The “May They Be One” bible campaign, a joint project of the Biblical Commission of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines and Philippine Bible Society aims to give out five million bibles to five million poor Filipino families in five years.
So far, 70,000 families have already received bibles through parishes, basic ecclesial communities, religious and lay organizations funded by bible partners and initial fund raising activities by organizers.
But with only three months to go before the year ends, organizers have to work double time to raise the needed P8.5 million to cover the costs of bible distribution.
PBS general secretary Nora Lucero said the task seems daunting considering the little time left in their hands, but she is happy with the help that keeps on coming their way.
“This seems an impossible task considering that we have only have about three months to go but the campaign has drawn the help of other Bible Societies and we have the opportunity to exceed our goal,” she said.
Lucero said the American Bible Society has pledged a donation of US$100,000 (roughly P5 million) for the campaign as long as they raise the same amount by year’s end. She said almost P1.5 million (approximately US$30,000) has already been raised.
“The exciting thing about the proposal is that the Bible Society concerned has offered to raise the same amount again for us next year if we meet the December 31 deadline,” Lucero said, adding: “That means that for every P50 (US$1) given, potentially P200 (US$4) will be raised for this crucial campaign.”
The PBS general secretary said it remains a challenge both for ECBA and PBS to find enough people who can donate amount ranging from P150 to P150,000 to help the campaign.
“The great thing about this campaign is that anybody can be involved,” she said. “Any donation our friends and supporters make will collectively ensure we achieve this significant goal and potentially multiply the donations by four to provide subsidized Bibles to over 200,000 poor families,” Lucero added.
Manila Archbishop Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales has earlier commended the campaign to put a scripture in every home, noting that despite being a Catholic nation, many Filipino families do not own a bible.
“Indeed, putting a Bible in every home is putting Christ in every heart,” he said.
Bible distribution to families which is coordinated by parishes, ecclesial communities and lay organizations are accompanied by values formation and bible seminars to ensure that recipients truly benefit with the campaign.
The bible crusade hopes to encourage Filipinos to read and live the Bible that could effect national transformation to the country’s spiritual, moral and social stability.
The MTBO five-year bible campaign was launched last September 30, 2008. It targets to put a bible in the home of every Filipino family in a five-year period at a subsidized price of P50 per Bible.
Any interested individuals or groups can become a part of the MTBO campaign and contribute to the transformation of families and society. For more information on the campaign, visit www.Bible.org.ph or www.ecba-cbcp.com. Donations may be deposited to the following bank accounts: PBS-MTBO Account #3903-0649-34 (BPI-Sta. Mesa Branch) or ECBA-CBCP Account #0251-021373 (BPI-Tayuman Branch).
