THE BIBLE COME TO LIFE EXHIBITION.

The Bible was not originally written in Britain, it was not written by British people about British people or about a British way of life. Our 'English' Bible was written, for the most part, in the Middle East where customs and dress and everyday life are all very different from the West. Some of the customs of the Holy Land are not only different from those of the West but exactly the opposite.

The question posed by Philip the evangelist to the Ethiopian minister, "Do you understand what you are reading?" is just as relevant today. Western Christianity seems largely to have lost sight of its eastern and Jewish origins. Often the Bible is studied as though it was of western origin. Many new English translations of the Bible have been published, some of which ignore completely idioms and figures of speech with which the Scriptures abound. The inevitable result is that for many the Bible remains difficult to understand.

It was these facts that prompted the idea of the "Palestine Exhibition" (founded 1891), later to become the 'Bible Come to Life' which has travelled widely over the British Isles offering a teaching ministry as part of 'The Church's Ministry among Jewish People'.

PURPOSE:

BCTL serves to:

• Present the Bible in the context of its Middle Eastern culture and its Jewish religious background not just as an academic exercise but appreciate the full impact of some of the teachings of the Bible.

• Promote and clarify the work and ministry of Church’s Ministry among Jewish people (CMJ) as well as explore some of the contemporary difficulties surrounding the communication of the Gospel and the fulfillment of Biblical prophecy.

• Provide a community event which helps local churches work together.

METHOD:

It does this through:

• Attractive and informative models and displays.

• A series of costume talks combining Bible text and artefacts to illustrate the context of Scripture and life in Biblical times

• Providing preaching engagements and providing study materials (if required).

• Hosting evening seminars. (optional)

• The opportunity to help with local evangelism. (optional)

• Inviting local schools to attend a specifically adapted programme based on National Curriculum criteria. (optional)

• Encouraging local participation and delegation in planning and presentation.

• Advance preparation, consultations & publicity.

REQUIREMENTS:

• We strongly, but not absolutely, recommend that the exhibition is presented on a Churches Together or Deanery basis. This is a Christian event and we will need readers and people to pray.

• Wholehearted commitment, volunteers, teamwork … and talents matched to tasks.

• A large hall, or church, at least 23 m. by 15 m. – although we can display in 2 or 3 smaller halls – with adequate heating & lighting.

• Staging that is at least 4 m. wide by 3 m. deep by 1m high.

• Minimum of EIGHT 13-amp sockets and (if possible) a P.A. system.

• Clear passageways or aisles so that exhibits can be safely seen.

• That the building is free and accessible from 5pm Friday to midnight Wednesday/Thursday.

• Bed, breakfast, snack lunch & evening meal for BCTL team (usually 2).

• Local ‘celebrity’ or person of office for brief (about 15 mins.) opening ceremony.

ORGANISATION

After the booking date has been secured there are at least 2 key meetings and much interim liaison in the lead up to hosting an exhibition.

FIRST MEETING:

• Anything between 6 and 18 months before the projected exhibition date.

• A ‘Churches Together’ or Deanery Chapter meeting.

• With key Church representatives.

• Includes a Video presentation.

• Decision on venue can be made – ensuring that it will not be double booked.

• Invitations to fill key roles. (see below)

KEY ROLES

EXHIBITION CO-ORDINATOR:

• Has general oversight of all preparations & liaises with BCTL team in St Albans.

• Maintains contact with CMJ Diocesan Representative (where applicable).

• Regular contact with local church representatives.

• Ensures that all task slots have been allocated.

PUBLICITY SECRETARY:

• Good Publicity = Good Exhibition

• Must be prepared to use many varied strategies – radio, TV, publications

• Raise and sustain awareness of all churches in the area

• Communicate confidently that this exhibition is a quality product and service.

TREASURER:

• Collect or delegate collection of monies on a daily basis

• To record accurately the sources of income on our Treasurer’s Record Sheet

• To attend to banking arrangements

SCHOOLS’ PARTY CO-ORDINATOR: (if required)

• Contact, publicise and liaise with local schools

• Give advice to schools on transport arrangements

• Emphasise that the exhibition meets National Curriculum criteria and is not a ‘religious platform’.

• Co-ordinate and supervise booking procedures – (about 130 pupils max. per slot).

