Provide Bibles for inmates this Christmas

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USA (MNN) ― Christmas is a lonely time for a lot of people, especially prison inmates. At a time when many people are thinking about family and friends, inmates try to forget. Where do they turn?

Biblica has something that can help them find the peace they need at Christmas.

Biblica CEO Doug Lockhart says they have a special Bible just for them, called "Free On the Inside."

"It's a full Bible with stories of redemption from other people who have spent time in prison for whatever reason. 

Everything we do is designed to connect with someone, wherever we are, and hopefully take them into God's Word."

Lockhart says these Bibles are great for people who have prison ministry. "If they're interfacing with inmates, they're able to highlight one of the stories, and maybe it becomes a conversation piece that very naturally takes them into God's Word."

What's the end goal? "That they end up in God's Word, they're lives are transformed and changed, and they accept Christ. That is certainly the end goal."

This Christmas you could have a profound impact not only on prison inmates, but jail and prison chaplains, too. "It's amazing: the number of county jail and state prisons where there are chaplains and they walk into a prison situation, and there just might not be any Bibles."

In the U.S., nearly 2 million adults and youth crowd prisons and jails. Every year, about 30% of them are released after serving an average of three to five years. About two-thirds of ex-convicts re-offend and return to jail within three years. But inmates who make decisions for Christ and then are released, research shows, are 50% less likely to end up in jail again.

This fiscal year, Biblica will help reach 123,000 men, women and young people incarcerated in American prisons and detention centers with the life-giving message of Christ's love and forgiveness.

A great gift this Christmas may be to donate a case of Bibles. For $84 you can purchase a case of 24 Bibles. Click here to order your case. 

If you'd like to donate to the Prison Scripture Fund, click here. 

CRI reaches thousands with Bibles, Good News in Ghana

Ghana (MNN) ― After months of planning, gathering, and packing,embarked on a two-week venture to Christian Resources International  Ghana.

Ghana is a fairly Christianized nation. According to the Joshua Project, over 63% of the nation claims Christianity as their faith.

Still, only about 24% are evangelical, and even those who wish to seek out the Gospel may have a little trouble doing so.

"The average income of a Ghanaian is about $50 a month," explains CRI executive director Jason Woolford, who just returned from Ghana. "The cheapest Bible I could find there was about $11. So if you can imagine us here taking a fifth of our income to go and buy a Bible, it just wouldn't be feasible."

The nation is still in major need of Christian resources as well as ongoing outreach.

During a two-week visit to Ghana, CRI was able to provide both.

Ahead of them, CRI sent a crate filled with $365,000-worth of Bibles, Christian literature and pastoral tools. The first prerogative in Ghana was to get that crate to Ghana Bible College.

CRI happened to arrive right around the time of the College's graduation, and 7,000 people were able to attend the book presentation. "The superintendent that oversees 541 churches in Ghana said that, to his recollection, that this would be the biggest impact on the nation of Ghana that's ever happened due to what we presented," says Woolford.

The books and Bibles will serve as teaching tools to train thousands who come through the Bible College, but they will also become resources for many other Ghanaians as they make use of them,

CRI's journey didn't end there, though. During an open-air evangelistic outreach, CRI was able to speak the Truth to 1,700 eager listeners.

"We got to preach the salvation message. People would come forward to give their lives to the Lord Jesus, and people came forward for needs of prayer," reflects Woolford. "It was just a wonderful opportunity."

The Bible students at the college will be able to help with the follow-up of the outreach, to ensure that those who made commitments to the Lord aren't left to fend for themselves, especially without the proper resources.

CRI collects books and Bibles from Christians across North America to send to pastors, Christians leaders and ordinary believers across the globe. Currently, the CRI warehouse is stuffed full of resources, but funding is the key need to get those books and Bibles into the hands of individuals.

You can be a part of CRI's work--and more importantly, the work of the Lord through his Word. To learn more about getting involved, visit cribooks.org. 

InterVarsity Press acquires Biblica Books

International (Biblica) ―InterVarsity Press (IVP), a leading publisher of thoughtful Christian books, is pleased to announce that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Biblica Books, the book-publishing arm of Biblica Worldwide.

In the acquisition, which is expected to close by the end of the calendar year, IVP will obtain 170 current and nearly 30 new Biblica Books titles. This includes Operation World, the definitive global prayer guide that's now in its seventh edition.

The acquisition agreement between IVP and Biblica was made possible when Biblica recently made a strategic decision to narrow its focus solely to the Bible. A search for the right strategic partner with which to place their book-publishing portfolio led them to IVP.

"The addition of Biblica Books is a significant strategy for IVP. This will help us further serve and equip the church in its witness of grace and truth in the world," says Bob Fryling, publisher of InterVarsity Press. "With this acquisition, IVP becomes an even stronger publisher for biblical and missions-oriented resources. We are grateful for this expansion opportunity."

The two publishers readily agreed that IVP is in a very strong position to effectively carry forward the vision of Biblica Books. Through its missions-focused publishing program and networks such as the Urbana Student Missions Conferences, plus its broad reach in both trade and academic markets, IVP will now be publishing an even greater selection of books to help Christians throughout the church better fulfill their kingdom calling.

Scott Bolinder, president of global publishing for Biblica, says that "there could not be a better fit for our authors and their wonderful content that makes up our unique book-publishing portfolio. The mission of IVP and Biblica resonates deeply with seeing lives around the world transformed through the Bible and biblical resources. We are delighted with the outcome of this transition and the potential to continue working closely as partners in global ministry."

IVP plans a strong sales and marketing focus for current Biblica Books titles starting in January 2012. This will include "Operation World," as well as the recent release, "The Future of the Global Church" by Patrick Johnstone. The official launch of the new line of Biblica Books at IVP will begin in March 2012.

