The American Bible Society
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The American Bible Society (ABS) has been living its mission – to distribute the Scriptures at an affordable price and in formats understandable to everyone – since its founding in New York City in 1816. At the time, prominent citizens, sharing a vision that the new nation would develop along Christian principles, organized a Society dedicated to distributing the Bible along the frontier and in the cities. They promised to promote God’s Word without doctrinal note or comment.
In its history, ABS, through innovative projects including the popular Good News Bible, has made Bible reading accessible and inviting to millions. Today ABS provides Scriptures in varied formats, including our Contemporary English Version Bible, and in less-traditional ways, such as our Web site at americanbible.org and through video and CD presentations. Our Sociedad Biblica Americana, based in the Miami area, provides an outreach to the growing Spanish-speaking population in the United States. ABS also provides Scriptures to the blind through new audio versions. And, because of ABS-sponsored translation scholarship, a number of Native American tribes now have the Bible – or portions of it – in their own languages. Another ABS outreach is to churches. Protestant, Catholic and Orthodox communities benefit from the distribution efforts of ABS, including youth ministry efforts that reach hundreds of thousands. ABS is not only concerned with the United States. It has a worldwide scope as well. Opportunity 21 is a program of American Bible Society that will raise $90 million to support 375 Scripture projects in 75 countries over a three-year period. The goal is to reach the millions in the world who are still not acquainted with the Bible. And while American Bible Society focuses on these efforts, it continues to respond to emergencies in which people seek the Word of God for comfort and solace in tragedy. Perhaps the biggest grassroots distribution campaign ever by ABS took place after the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States, when ABS responded with a massive campaign directed from its New York City offices, just three miles from Ground Zero at the World Trade Center.
The ABS response included:
*More than one million Scriptures distributed to Americans across the country, including a free Portion featuring a picture of three New York City firemen in front of the scarred remains of the World Trade Center. The Portions offered selected Scripture quotes, providing consolation to the bereaved and the troubled in the wake of the attacks on New York and the Pentagon. *Thousands of copies of the Portions were distributed directly to rescue workers at Ground Zero. *Scripture Portions were distributed outside Bible House in New York City. Many adorned makeshift shrines around the city dedicated to the memories of those who perished. *Advertisements offering the consolation provided by the Bible were placed in national and local newspapers, including The New York Times and USA Today. *Scriptures were distributed directly to Pentagon personnel through our support of military chaplain programs. *ABS workers and volunteers distributed Scriptures at various neighborhood prayer gatherings in New York and at city-wide events such as a massive interfaith service held at Yankee Stadium soon after the tragedy. *Tens of thousands of Scriptures were downloaded from the American Bible Society Website. *Some 15,000 Scriptures, in both English and Spanish, were sent to St. Patrick’s Cathedral, a New York landmark that was a center of spiritual support for bereaved families and rescue workers in the aftermath of the tragedy. (Submitted by the American Bible Society)
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