Zondervan Company to Publish Handwritten Bible: Special Edition Celebrates 30th Anniversary of New International Version Translation

To mark the thirtieth anniversary of the New International Version translation of the Bible, a handwritten Bible will be completed for publishing by Zondervan Press. The company, headquartered in Grand Rapids, Michigan. announced that a Bible van will stop at selected American cities to invite each participant to
handwrite one verse in the forthcoming edition of the Bible. It is a novel idea put forth to commemorate the most popular translation of the Bible known as the NIV (New International Version) .

In the last 30 years, according to statistics released by Zondervan Press, more than 300 million copies of The NIV have been sold worldwide. The company states that this translation is purchased more than any other English language translation. The Bible Across America tour began on Tuesday, September 30th and will end February 12, 2009. During that time, more than 31000 Americans will be invited to handwrite the NIV Bible.

Participants
Invited writers will write one verse each on very thin paper stock used in Bibles. The 31,173 contributors represent the corresponding number of verses found in the Bible. Zondervan Publishers report that it plans to offer two original editions of the handwritten Bible. One Bible will be given to the Smithsonian Institution and the other will be auctioned off with proceeds to benefit the International Bible Society in recognition of that organization's involvement in worldwide Bible distribution.

Selected Stops
The 42 foot luxury motor home will be driven by two married couples with the itinerary to include 100 stops in 90 cities with some additional impromptu stops for signings. By trip's end, the estimated stops are calculated to amount to 15000 miles with 240 hours of driving time. There have been special events planned for New York City and Washington, D.C. and it is hoped that Barack Obama and John McCain, presidential candidates, as well as President Bush will handwrite a verse. The scheduled stops include universities, malls, historic American landmarks as well as other locations that will be added on the tour. The tour has even scheduled a stop at a NASCAR race in North Carolina to a youth conference in Atlanta as well as the National Pastors' Convention in San Diego, California. Volunteers are stationed at each stop to help the team manage the Bible writing campaign and to assist in any way needed.

Progress Update
To chart the progress and location of the Bible Across America Tour, you can access the website www.BibleAcrossAmerica.com. On this website you can follow the tour stops and read blogs as they describe the daily events. You can locate when the Bible mobile van will be in or near your town as well as leave a message for the team.

Supporting Organizations
To make a project of this magnitude a success, several organizations have come alongside Zondervan Publishers. The supporting organizations include the International Bible Society which is a prominent and well known Christian organization that translates the Bible for over a million people. The organization holds the copyright of the NIV (New International Version) Bible.

Salem Radio Network
A Christian radio network that offers Christian programming with its affiliates throughout the nation.

Spartan Motors
Company designs vehicles and custom made systems for recreational, emergency and military vehicles.

Guidepost Systems
The company handles the wireless technology, the Internet and other tracking capabilities for the Bible Across America campaign.

Program Objective
Moe Girkings, president and CEO of Zondervan, states that the Bible is America's favorite book of all time. It is his hope that a handwritten version of the NIV by individuals all across America will result in a heightened interest in the Bible and present it in a "fresh, new way". He further states "the Bible Across America is a symbol of Zondervan's commitment to make the Word of God more accessible and relevant to more people". Zondervan Publishers openly state that they have a commitment to giving forth the Word of God and helping people see the relevance of God's Word in our daily lives. We say Amen to that! Visit the website, track the progress of the Bible Across America Tour and if invited, participate in this inspiring and memorable event.