ESSENTIAL 100 READING CHALLENGE

 

ARE YOU UP FOR IT….

As part of the Biblefresh initiative this year many organisations are considering how we might engage in new ways with the Bible. Several Youth Agencies (and of course many churches) have examined the Essential 100 Reading Plan and consider it an excellent starting point for young people to get to grips with ‘big picture’ of the Bible.

So in order to maximise the opportunity and create a sense of wider momentum behind the journey Summer Madness, Exodus, YFCNI, SUNI and others are suggesting that we join forces to co-ordinate a large scale campaign to make use of this opportunity to draw young people into God’s Word.

 

THE PLAN IS SIMPLE

So rather than each of us doing our own little bit the idea is that there would be a concerted effort behind a broader initiative. After some discussion this has led to the proposal to provide two simple but important resources that might encourage greater participation amongst young people and leaders.

A) A booklet that contains the text of the 100 readings.

B) An interactive website that provides commentary and input from local Bible scholars and youth pastors that can support young people as they move through the readings. This will also allow for feedback and questions to be dealt with amongst the wider community that will be undertaking the challenge (to go live on October 3rd).

 

THE ‘BOOK’

The E100 reading plan was devised by Whitney Kuniholm of Scripture Union in USA in 2003 and since then has been used very successfully in several countries as the basis for major Bible Reading campaigns. So there are already many helpful resources in print, online and on phone apps (such as YouVersion) built up around this reading plan - including a great little commentary by W Kuniholm himself.

What is ‘missing’ is a print-out of the text of the actual passages that form the basis for the plan and it is our hope that we could provide this in the form of a short booklet. We believe that this could provide a very real incentive for young people to progress through the readings. Yes, they will already have access to a Bible in all likelihood!  Yet we are convinced that the production of an actual hardcopy booklet will offer not just a significant convenience to managing progress through the readings but also a major focus, a very concrete marker of ‘opting in’ to the process; acting almost as a diary of their journey through the reading plan.

So with the aid of some very generous sponsorship we hope to make such a product available for free (or an optional donation of £1-2)

Youth Leaders and teachers will also have access to very many resources to help promote and support the initiative (sermon outlines, discussion starters, personal planners, etc) but we hope that it will provide individuals with a new hunger to hear God speak through His Word – and to put it into action…

 

THE WEBSITE

We hope to introduce an interactive website that will host some Bible commentary and input from local Youth Pastors and Bible Teachers to accompany young people on their journey through the Biblical narrative. It will also provide a novel way for young people to feedback their questions, opinions, and inspirations, etc and take some ownership of the process.

Soul Survivor, HTB/Alpha and others have been doing something similar this around their own Bible reading campaigns and found such a mechanism to be very popular and helpful and we believe that the local/Irish context to this prove very rewarding. In order to provide sufficient build up to the campaign and fit in with the rhythm of school terms etc. we have decided to initiate this on October 3rd 2011

 

THE CAMPAIGN

While we may appear to be arriving a little late to the ‘party’, we are convinced that introducing the next generation to the story of God’s intervention in the world and our lives is always timely. As such we are seeking to develop a strong, broadly based campaign that will deliver the maximum impact and momentum behind this unique opportunity that BIBLEFRESH and the KJV 400th anniversary provides.

At Summer Madness in July we hope to provide something of a launch to the printed booklets, etc and the general concept of the E100 Reading Plan and projected timeline for it. Please consider how best your organisation might be involved and if this could serve your young people in any way.