Shipping prices directly affect spread of the Gospel

International (MNN) ― Gas prices are finally starting to slowly climb back down in the U.S., and the costs are expected to continue their decline. Over the past few months, oil prices have gone down, and yet shipping costs, which rose with the rise in oil costs over the last few years, remain high.

Oil prices are still higher than they were a year ago, which is part of the reason that shipping costs have remained higher than a year ago as well. Even as oil prices go down, some shipping companies are playing catch-up.

Increased shipping costs have presented a significant dilemma for ministries attempting to send large amounts of aid or resources to far away nations. Global Aid Network (GAiN), for example, has millions of meals prepared to send to East Africa where severe drought has thrown millions into levels of starvation. However, GAiN has had difficulty procuring the funds to actually send the food to Africa.

In another case, shipping costs are directly affecting the spread of the Gospel.

"[In] one of the locations that we just sent to, [shipping] was literally $2,000 more than it was last year at this time," says the executive director of Christian Resources International, Jason Woolford.

CRI ships Christian literature and Bibles to Christians across the globe, many of whom are pastors and church leaders but have never owned a Bible. For many, it can be dangerous or just financiallyl difficult to obtain Christian resources. But when CRI comes in with thousands of dollars worth of books, they're able to get study Bibles, commentaries, devotionals and more for free, equipping them to better preach the Gospel and strengthen their faith.

"We have four sea containers and Great Crates that are waiting to go that represent about $50,000." The next two containers are scheduled to go to Jamaica and Democratic Republic of Congo. The container headed to Congo is going to rebuild the entire library of a Bible college that was burned down by Muslim extremists. (Read the full story here.)
CRI gets donations of old and new books alike to their Michigan warehouse all the time, but as shipping prices rise, sending these resources out gets much more difficult. If $50,000 doesn't come in throughout the year, Woolford says, "It means that in fact we can't send as many containers, which means we can't receive as many materials."

The effect of fewer containers sent is severe. "It would mean that certain Bible colleges wouldn't be able to get their accreditation. It would mean that the person that is preaching, if you can imagine, a gentleman preaching his sermons for three months out of one little Daily Bread--it would mean people like him not being able to have a Bible or a Pastor's Library."

Essentially, this chain reaction of events starting with rising shipping prices results in fewer people reached by the Gospel. CRI frequently reminds believers that one Bible can reach up to 40,000 people in some cases. Far fewer Bibles and books getting into the hands of believers without proper funding could mean hundreds of thousands fewer ears hearing the Good News.

The stakes are incredibly high. CRI is still on track to send $5 million in free books across the globe by the end of 2011, but no matter how many books come in, that goal won't be reached without funding for shipping. Higher shipping prices come at an especially bad time now, during the "death months" for ministries financially: July and August.

There are ways for you to help. It costs approximately $10,900 to ship a container, and about $500-$800 to ship a smaller package. You can give individually or with an organization or small group. Each donor will receive a DVD tracking the history of CRI and the ways God has used the ministry in the States and across the globe.

If you'd like to be a part of this life-giving mission, visit cribooks.org and get involved today.

Backpacks Bring Hope to Haitian Kids

Kids in Haiti need good schooling.
 But in order to get good schooling,
 they need good backpacks and
 supplies.

Haiti (MNN) ― For kids in Haiti, a backpack is more just a fashion statement. A backpack means they can finally go to school. A backpack means they have a way to carry literally all their belongings. A backpack means they have hope.

Orphan Outreach is launching Mission Backpack to bring donated backpacks and the Gospel to the children in Haiti. Backpacks will also be distributed to local kids in Florida and in the Navajo Nation of Arizona. They are partnering with Moody Radio Florida, Moody Radio South Florida and WAY radio for this evangelistic outreach.

Amy Norton with Orphan Outreach says, "We have found, in all of our work internationally, that children have to have a backpack to go to school just like they do [in the U.S.]. And they need school supplies to be able to put in it. [In] so many countries, if they do not have a backpack, they can't go to school."

The children in Haiti are no exception. Mission Backpack is working with World Harvest Missions established in Haiti to distribute donated backpacks. Norton says, "[World Harvest Missions] was so grateful to have the backpacks this past year--after we did the drive in Florida--for the children."

In the wake of tragedy, hope is hard to come by, especially for the kids in Haiti. "Things are desperate there," Norton explains. "People thought that things were so bad after the [earthquake]. But it's gotten so much worse that so many children are suffering from sickness and illness and have no place to sleep, and no parents."

The hope of the Gospel can change lives. While providing backpacks to the needy kids in Haiti, Orphan Outreach is also opening doors for the message of Christ. Backpacks will be equipped with hygiene kits, a Bible, and a stuffed bear from Family Christian Stores.

The team distributing the backpacks, as well as the staff with World Harvest Missions, keeps the focus on Christ as they minister to kids in Haiti. "All of their ministry is done with an evangelical focus as well as humanitarian aid and assistance. So the Gospel message is definitely shared with each backpack that is delivered," says Norton.

There are collections going on both in Texas and Florida. Texas drive sites are already collecting between now and July 31; Florida sites will be collecting between July 25 and August 14. They have an overall goal to have 3,500 backpacks donated by the end of the drives.

You don't have to directly donate a backpack to a collection center in order to get involved. You can go online to the Orphan Outreach Web site and purchase a backpack to donate. The cost of providing one fully equipped backpack is $20.

All backpacks will be collected by the end of August and sent down by container with a team from Florida Baptist Children's Home. The kids in Haiti will get their donated backpacks and supplies by the start of school in the Fall.

Please pray for successful backpack drives for Orphan Outreach. Pray also for the kids in Haiti who will be hearing the Gospel message as they receive their supplies. Pray that God's love would change the hearts of these kids and draw many into His kingdom.