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Prayer Team to blanket city with Bibles
The Vindicator (Youngstown)
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Linda Daniels of the City Prayer Team of Youngstown shows an edition of the Bible, God’s Word, a New International version, that will be distributed along with King James versions during a project this weekend in the city.
By LINDA M. LINONIS
YOUNGSTOWN
People will be knocking on doors in the North, East, West and South sides of the city Saturday morning. But they won’t be asking for donations or trying to sell something.
Members of the City Prayer Team of Youngstown will be distributing Bibles to residents who want them.
Linda Daniels of the prayer team said the day will begin at 9 a.m. in Trinity United Methodist Church, 30 W. Front St., where a prayer service is planned. Then team members will load vans from area churches with some 1,000 Bibles. Daniels said Bible distribution will be from 9:30 to noon.
Daniels said about 100 volunteers will knock on doors in residential neighborhoods and ask whether residents would accept a Bible. Volunteers will work in groups of about 12 in two vans per side of the city.
“Working in groups is partly for safety reasons,” Daniels said.
Vans will be from Calvary International Ministries, Metro Assembly, Sword of the Lord and Trinity UMC, Victory Christian Center in Coitsville, New Life Church in Poland and Highway Tabernacle in Austintown.
“Many people don’t have Bibles, and this is a way to get Bibles to them,” Daniels said. “We believe in the transforming power of the word of God.”
The City Prayer Team volunteers will distribute two editions of the Bible – the King James version and New International Version.
Daniels said 30 Bibles are earmarked for the Youngstown State University campus ministry.
“It’s important to get the word of God into people’s homes. There are moral values in the Bible that teach,” Daniels said. “The Bible teaches values and principles through stories that you don’t find anywhere else.”
Daniels added that team members also will leave “return-to-share” cards that request a prayer team member to return. “Members will go back and share Scripture for those who request it,” she said.
Daniels, a first-grade teacher at Williamson School, said some students who heard about the project have requested Bibles.
The City Prayer Team sought donations for the project; the team collected about $2,000 and was able to buy about 1,000 Bibles at $2.10 a piece. The Bibles will be delivered to Trinity UMC on Thursday.
Daniels said the team is still accepting and receiving donations; send e-mail to linpray@att.net or call Daniels at 330-799-1713 or Alice Marshall at 330-783-5702. The City Prayer Team involves about 50 churches.