Known for its hotel Bibles and Grade 5 New Testaments, today The Gideons International In Canada is writing the first pages of a new chapter with men and women from a wide variety of vocational backgrounds working together to share the gospel of Christ and free copies of God’s Word in new ways.

On July 14th, 2012 the membership of The Gideons International In Canada voted in historical changes, setting the stage for a new era in their 101-year-old history. Originally founded as an association of Christian businessmen and professionals, today the ministry is welcoming “Christian men and women of all vocations” to communicate the gospel and share God’s Word in Canada and worldwide.

The decisive majority vote caps a series of fundamental shifts within the association over the past several years. Today Canadian Gideon members are part of an autonomous ministry that is actively involved in partnerships with local churches and like-minded ministries, both here in Canada and in countries all over the world.  Initiatives are in the works for the re-engagement of young people in sharing God’s Word, for a digital evangelism tool, and for partnering with Canadian churches to reach their communities for Christ.

Internationally, Canadian Gideons have over the past year engaged with hundreds of local churches in Peru, Bolivia and Ukraine, sharing the gospel and New Testaments with people on the street, in schools, military and police barracks, market places, prisons and wherever doors were opened to them. In the coming year similar trips are planned for other countries, including the Philippines and Chile.

The Gideons is also partnering with like-minded Canadian ministries under the philosophy that by building on each other’s strengths, more can be accomplished for the kingdom of God. Active involvement in the distribution of Scriptures in every country of the world is a goal that energizes leadership to build relationships around the world and engage financial partners who are excited about impacting the world for Christ.

For more information on how you, your church, or your ministry can partner with The Gideons, call 1.888.482.4253 or email info@gideons.ca.

History has begun...

On November 21 & 22, the Gideons International in Canada will do the first Public School distribution in the territory of Nunavut.

Permission was granted by the Arviat District Education Authority to distribute to all three Schools in the community: Elementary, Middle, and High School.  Because this is a first time distribution, they have blessed us with the opportunity to hand out Scriptures from Grade 5 and all the way up to Grade 12.  With Ariviat being the first District Education Authority in Nunavut, this will allow us to have discussions in other communities because of this open door.

While Michael and Grace Pasloski (Regional Facilitators for SK, MB, NW Ontario, Nunavut) are in Arviat, membership meetings and church presentations have also been set up.  Additional distribution will be done at the hotels, health centre and police station.

Pray for this exciting new opportunity. God is opening doors for our ministry, not only internationally, but also in our own country where the mission field is just as needy.
 

BY CRAIG HUSSEY - It has been an awesome first week here in Lima, Peru, for our team of Gideons and ministry partners. Since arriving a week ago, we have distributed about 18,000 Scriptures and have had well over 5,000 one-on-one decisions for Christ, plus several thousand group decisions. We have spoken in 28 church services, with over 60 churches and over 200 pastors involved.

Hearts are extremely open to Christ's message in this city. Just today, for example, one of our teams visited a orphanage with about 20 kids and presented Scriptures to each of them. We had many saved today in the market places—it was unbelievable. We would begin talking to one or two and in a couple of minutes there would be 20 to 30. We would present the gospel in the simplest of terms and most times all would accept Christ as Saviour! Then we would give them one of the Spanish/English New Testaments we printed for this trip, and encourage them further. This took place time and time again.

Over the course of this week we have presented the gospel in police stations, on many street corners, in parks, in open market places, in schools, in prisons, in orphanages, in recreation areas and on dirt streets with homes all around. The people have been rich, poor, old, young, male, female—it doesn't matter. They are ready to accept the gospel, and do so when invited.

Many of the churches here that we have worked with have been blown away by the response and some have never witnessed this method of evangelism before. Last night I spoke at a church in a area where we had been on the streets during the day. The church normally seats about 80—and we had about 110 to 120 in the service. I gave the call for salvation after speaking and 25 came forward for salvation.

I could go on and on and on. The results have been staggering. We could walk outside of the hotel here right now with ten Testaments and win ten people to Christ!

