover the event.
Local authorities escorted the multi-language Bible and were joined by a caravan of cars displaying it through the main streets of the City of Alajuela as a testimony to the importance and value of God's Word.
The Bible made its way to the Adventist University in Alajuela for the official handing over by church leaders from the Mid Central American Union and later made its way to the Bible Society of Costa Rica where leaders praised the Seventh-day Adventist Church for the worldwide initiative to promote the Bible, called "Follow the Bible".
During a special ceremony at the Garantias Sociales Plaza in San Jose, the president of the Supreme Court of Justice of Costa Rica, Dr. Luis Paulino Mora Mora read the first two chapters of the Traveling Bible. Pastor Israel Leito, president for the church in Inter-America joined in the celebration and read the Bible in Dutch. Dozens more read the Bible in German, Russina, Czech, and English, among others.
Meanwhile thousands of youth and laypeople read the Bible in dozens of parks and plazas across the country. More than 10,000 free Bibles were distributed during the day's event.
Costa Rica's Adventist Radio station suspended its regular program to air the reading of the entire Bible from Dec. 3-6. Dozens of Adventist schools joined in the months' celebration emphasizing the reading of the Bible to thousands of its students before the end of the school year in November.
The Traveling Bible is scheduled to arrive in Jamaica on Dec. 11.
To view a photo gallery of the traveling Bible in Costa Rica, visit Flickr.
December 2, 2009 - San Salvador, El Salvador...[IAD Staff]
The Seventh-day Adventist Traveling Bible arrived in El Salvador on Nov. 28. It was the special book's first visit to Central America and the fifth stop on Inter-American soil. The Bible was taken by a caravan of more than 75 automobiles and a police escort through the streets of the city of San Salvador to El Salvador del Mundo Park, where it was awaited by thousands of church leaders, community leaders and church members.
Norman Quijano, the mayor of San Salvador, was the first to open the special Bible, an act which was full of expectations throughout the city, according to Walter Ciguenza, communication director for the church in the Mid-Central American Union.
More than 25,000 Bibles were distributed throughout dozens of parks in the Salvadorian country while Bible marathons took place. Similarly, in Honduras, which is part of the Mid-Central American church region, Seventh-day Adventists distributed thousands of Bibles in parks throughout the country and participated in special programs promoting the reading of the Holy Scriptures.
The traveling Bible is scheduled to visit Costa Rica next from Dec. 4-6.
To view a photo gallery of traveling Bible in El Salvador, visit Flickr.
