Idea #19: How Nations around the World Celebrate and Honor the Bible
People around the world were recently invited to participate in the International Day of the Bible (internationaldayofthebible.com) on November 24, 2014, to honor God’s Word in a worldwide public Bible celebration with the public reading of Scripture and to share their favorite Bible verses tagged with hashtag #Biblecelebration. The history of this special day goes back over 60 years ago:
National Bible Association’s signature event, National Bible Week (since changed to International Bible Week), has been celebrated the week of Thanksgiving every year since 1941. Each year, a new National Bible City is selected and the city gives host to a series of Bible-focused events including a free concert and public Bible reading at the state capitol.
In 2014, with the global reach of partnering organizations like American Bible Society, YouVersion, Bible Gateway, and Scripture Union, National Bible Week was changed to International Bible Week, which includes International Day of the Bible, where people gather to read and celebrate the Bible at noon around the world on a given day. This change marks a new chapter for National Bible Association and global focus for our signature event.
The National Bible Association had designated Oklahoma City as National Bible City for 2014 and held events like “The Concert of Praise for God’s Word” with multiple participants ranging from African American gospel and children’s choirs to musical artists like Jami Smith, a public reading at the Rotunda of the State Capitol, and awarding and displaying winning entries for the “Who Am I? or Why Am I Here?” Art & Essay Scholarship.
Edmond student LaDaryn Lockett received a $1,000 college scholarship. Richard Glickstein, president of the National Bible Association, poses with LaDaryn Lockett, an Edmond Memorial High School student, who recently won the association’s essay and art scholarship contest. (Photo by Carla Hinton, The Oklahoman)
And, American Bible Society also provided this Bible reading journey, International Day of the Bible: 7 Passages about Public Readings of Scripture.
Fr. Joe Tyrrell of Saint Peter’s Church in downtown New York City reading his #BibleCelebration passage in front the 9/11 Policeman’s Memorial.
In the past, the International/National Bible Week was celebrated in other cities: Salt Lake City in 2013, Chicago in 2012, Philadelphia in 2009. A campaign ran in 2006 for US National Bible Week on 5,000 Billboards saying “an educated person knows the Bible.”
Honoring the Bible with a special day is not only done by Americans in the United States. In Italy, the Italian Biblical Association celebrated its 43rd National Bible Week in 2014.
And in the Philippines, January 19-25 will be the celebration of National Bible Week 2015, organized by the Philippine Bible Society (PBS) . PBS General Secretary Dr. Nora Lucero said the theme for NBW 2015 is “Sharing the Word, Empowering the Poor, Transforming the Land.” Events include a Bible Fun Run and the Handwritten Unity Bible, a historic first-of-its-kind, ecumenical and multi-sectoral, which aims to unite Filipinos nationwide to celebrate God’s Word. The annual NBW is held every last week and last Sunday of January by virtue of proclamations issued by then presidents Ferdinand Marcos, Corazon Aquino, and Fidel Ramos.
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This article is part of the blog series, 66 Ideas for .BIBLE Domain Names, with practical ideas for using .BIBLE domain names. Individuals and organizations can now register .BIBLE domain names that are more shareable, memorable, and meaningful at any accredited registrar.