MANASSAS, Va. – The Bible is the best-selling book in history, but how many people in the Manassas area are actually reading it? A Gallup survey reports the average American household has four Bibles. However, research by Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life (2008) found that only 16 percent of Americans read the Bible every day.
Bethel Evangelical Lutheran Church is hoping to reverse this trend, starting with its own congregation. Pastor Jeffrey Wilson believes that The Story is the right tool to increase Biblical literacy, and help readers hear God’s story from Genesis to Revelation and how their own stories intersect with God’s. Consisting of 31 chapters of carefully-selected scriptures sequenced in chronological order, The Story presents the word of God in an engaging format, reading like a novel.
“I want the people in my congregation, as well as the our neighbors in Manassas and Bristow, to realize the incredible love God has for them and how their story is found in His story,” said Pastor Jeffrey Wilson.
The Story Church Campaign is a unique program that we will use throughout the entire congregation: in worship, in Sunday School for preschool children, elementary kids, teens and adults, and in small groups. So, the entire church will literally be on the same page for 31 weeks. Bethel Evangelical Lutheran Church plans to begin the experience with a kick-off on Sunday, September 8, with worship at 10:00am and a church picnic following. The following Sunday, September 15, will begin the fall worship schedule at 8:00am and 11:00am, and Sunday School for all ages beginning at 9:30am.
With thousands of participating churches nationwide, The Story is becoming a movement that is bringing wide-ranging benefits to local churches. Many have reported increased community outreach, increased Biblical literacy, congregational growth and a greater understanding of how God’s story reveals the reasons for the things that happen in man’s story.
Bethel Evangelical Lutheran Church invites you to experience The Story. For more information, visit www.BethelManassas.org.
