Biblica wants to engage all generations with Scripture. (image by Biblica)

Scotland (MNN) — The United Kingdom is home to thousands of grandiose church buildings and people well-versed in the language of Christian theology.

But, sadly, spiritual history does not always equal spiritual vibrancy.

“If we look at the state church in Scotland (the Presbyterian Church) and England (the Anglican Church), often we can see sort of the dead husk of a once-vibrant church, if we look at general statistics of church attendance and various other things,” says Carl Moeller with Biblica. “Frankly, it can make anybody who cares about the areas of Scotland and England quite depressed, because there’s very few people who acknowledge church attendance on a high scale.”

But while it may seem that these nations have abandoned their spiritual fervor of the past, things are starting to shift. According to Moeller, throughout the past few years, “There is a movement of God within these churches and in places that we would, maybe a decade or two ago, have thought were beyond revival, where we’re seeing God’s spirit move and people are actually turning to faith.”

Two organizations helping spur this new revival are Biblica and the Scottish Bible Society. Last summer, they distributed “Penny Gospels”–Scripture booklets costing one cent each—around Scotland to help integrate the Bible into families’ daily lives. And the booklets proved effective.

“I think the final statistics were that we got into about 25% of all the homes in Scotland with a copy of God’s Word,” Moeller says. “And the response of people to that touch of Scripture was just remarkable.

“In a place that has a Christian heritage like Scotland does–so based on the Reformation commitment to the Scriptures and so much of their cultures resonating with Scriptural principles and law and identity, to find people discovering again the truth of the Gospel through reading the Word brought tears to my eyes.”

Along with the Penny Gospels, Biblica also introduced its Community Bible Experience as a way to help Christians more actively and personally engage with God’s Word. They developed a special format of the Bible, without compromising on Scriptural integrity, that would resonate well with the people of Scotland.

“We had well over 100 churches throughout the country participate in Community Bible Experience,” Moeller says. “Community Bible Experience is an opportunity for people to read together, in the church and in homes, large portions of Scriptures. We use a version of the Bible that we’ve reformatted to take out the chapter and verse markings that sometimes keep us from reading the Bible really as Paul and other authors of the New Testament wrote it. They wrote it as a letter.

“When people did this, they were absolutely ecstatic because people began to see the Bible not as a rule book and as a lecture book, but as a love letter, as a beautiful story of how God’s plan of redemption was for them.”

While it appears Scotland is discovering a new-found passion for the Gospel, prayer is essential. Moeller asks that you pray for a total spiritual revival in not just Scotland, but the UK as a whole.

“The thing that is most important for a place like Scotland or England–or really any part of Europe, for that matter–is to pray for the revival of the church,” Moeller says. “So much of Europe’s heritage has been forgotten when it comes to their faith.”

To support Biblica’s ministry through financial donations, click here.

(Image captured from Wikimedia Commons)

Scotland (MNN) — Ready for the 2014 Commonwealth Games? Like the Olympics, this sporting competition is held every four years. This year’s event is set to open July 23 in Glasgow. Nearly one million spectators and 4,500 athletes are expected, making this an unparalleled opportunity to share God’s love with people from more than 70 nationalities–all gathered in one place.

Mark Finnie with Biblica says Glasgow is where they’re focusing their outreach efforts, which include a letter from Queen Elizabeth II.

“She’s written a really beautiful little piece for us that talks about the New Testament being so important to her and encouraging people to read it for themselves,” Finnie shares.

The Queen’s letter is written as a foreword to a special Commonwealth New Testament that Biblica and the Scottish Bible Society (SBS) compiled specifically for outreach efforts. Teams of believers will be handing out these commemorative Scriptures at the Games to spectators and athletes alike.

Queen Elizabeth II wrote the foreword of Biblica’s Commonwealth New Testament.
(Image courtesy Carfax2 via Wikimedia Commons)

Queen Elizabeth’s “stamp of approval” is significant for two reasons.

“One: because she’s head of the Commonwealth, and she’s clearly stating her faith and the importance of God’s Word,” Finnie states. “Two: because it’s very rare for her to actually comment on anything, to write a forward for any book at all.

“To get her to do this is almost like creating the ‘Queen Elizabeth version.'”

The NIV Commonwealth New Testament is only Part One of the Biblica and SBS outreach plan. Part Two includes something called the “Penny Gospel” that’s taking Scotland by storm.

“Glasgow’s been [made] famous for its ‘Penny Bazaars,’ where items, [such as] sweets and a variety of different household goods were available for a single penny in Victorian days,” explains Finnie.

The Penny Bazaars were a bright spot in a sometimes turbulent city. “What Detroit is to North America’s motor industry, Glasgow is to the UK shipping industry,” said Mark. “It’s a very deprived, urban city. Lots of slum housing, tenements [low-income multi-family dwellings], and poverty.

“We thought it would be brilliant if we could provide a gospel that was contemporary, that fit in with their culture. So the Scottish Bible Society suggested doing a gospel for this traditional community and calling it the Penny Gospel.”

The Penny Gospel is being distributed to churches in Scotland for a penny per copy. The response so far has been overwhelming, with churches ordering 250,000 copies already, in a country of 5 million people.

“Their hope is that as people pick it up, as they read it, their lives will be touched by the story of Luke, and that the Holy Spirit will work in them and bring them to faith,” shares Finnie.

(Photo credit: Biblica)

But the opportunity for impact doesn’t stop there. For Biblica, helping people access the Bible is only a first step. That’s why Biblica and the SBS are partnering to promote Community Bible Experience, Biblica’s 8-week New Testament reading campaign, throughout Scotland.

Every copy of the Penny Gospel will direct readers to a Web site where they can find a Community Bible Experience group near them. The goal is to see 80 churches participate over the next 6 months.

The tremendous potential for Gospel reach, however, is hindered by one thing: cost. It takes more than a penny to cover the cost of each Penny Gospel. It takes ten. Can you help cover some of the Penny Gospel production costs?

Financial help is certainly needed, but more importantly, this project needs your prayers. The 2014 Commonwealth Games span from July 23 through August 3. Will you commit to pray for Biblica and SBS’s outreach during this time?

“Pray that the huge number [of Penny Gospels] that have been requested will be distributed effectively and to the right people,” asks Finnie.

Pray also that hearts will be softened to receive the message of Christ, and that new believers will be effectively disciple through the Community Bible Experience.