Do you have a favorite Bible that you’ve had for many years? The pages are worn. Certain passages are highlighted. There are notes in the margins. Slips of paper are tucked between pages or just inside the covers.
Recently, when I was doing some cleaning, I ran across my old Bible. As I opened it, I instantly remembered where I was when I took the notes that are in the margins of Mark. I could almost feel the softness of the grass at camp where I sat to fill out the worksheet tucked into the front cover. The rush of excitement of going to the youth conference came over me as I saw the highlighted passages. My favorite Sunday School teacher’s face came to mind as I found the bookmark she gave me so many years ago. For me, leafing through that Bible brings back memories that provide a sense of grounding, a firm foundation.
We want our youth to have a sense of grounding, a firm foundation in their faith. One of the ways we can help them do that is by giving them Bibles that they will use throughout their time in the youth ministry at AFBC. Our youth committee wants to start a new tradition of providing students with Bibles when they enter the sixth grade. We will keep these Bibles in the youth room, making them available for Sunday School and youth Bible study. We will bring them with us to camps, retreats, and mission trips. When students graduate from high school, we will present them with their Bibles. We hope they are filled with notes, highlighted passages, and a sense of rootedness in their faith.
In order to start this tradition, we need to provide Bibles for every student currently in our youth ministry. We need your help and support to do this. Would you consider buying a Bible for a student? Your name will be placed inside the Bible so that the student will know that you and your family have chosen to support him or her by providing a Bible. In this way, the Bibles will serve as an inter-generational connection point among members of our church.
The Bibles will be NRSV, bonded leather, and will have the student’s name engraved on the front cover. Total cost is $30.00 per Bible (make checks payable to AFBC w/ notation “Youth Bible”. This is not a tax-deductible gift.) A list of student names is included in the latest First Connection newsletter and will be printed in class Sunday School announcements. Please prayerfully consider providing a Bible for one of our youth. Thank you!
If you are interested in purchasing a bible, please contact the church office.