The Amazing Journey to continue for third year

BELFAST, Northern Ireland — A Bible storytelling initiative which the Bible Society in Northern Ireland (BSNI) and the National Bible Society of Ireland (NBSI) are undertaking with the Baptists has reached more than 24,000 children in its first year. The organisers are hoping to reach 50,000 by the time the project ends in 2003.

It was in spring last year that the Association of Baptist Churches approached the BSNI with the idea of The Amazing Journey and asked them to support it.

The idea was to present the Scriptures in a simple visual way. The experience was therefore designed to incorporate not only a huge chronological Bible display, but also storytelling sessions featuring costumed Bible characters.

From September 2000 to June 2001, the Project Co-ordinator, Baptist pastor Billy Young, visited 115 schools throughout Northern Ireland and in several towns in the Republic, and presented The Amazing Journey to 24,090 children. Most of the schools were primary schools but some secondary pupils up to Year 10 have also been involved.

In each town, the Baptist pastor, clergy and members from local churches pray for the project, and volunteers prepare for their roles as storytellers. In one town more than 2,000 children had The Amazing Journey experience.

On a typical school visit, several different groups of children each come to spend an hour in the assembly hall. During that time they meet and listen to Goliath, Mary, the mother of Jesus, and a shepherd distracted from looking after his flock on a Bethlehem hillside. There are also opportunities for the children themselves to dress up and to try biblical food, like fish, bread and fruit, and generally gain an idea of everyday life in Bible times.

All the children are given colourful information packs to take home, which include a sample Gospel and an application form for their parents to request a complete New Testament in the Contemporary English Version. So far more than 5,000 families have requested a copy and each is personally delivered to the family home by a pastor or volunteer. Entitled The Big Word for Kids, the New Testament has proved very popular, partly because of the extensive introductory material it contains for young readers. It was specially imported from the Bible Society in Australia.

There are many stories of the effect the project is having on school staff and parents, as well as the children themselves. The Scriptures have been very well received, especially in homes where there is no background experience of Bible reading.

The BSNI says that its decision to support The Amazing Journey by providing Scriptures has proved fully justified.

“It is clear that the combination of the spoken words and the whole visual feel to the project really brings the Scriptures to life for the children,” says John Doherty, BSNI’s General Manager.

Earlier this year it announced that its board had agreed to support the project for a second and third year to the tune of £20,000 (US$28,300) , which will mean another 15,000 Gospels and 5,000 New Testaments can be distributed free. In September it launched an appeal to its supporters to help cover the costs. Happily, the Society has already received generous gifts from Baptist churches in recognition of the Bible Society’s support for the project, and several are now seeking to learn more about the work of the BSNI.