TORONTO – (Canadian Christian News Service) –This summer, thousands of Canadian children and youth will attend summer camps from coast to coast. Many of them will receive a free copy of the Adventure for Life Bible, designed especially for them.
Each summer, the Canadian Bible Society (CBS) extends its engagement with Canadian children and youth who attend Christian camps. “The response to the Adventure for Life Bible is overwhelmingly positive,” says Rev. Dr. Jonathan Dent, National Director of the Canadian Bible Society. “Camp staff recognize the value of a Bible geared specifically to the camp experience, and young campers are thrilled to receive their own free Bible,” he says. “The Adventure for Life Bible includes the entire Scriptures in an easy-to-read New Living Translation as well as sections on how to read the Bible, how to pray, what the Bible says about forgiveness, great Bible chapters, where to find specific topics or stories, and what to read in specific circumstances.”
Since its publication in 2015, more than 31,000 copies of the Adventure for Life (Child) Bible – created especially for children who attend Canadian Christian camps – were distributed to campers across Canada. An additional 7,800+ copies of the youth version of the Bible were also distributed.
“Thousands of Canadian children and youth attend summer camps with Christian themes each summer,” says Dent. “For overnight camps and churches that host day camps to have Bibles to give away to kids, that are fun, accessible and have a camp vibe, is really fantastic. We’re very excited about this project.”
One Hope Canada is CBS’ largest Adventure for Life Bible distribution partner. One Hope exists to present the Gospel to children and youth. “The Canadian Bible Society’s partnership with One Hope Canada has enabled thousands of children and youth, from across Canada, to take their very own Bible home with them after a week at camp,” explains Bill McCaskell, Co-Executive Director of One Hope Canada. “The camp-theme Bibles, featuring a specially designed cover and additional follow up material, ensure campers leave with more than just great memories from their week; they leave with God’s Word and a desire, we pray, to carry on what they learned at camp – to hide the Word of God in their hearts.”
Becky Marr is the Director of Adventure Day Camp in Manitoba, and her camp received and distributed some of the Bibles. “As soon as their group leader gave them their new Bible, every kid opened it and wanted to start reading it right away,” says Marr. “Many asked questions about how it worked and practiced finding their memory verses. They just didn’t want to stop reading! Group leaders were able to sit down one-on-one or in groups to share and help the kids learn more about how incredible God’s love for them is!”
A camp organizer from Saint-André-d’Argenteuil, Quebec said: “The CBS Bibles were very helpful during our kids’ camps. It was wonderful having the English Bibles available to use for Bible stories or just in talking one-on-one with children and to know that the Bibles were at a language level they could understand. We were able to give one to a young camper in particular from a non-Christian family who made a profession of faith.”
“Stories like that,” says Dent, “energize us even more to continue to look for creative new ways of presenting and distributing Scripture in Canada.” Known well for its groundbreaking work in providing translations of the Bible, CBS also partners with groups and organizations, like One Hope, to provide Christian Scriptures that fit the exact needs of those groups.
“What really excites us is hearing about the changed lives,” says Dent. “It never ceases to amaze and touch us how God’s Word changes lives. And to think that we can play a small role in that process by helping to make the Bible accessible across Canada, it is just tremendous.”
In its 110th year, the mandate of the Canadian Bible Society is today as it always has been: to promote and encourage, without doctrinal note or comment, the translation, publication, distribution, and use of the Bible, and to co-operate with the United Bible Societies in its worldwide work. CBS is a uniquely inter-confessional organization that transcends denominations to partner with individuals, churches, and para-church organizations who similarly believe that God’s Word changes hearts and lives.
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For more information or interviews,
Contact: Shelley D. McLagan, Communications Consultant
Email: smclagan@biblesociety.ca
Phone: 1-800-465-2425 x3424
Web: www.biblesociety.ca