International
(MNN) — A large proportion of the population in developing countries live
on less $2 per day.
The poor spend a large portion of their income on food, housing or medicine, let alone buying
something as precious as a Bible.
However, Worldwide
Christian Schools is working to change that. Scott Vanderkooy with WWCS says, "Worldwide Christian Schools
concentrates on the development of Christ-centered schools in the developing
world. But approximately 80% of these children come from homes without
a Bible."
Since part of
their curriculum uses the Bible as text, owning one seems to be fairly high on
the priority list. For sponsored
students who attend the schools, though, the reality is their families simply
can't afford to buy one. Vanderkooy says, "We
started the 'My Own Bible' campaign, or MOB, to raise money for Bibles that are
bought by each school locally and then are distributed to the students'
families."
What started as
an experiment in Africa has now grown to an international project that has
taken on a life of its own. "We spend a lot of time as Christian
school people trying to integrate faith in all of life in these developing
world families," says Vanderkooy. "It's difficult to do that if those families don't have a Bible
of their own in their home that they can refer to."
Presenting need
and action in small doses makes this project one that is easy for everyone not only to grasp, but also to participate in. For example, Vanderkooy says, "Grand
Rapids Christian Middle School completed a 15-day campaign. They called it 'Join the MOB' and raised
enough money for 520 Bibles for schools in Uganda, the DR, Guatemala and
India."
The actual results
are as follows:
- The 5th grade raised $527.75 or
enough for 105 student Bibles - The 6th grade raised $550.75 or
enough for 110 student Bibles - The 7th grade raised $800 or
enough for 160 student Bibles - The 8th grade raised $621.75 or
enough for 124 student Bibles
The goal of this fund is to provide every child in a partner
school with a Bible. Because of the
strong start to 2012, Vanderkooy adds, "We would love to raise enough money for
20,000 Bibles to be distributed this year. Every $5 will buy a Bible for a
family in the developing world that doesn't have one."
The benefits of the My Own Bible Fund will extend beyond simply
handing out Bibles. "It's a very simple thing for the teacher to do is to
encourage the reading of the Bible, and not only with the students, but there's
a lot of parent/teacher interaction as well. These schools are schools that are
really integral to the entire community."
$5 buys a Bible for a child. Churches and schools are
encouraged to join in the fundraising effort. Check our Featured Links section for details.
