From the President
The LORD says: “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.”
–Psalm 32:8 (NLT)
I recently returned from a glorious celebration of Bible Centered Ministries International’s Diamond Jubilee in the Philippines, where mission founder Miss Bessie Traber first taught Bible Clubs to children (see article, page 4). Much has changed since 1936 when what was then called the Bible Club Movement initiated its first children’s outreach with a handful of volunteers in inner-city Philadelphia. Seventy-five years later, the sun literally never sets on BCM ministry with more than 700 missionaries and thousands of volunteers serving together to reach children and develop the Church in more than fifty countries on five continents.
In the Old Testament, the Year of Jubilee celebration was a special time of revival, when God renewed His covenants with His people, calling them to repentance and forgiveness, while His people reaffirmed their commitment to relationship and service to Him. My prayer for BCM International in 2011 is that this Diamond Jubilee year will serve the same purpose — that we will renew our vision of reaching children and strengthening the Church worldwide, that God will reposition and fortify us for future ministry, and that we will continue to be an agent for revival of God’s people and an instrument of evangelism to a lost world.
In this Diamond Jubilee year, I would also like to give special thanks and recognition to BCM leadership, missionaries, volunteers, and donors all around the planet who have provided individual initiative, continuity, and sponsorship for BCM’s ministries, often at great personal expense. May our heavenly Father reward you with His “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21). Together may we continue to make a difference by presenting the gospel of Jesus Christ to those still in need around the world.
As we celebrate God’s faithfulness and blessing over these past seventy-five years, I invite you to celebrate with us. Begin with the exciting accounts of God’s past and present working in the pages of this BCM World issue. But don’t stop there. Check out firsthand photo albums of that Philippines celebration and many other exciting BCM happenings at our Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/BCMInternational (you don’t need to be a Facebook user to see it). Take a moment to watch our 75th Anniversary commemorative video at our website, http://www.bcmintl.org.
Best of all, come join BCM ministry personnel gathering from around the world at our international Diamond Jubilee celebration October 28-30, 2011, in Lancaster, PA (see back cover). We’d love to celebrate with you in person there!
Blessings,
Marty Windle