CWR's challenge to the churches: Read your Bible!

|PIC1|“A lot of people ask how do I get into the Bible? What is the easy way to do that? We always say there is no real easy way. You’ve just got to get down and read it,” says David Ramsay, CWR’s Church Resources Manager.

At a time when society and even churches are reading the Bible less and less, CWR is challenging Christians to make reading God’s Word a part of their daily lives with the help of its new reading plan.

Cover to Cover Complete is a chronological journey through the Bible allowing readers to follow the events of Scripture as they actually happen.

Charts, maps, illustrations and diagrams help bring the Bible to life and a timeline running across the bottom of each page helps keep every event in context. In addition, devotional thoughts from Selwyn Hughes help readers to relate what they have read to their own lives.

Cover to Cover is CWR’s biggest ever investment in any single publication and reflects their commitment to seeing God’s Word applied to everyday life and relationships, says David.

“We did a survey a few years ago picked up that less than 47 per cent of people had read Bible through and that was people sitting in churches. And because of that we felt that this was a vital thing for the church and something that would encourage people in their discipleship, to grow in Christ, and to know Him and God’s Word as well.”

In a pilot trial last year, 60 churches signed up to the challenge and CWR is hoping that even more churches will get involved in Cover to Cover throughout 2009. Whole congregations are being encouraged to adopt the reading plan so that members can gain encouragement from one another and CWR has even created special online forums for each participating church so that members can connect to each other and ask questions or share reflections.

“I think as Christians we have got to constantly be in touch with God’s Word. It’s not something you sit and read once because every time we look at it there is a freshness about it and that is what God’s Spirit does. He leads us to the things we need to know and then we are constantly developing ourselves and listening and reading about God. I’m not saying do it every year! But every now and again we should challenge ourselves.”

Cover to Cover is also suitable as an introduction to the Bible for those who are new to the faith or just curious to find out more.

“It’s for anybody who is sitting in the pews really,” says David. “I know many people who are considering the Christian faith and buy a Bible but don’t know where to start. This reading plan will guide them through it and help them make sense of where they are going as opposed to just picking it up and trying to get from Genesis to Revelation.”

He adds, “God guides us with his Word and if we are not using that and understanding it then we will struggle to piece things together and get a clear view on where we should be going and what our direction is.”

Cover to Cover Complete is priced £19.99 and can be ordered from the CWR website www.cwr.org.uk/CC2C or by emailing dramsay@cwr.org.uk or by calling 01252 784 700.