The Canadian Bible Society is celebrating 100 years of reaching “every man, woman and child with the life-giving Word of God” by distributing, translating and publishing the Bible in Canada and around the world. The Canadian Bible Society has translated Scripture into 134 languages, including 23 aboriginal languages. It also offers Bibles in large print, Braille and on tape. The society distributes New Testaments to prisons and the Canadian Forces, Scripture readings to hospitals, nursing homes and funeral homes, and offers 100 free Bibles to churches destroyed by fire.
To celebrate the anniversary, the society is holding special events throughout 2006, highlighted by the Bike for Bibles Centennial Ride. The ride will begin on July 2 and will feature more than 60 cyclists making their way from Victoria, British Columbia to St. John's, Nfld. The cyclists will cover more than 7,800 kilometres over 62 days, travelling through every province and 200 communities. Cyclists range in age from teenagers to seniors, and have raised more than $5,000 to participate. All proceeds go towards the work of the CBS.
The CBS will host the Norton Celebration Service on June 25 at the Mohawk Chapel in Brantford, Ont. The service remembers Captain John Norton, or Teyoninhokarawen, the Six Nations Indians chief who first translated the Gospel of John into Mohawk in 1804, thus beginning a movement that resulted in the creation of the Bible Society.
The society is celebrating across Canada with local events run by district offices. Visit www.biblesociety.ca/districts to find out what's happening in your area, and www.bikeforbibles.ca to learn more about the centennial ride. – AM