Tomorrow morning we leave at 8 a.m. and travel to Huancayo, an 8-hour drive by bus up the Andes mountains. The Scriptures are waiting for us there. High in the mountains, this city is the cultural and commercial center of the whole central Peruvian Andes area. The drive to Huancayo is breathtaking, with the treacherous road rising to more than 4,700 meters (15,416 feet) before sliding down to the valley's 3,272-meter (10,731-foot) elevation.

Pray that the people of Huancayo will have open and receptive hearts like the people here in Lima.

I will say this to close. God is using the Canadian Gideons to touch a nation. Churches are being energized to reach their community, thousands are being born again through the power of the Word, God's Word is reaching the hands of those who do not have it, and the Canadian team members are having their own lives transformed by what they are a part of.

We are each one amazed, humbled and honoured to be a part of what God is doing here in Peru. However, without all the Gideons and donors across Canada this would have never taken place. This is God's perfect time for what has transpired here.

By the way, September is the "Month of the Bible" here in Peru. Coincidence? I think not.

Beginning this Fall, The Gideons International In Canada will begin handing out a new translation. The association’s National Cabinet has approved the addition of the New Living Translation (NLT) for distribution within Canada.

The official launch will occur during the ministry’s annual national convention in Ottawa this August as part of its 100th anniversary celebrations. Gideon members have been placing and distributing Bibles and New Testaments since 1911, beginning with the King James Version (KJV), the predominant translation used in the Protestant church at that time. In 1972, recognizing the need to use a more modern translation, The Gideons International In Canada added the recently published New American Standard Bible (NASB) as an approved Scripture. Over time the NASB eclipsed the KJV in popularity and became the core translation distributed by Canadian Gideons. This year's addition of the NLT will not replace the NASB but become a new option for members to distribute.
 
Widely embraced by Evangelical churches in Canada today, the NLT is a translation that The Gideons believe is ideal for giving to someone who is new to the Bible. Published by Tyndale House Publishers in 1996 (with subsequent updates), the NLT is easy to read and understand, and accurately communicates the meaning and content of the original biblical texts. The NLT was produced using a team of more than 90 scholars representing a rich variety of theological and denominational backgrounds, and is consistently among the top three selling translations in North America.

For over 100 years, the focus of the Gideon ministry has been connecting unsaved people with God's message of salvation. Gideon members distribute free Scriptures to individuals one-on-one, or place Bibles in public settings such as hotels and motels, hospitals, prisons, fire halls, ships, trains, and other places. New Testaments are offered to students in colleges, universities and public schools, as well as nurses, police officers and others in public service. Gideons also partner with local churches through evangelistic outreaches in their communities.

Given the secular culture and spiritual emptiness that exists in Canada today, The Gideons International In Canada is excited to be able to offer a version like the NLT to people who are unfamiliar with God’s message of love and forgiveness. The translation’s contemporary style of English will likely surprise people and encourage them to keep reading through the pages of God’s Word. And those who have turned away from the faith of their childhood will hopefully re-experience the Bible and give it another chance.

With the reading of the Declaration of Independence and the raising of its new flag, South Sudan became a new republic Saturday, July 09, 2011. The Gideons of Canada were in South Sudan only 2 weeks ago in anticipation of this great event. Scriptures were distributed, church planters encouraged, children, many who where orphans, were loved and a leprosy colony visited. It was an answer to their prayers to receive copies of the Word of God and words of hope and encouragement. They have not been forgotten.

The visit was organized as a joint partnership between The Bible League of Canada, CH Global (the Global arm of Christian Horizons) and The Gideons International In Canada. It is an example of Canadian ministries coming together to bring the power of the Word of God to a nation who have committed to founding their new nation under God and His Word.

Paul Mercer, Executive Director of Gideons Canada was greatly encouraged and challenged as he met with  church and governmental leaders and listened as they expressed passionately their overwhelming need for more copies of the scriptures. Coming out of the devastation of many years of civil war, the Word of God is bringing hope, healing, restoration, and a much anticipated prosperous future. Our prayers continue for the leadership and citizens of this new nation.