My Own Bible: Putting a Bible into the hands of every WCS child

Written by Emily Klooster

Do you remember your first Bible? Maybe it was a gift from your parents, or if you attended a Christian school you were probably given a Bible to use in class. Since access to Scripture was easy for most of us, it may surprise you that in many countries around the world Christian schools have a difficult time acquiring even one Bible. A student in a developing country may have gone through school hearing about God’s love, but he will graduate without ever opening God’s Word.

“The essence of Christian education is the Word of God,” said WCS field director for Africa Dale Dieleman. “The reality is that 90% of [WCS partner schools] in Africa may not have a Bible. How do we address Christian education with a lack of Bibles?”

In response to this significant need, Worldwide Christian Schools is pleased to announce the My Own Bible Fund, a three-way collaboration between WCS, The Bible League, and our international family of partners in Christian education. The goal of this fund is to provide every child in a WCS partner school with a Bible, beginning in Africa. “This is an ongoing program because we are constantly adding partners and there are always new children coming into these schools,” said Dieleman. “It’s open-ended, and we want donors to see the value in that.”

The benefits of the My Own Bible Fund will extend beyond simply handing out Bibles. Before the Bibles are distributed, partner schools will participate in Bible Study courses to introduce the Word to students. These courses will be conducted by WCS partner, The Bible League. After the courses are completed, WCS will make the funds available so that partner schools can buy the Bibles they need in the languages they prefer, such as French or Swahili. After graduating, each student will be able to keep his or her Bible. “In this way we can impact homes without a Bible. It becomes something of their own.”

The cost of a Bible for one student is $5, which puts the annual goal of the My Own Bible Fund at $125,000. If this much can be raised annually, approximately 25,000 students without Bibles will receive them each year. Through this campaign, you could have an incredible impact on students around the world. An individual donor can choose to purchase one Bible for a student, or increase his or her impact by purchasing Bibles for an entire school. The My Own Bible Fund could also be used as an end-of-the-year giving program for Sunday schools, youth groups, and Christian school classrooms.

Please prayerfully consider joining WCS and Bible League in the campaign to put a Bible into the hands of every WCS child. There is no better gift you can give than access to God’s Word and the good news of His great love!

To donate to the My Own Bible project contact Dale Dieleman at (800) 886-9000 or ddieleman@wwcs.org.