Bible Campaign Anniversary unites Filipinos for the Word of God

September 30, 2010 is the Feast of St. Jerome, the Bible Scholar. The same day marks 2nd Anniversary of the May They Be One Bible Campaign. The May They Be One Bible Campaign is a joint initiative of the Philippine Bible Society (PBS) and the Episcopal Commission for the Biblical Apostolate of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP-ECBA). In celebration, a Thanksgiving Service was held at the Manila Cathedral from 3-5 PM on September 30, 2010 to thank the Lord for a fruitful two years of the MTBO Campaign.

The May They Be One Bible Campaign has become a symbol of unity and cooperation (Bayanihan) between ECBA-PBS and various parish and lay organizations involved in Bible apostolate/ministry. It has succeeded in drawing these like-minded organizations towards the goal of seeking societal transformation through the Word of God. The proponents of the campaign believe that true and lasting national change can only happen if it is grounded on the Word of God. The project thus aims to distribute 5 million Bibles to 5 million poor Filipino families within a 5-year period. To date, some 218,211 poor Filipino families have already received Bibles under the MTBO initiative.
Meanwhile, still part of efforts to promote unity among Filipinos, another unique endeavor was launched during the anniversary of MTBO – the Handwritten Unity Bible Project. The Handwritten Unity Bible Project is a two-year ecumenical project which aims to foster national unity, greater interest in the Bible, and raise funds for the May They Be One Bible Campaign and involves re-writing the Bible by hand.