Proclaiming God’s Word
cover to cover, coast to coast

By Sue Careless, freelance photojournalist for the Canadian Bible Society

TORONTO, Canada — Thousands of Canadians, aged from six to 96, proclaimed God’s Word in a Bible-reading marathon that spanned the entire country for 10 days – whetting public interest in the Bible and deepening friendships across denominations.

‘Proclamation – the Word of the Lord’ started on March 28 and was the combined effort of dozens of local churches and the Canadian Bible Society (CBS). It was an incredibly multilingual event – each reader chose their preferred language, the blind read Braille, and the deaf signed.

“Public affirmation of the Christian faith is important in Canada,” said the Rev Greg Bailey, CBS National Director. “And certainly public proclamation of that faith through the reading of God’s Word has added credibility when so many people from so many different churches pull together.”

All languages

In Edmonton the Bible was read in 26 different languages, including Maori, Nepali and Urdu.

Freezing blizzards and a civil service strike closed virtually everything in St John’s, Newfoundland but the Proclamation event continued undeterred.

“This God we worship is bigger than the dominant language group,” said Bruce Kemp, the Edmonton organiser. “God speaks in all these languages to these people, and that’s how they communicate to him.”

In Montreal, the readings at St James’s United Church moved a stranger to tears. A minister discovered that the young man had been involved in Satanic activities. “The power of the Word being read crushed me and filled me with horror at the atrocities I’d committed,” he said.

Reached out

At Coburg, Ontario, Christians reached out to the unchurched as they proclaimed the Word of the Lord in two public venues – the local theatre, and in a food court in the Northumberland Mall.

“If even one person stops to listen it’s all worth it,” said Dan Fallow, the youth pastor of Fellowship Baptist Church.

And one did: a man in his forties, who had not been to church since he was a child, sat in the mall for an hour, following the readings in a borrowed Bible. He picked up leaflets about the churches taking part, and told organisers that he was going to visit them all and choose one.

Thirty Roman Catholic and 35 Protestant congregations gathered in Moncton, New Brunswick to participate in Proclamation, in what is thought to be the greatest ecumenical event in the city’s history. Readings were done in a number of languages including Amharic, English, French, Hebrew and Micmac.

“Since the Reformation, Roman Catholics have put more emphasis on the sacraments, while Protestants have emphasized the Word of God,” said the Most Rev Ernest Legere, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Moncton, who participated in the event. “Now Roman Catholics are recognising the power of the Word too. The Proclamation event shows that Scripture is still relevant and more important than ever in our daily lives.”

“The Proclamation event shows that Scripture is still relevant and more important than ever in our daily lives.”

Nearly US$2,500 was raised by Proclamation participants in Moncton and St John for Arabic Bibles for the residents of Cairo’s Garbage Village.

At Montmartre, Quebec city, many denominations took turns to read. Alphonse Rheault, an endocrinologist, who had already worked long hours in the hospital, took time to read from Luke.

Reading together

“By reading together I feel like I’m sharing in the faith of others,” explained another reader, Denise Blouin. “The Proclamation helped me appreciate how the Word of God addresses all people, regardless of their doctrines and practices.”

Freezing blizzards and a civil service strike closed virtually everything in St John’s, Newfoundland but the Proclamation event continued undeterred. Irving Bursey found the readings almost addictive.

“The more I get, the more I want. I’m a junkie now. The Proclamation made many walls come down.”

Every Christian denomination in Newfoundland and Labrador took part – 4,000 individuals from 50 churches. People who had simply nodded to each other in the past were drawn into real conversations, and friends who hadn’t seen each other since schooldays met once again over coffee and home baking.

The logistics were staggering but it was worth it, said Sandra Tilley, the district director for the CBS.

“We’re holding up the Word of God and lasting friendships are formed across the denominations.”

City councillors, and federal and provincial members of parliament were all invited to read, together with service clubs, firefighters, girl guides, French classes, choirs and youth groups. In St John’s, there were readings by16 members of one family spanning three generations.

Newfoundlanders read the Bible in over 20 languages including Cantonese, Hindi, Inuktitut, Mandarin, Mayalam, Swahili and Tamil. At the Grand Falls-Windsor Proclamation, Leonora Hunter was thrilled to be asked to read in her native Cebuano, the language she first spoke in the Philippines.

“It made me feel like I belonged; I wasn’t an outsider.” Listeners followed along in their own translations. “I did it for God’s glory,” said Ms Hunter. “He understood every word.”

The Proclamations in Newfoundland also looked beyond their own shores, and raised US$10,000 in free-will offerings to provide Russian Bibles for 8,000 street children and orphans in the Ukraine. (WR 360/11 - 06.01) [PHOTOS]

• The CBS will be running another Proclamation to coincide with the World Track and Field Championships to be held in Edmonton in August. “We are hoping that athletes from various countries will read in their native language,” said Bruce Kemp. “If they can bring a Bible with them, that would be best – if not, they can let me know which languages they prefer and I will endeavour to get copies for them.” The CBS invites Bible Societies who are interested in the event to find out more via their website at http://www.biblesociety.ca/, by clicking the North Alberta District button, or by contacting Bruce Kemp directly at bkemp@biblesociety.ca