The Word Of God
Gideons International is an association of Christian business and professional men and women. They are actively engaged in the free distribution of Christian Scriptures in over 200 countries around the world. Last year over 68 million Bibles and Testaments were given to people of all ages from all walks of life.
If you have ever stayed in a hotel in Australia or anywhere else in the world, you may have noticed that there was a Bible in the room you stayed in. It is highly probable that the Bible was donated to the hotel by Gideons International. It is their way of spreading the Good News without being intrusive. The presence of the Bible in hotel rooms is an invitation to pick it up and read it. Gideons International also distributes Bibles and pocket Testaments to primary and secondary schools. It is worth emphasising that the pocket Testaments are a gift—that is, they are free of charge.
Each year the Gideons International visits St Patrick’s College to offer our Year 8 girls a pocket Testament. In this year of COVID-19, the usual representatives of Gideons International were unable to attend for the distribution of the pocket Testaments because of health restrictions. Nevertheless, the pocket Testaments were duly delivered to the school and on Tuesday 3 November, and after a brief discussion about the contents of the Bible, the Year 8 girls processed forward to receive the gift of the pocket New Testament.
The pocket Testament is a size such that it can be easily carried around in one’s pocket. The introductory pages of the pocket Testament contain interesting information including explanation of Gideon International, an alphabetical list of scripture references to “help with life and its problems”, a section about the Bible, and a section about prayer. The Bible can be for us a guide for living well and inspire us to be people of hope, justice, and love.
Angelo Gattone - Mission Coordinator
