USA (MNN) — 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.
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."
