For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.
Luke 19:10


Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Do Your 50 Closest Neighbors Have Their Own Bible?

With very nice Bibles available at very low prices there is no reason why all our neighbors do not have their own Bible or New Testament. Have you ever wondered what the eternal impact would be if the 50 closest neighbors to every believer were given a Bible? If every Christian from east to west decided to purchase and distribute Bibles to the fifty homes closest to them, what an amazing Gospel outreach that would be!

Keep your eyes open for some great opportunities to embark on this low-cost venture. Some Bible publishers are making available such package deals at very reasonable prices. Christmas and Easter are two very definite times of the year when there is likely to be a greater openness to receiving the Word of God.

Christmas 2010 is already past so it is too late this year but you could mark it in your calendar for 2011. Circle October as your planning month to give you the time necessary to order your supplies. As for Easter 2011 you could do the planning in January.

Here's what was available for Christmas 2010: a special white Christmas edition of the New Testament with a matching door hanger bag for distribution. Of course, you can write your own form letter to the neighbors nearest you and include it in the package. (Sample letter at the bottom of this post.) If you have a suitable CD or DVD you want to include in the package, there is plenty of room - but don't overdue it.

The New Testament and Matching Door Hanger Bag
Your own customized letter, the Bible and possibly a CD or DVD.

Packages ready to go.
The above Christmas edition New Testament and door hanging bag was available in quantities of 50 for $35. There will be a similar Easter Edition of the New Testament with a matching door hanger bag along with a CD of the New Testament. That package will be more expensive - $1 per New Testament.

There may be other ways to place your orders and other suppliers. You can do your own research. But one of which I am aware is Jim Thompson of Augusta, Maine. You can email him by clicking here.  He can give you prices and order dates, etc.
Sample letter you could include with your package to your neighbors.

Merry Christmas - From our home to yours!
We are neighbours – not living too far away.  _______________________ to be exact. I am ashamed over how few of our neighbours we actually know and how little neighbourly contact we have. Some of it is shyness. Some of it is the hectic pace of life. Some of it is - well, we all have our own sphere of friends and acquaintances and we get busy in our own little worlds. A sad reality that causes us regret.
 As the last few days of 2010 run their course, we just want to say that we appreciate living in this neighbourhood. We had the privilege of__________________________________right here and we are thankful for it.
We thought it would be nice to share with you a special Christmas edition New Testament with all our neighbours. Even though many already have a Bible in their home, we thought that perhaps someone in your family circle would like to have this Christmas edition. We are also enclosing ________________________________________________.
 We understand that in our neighbourhood we do not all share the same spiritual views or beliefs; but that should never prevent us from being good neighbours to each other. A difference in perspectives should never hinder us from showing kindness and expressing a genuine interest and love for our fellow human beings. As much as we care for each other and the people in our community, God's non-discriminating love and compassion for all eclipses ours.
Every home in our neighbourhood has its unique needs and circumstances. There can be times of great joy but sadly, there are times of much anxiety, worry, disappointment, sickness and even sorrow.

If you would ever like us to pray for any circumstance or situation that is causing your family concern or distress, you can email me at _________________________. We will respect your privacy. Or if you would ever like me to visit and pray with you or a family member in need I would be happy to do that. Our phone number is ___________________. We may not do very many things with our neighbours but we would consider it a privilege to share in the burdens of a family in this community or in some other matter by praying.

Our prayer is that you and yours will enjoy a very happy Christmas and we wish you all the best throughout 2011.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I just love this idea!!! Thanks so much for sharing this.