The PBS Bible Museum—A Joy for Students and Teachers
The PBS Bible Museum—A Joy for Students and Teachers
Do you know when formal Bible Society work began in the Philippines?
Are you aware of how the Bible came to us?
The Philippine Bible Society (PBS) believes in helping the next generation know and love God’s Word. One of the ways it does this is by creating fun and meaningful learning experiences like the Bible Museum tour.
This year, four groups of children and students have already explored the Bible Museum.
Mga Munting Ilaw
Mga Munting Ilaw is a children’s program produced by Lighthouse Bible Baptist Church and aired through Great Commission Television (GCTV). It aims to bring God’s Word to young hearts through stories, songs, and engaging lessons rooted in Scripture.
In a special episode, Mga Munting Ilaw on the Road featured the new PBS Bible Museum. During their visit, the show’s cast members—both children and teenagers—were personally guided by the General Secretary of PBS, Mrs. Perry Cartera.
The group began by watching an animation of the inspiring story of Mary Jones—a young girl who did many odd jobs to save up money and traveled around 40 kilometers on foot just to have her own copy of the Bible. Mary’s love for the Scriptures inspired the formation of the British and Foreign Bible Societies and, later on, the United Bible Societies.
Fatima, one of the show’s cast members, shared:
“Ang pinaka-exciting at paborito ko is kung saan po nag-start ang United Bible Societies, yung story po ni Mary Jones.”
From there, the group moved on to the PBS BibleHouse, where they learned about the Bible Society’s 125 years of ministry and how God moved through the years to make his Word known among Filipinos. After this, everyone headed to the PBS Tower to visit the new Bible Museum. There, the group listened to a short history of how the Bible came to us—starting from the call of Abraham until the creation of our modern printed and digital copies of Scripture. The participants also got the chance to see maps and Scripture-related cultural items in the museum, as well as some early translations of the Bible in the different languages of our country. The tour was capped with an episode of Mga Kuwento nina Bib at Lia, a series of animated children’s stories produced by PBS.
“Yung pinakanagustuhan ko pong part is yung nag-eexplore na po kami ng Bibles in different Philippine languages,” said Miel, another Mga Munting Ilaw participant. “Yung replicas nagustuhan ko rin po kasi may magaganda po silang designs.”
The cast members were also given a glimpse into how challenging it was for the ancient scribes to produce copies of the Scriptures by hand. With a wooden writing tool and some ink, several children took turns writing down their names on a sheet of papyrus. They also spent time working on coloring pages featuring scenes from Bible stories in the children’s area of the PBS BibleHouse.
“Sasabihin ko po sa aking kaibigan na marami po akong natutunan at natuklasan tungkol sa Panginoon.”
—Fatima, cast member of Mga Munting Ilaw, on her Bible Museum experience
Educators and Learners
After the visit of Mga Munting Ilaw, three more groups from different churches went on the Bible Museum Tour: United Church of Christ in the Philippines in Salitran, Cavite (May 19); Faith Lutheran Church in Marikina (June 11); and Universal Christian Church – Jesus Christ the Cornerstone (June 13).
Each of these groups went through all the activities of a standard Bible Museum tour. The students also took part in a mini-cosplay at the BibleHouse, happily trying out various costumes of characters from biblical times and striking their best poses for pictures.
Alyssa, a student from Universal Christian Church – Jesus Christ the Cornerstone, said her favorite part of the tour was seeing the collection of rare and special Bibles being kept there.
“Minsan lang po kasi sila nakikita,” she explained.
Three Sunday School teachers from her group also shared their thoughts:
“For me, as a teacher, sobrang informative nung mga naging tour ng mga bata,” said Teacher Carla. “From the very beginning, may mga shinare kayo na alam din naman nila sa Sunday School, pero mas nagkakaroon sila ng visibility sa mga nagiging story namin… Mas malaking tulong yun para sa mga kids.”
Teacher Emma and Teacher Mac both noted that the tour was not just for children:
“Hindi siya pambata lang,” Teacher Emma said. “Kasi kahit ako, na-refresh doon sa story kanina.”
“Yung history ng PBS, I think mas naiintindihan po sila ng people my age,” said Teacher Mac. “Pero yung mga bata naman po… I think mas magugustuhan nila yung kay Mary Jones until the Bible Museum.”
Are you a teacher, church leader, or parent with a desire to raise the next generation with love for the Word of God? Set an appointment with us today and experience the Bible Museum Tour for yourselves! Contact Ms. Camille Juanites at 0926-337-1710 or email cdjuanites@bible.org.ph.mail.