• Make every reasonable attempt to keep pupils of same stage in each booking slot

• Distribute one worksheet to each participating class teacher – we supply pupils’ sheets.

EVANGELISM CO-ORDINATOR: (if required)

• Contact & maintain information flow with interested parties.

• Establish follow-up procedures for any outreach successes.

• Establish a regular prayer group in the lead-up to the event

Also at, or very soon after, the first meeting there are ‘Heads of Departments’ that need to be allocated. This will increase the effectiveness of the exhibition. These are:

HEAD OF GENERAL STEWARDS:

• Who must arrange for 4 afternoon and 6 evening stewards.

• These General stewards will act as sidespersons/ushers.

HEADS OF DISPLAY UNITS:

• One ‘Head’ from each church. (see next page -‘Staffing & Timing’)

• Ensure that the required numbers of stewards are provided for each display.

• Provide a list of Stewards to the Exhibition Co-ordinator THREE weeks before the exhibition date.

HEAD OF COSTUME WEARERS:

• Ensure that the requisite number of costume wearers will be provided each session.

• A detailed list of requirements and a set of photographs will be provided.

• Ensure that costume wearers report 30 mins. before they are due to participate.

• Costume wearing takes precedence – make sure wearers haven’t double-booked.

HEAD OF REFRESHMENTS:

• Responsibility to supervise all arrangements for the duration of the exhibition.

• Usually light refreshments around 3:15pm and 8:30pm (apart from Wed evening.)

MUSICIANS: (these can be appointed closer to the second meeting.)

• Required for Last session on Wednesday (or Thursday) evening.

• Song list provided

• Preferred minimum requirements: lead singer, keyboard/piano, bass & woodwind.

SECOND MEETING:

• Around 3 to 6 months before the projected exhibition date.

• A vitally important meeting that lasts about 80mins.

• Attended by as wide a spectrum of churches as possible (e.g. 50 – 100 people from about 10 churches.)

• Envisioning: a short presentation to give idea of scope and content of exhibition.

• Focus on details of organisation; costing; labour required for unloading, setting up and reloading.

• A time for anyone to come with his or her questions.

COSTING

At CMJ it was felt that charging a few thousand pounds put too much onus of faith on the hosts so, as from 2004, we will make no charge for the exhibition on the following conditions:

• That we may take a free-will offering after each presentation (not schools’) to meet our costs and support our ministry,

• that we will make a charge of £250 per day, or part thereof, for a Schools programme – (this works out, on average, at less than £1 per pupil the hosts can decide whether to make a charge or offer the programme as a gift to the community),

• in order to secure a booking we request a £500 deposit which is returned after the exhibition. There is a sliding scale of return depending on how close to the actual reserved dates any cancellation, or change of plan, takes place,

• We cannot firmly commit ourselves to a particular venue until that deposit is received.
• any ferry costs must be met by the host church(es).
• The hosts meet our fuel costs

Some other points to consider:

Our cost of exhibition does not include your budget for publicity.

Costs can be gathered in a variety of strategies:

• Hosting events in the lead up to the exhibition – coffee mornings, fetes, sponsored events.

• Using your refreshments stall at the exhibition to recoup some of the cost.

BIBLE READINGS & PRAYERS

• The exhibition opens each afternoon and evening with a Bible Reading and prayer.
• We recommend that this privilege is shared as widely as possible among participating churches/fellowships.
• We also recommend the use of mainstream Bible texts. (R.S.V., N.I.V., G.N.B. & J.B.)

STAFFING AND TIMING

The daily programme is arranged in THREE sessions

• Weekday mornings are exclusively for evangelism or for schools. 9:30am to 2pm. It requires 8 stewards to supervise various displays.
• Afternoon session. 2pm to 4:30pm. It requires 11 stewards to supervise various displays.
• Evening session 7pm to 10pm. (sometimes earlier on Saturday) It also requires 11 stewards to supervise various displays.

C.M.J. (Registered charity – number 228519)

• For more information visit our websites www.cmj.org.uk or www.itac-israel.org
• Alternatively we can be contacted at:

Bible Come to Life, 30c Clarence Road, St Albans. Herts.AL1 4JJ

01727 833114 (telephone) 01727 848312 (fax) DavidS@cmj.org.uk (e-mail)