April 18, 2024
The Bible Truck currently on nationwide tour features a display of the ways Bibles were smuggled into communist nations in recent years ... including being baked into a loaf of bread, far left. JOE WESTBURY/IndexGeorgia Baptists seeking a new appreciation of the Bible have an opportunity to experience the world’s most popular book through an hour-long presentation.
More than 150 objects are on display in the 53-foot trailer currently on a limited tour in Georgia through Jan. 23. It is currently on display from 4-9 p.m. today (Jan. 11) at First Baptist Church in Lawrenceville at 165 S. Clayton Street.
Sponsored by Egan, MN-based Bible Mission Slavic, the Bible Truck is on a two-year tour throughout the U.S., though demand may allow it to expand its presence for an additional three years. Russia native Pavel Dovbush, one of two BMS representatives traveling with the exhibit, said the tour appears mostly in Baptist churches of all denominations but is open to invitations from other evangelical groups.
The exhibit includes several displays tracing the Bible from its origins to modern-day smuggling in communist countries. JOE WESTBURY/IndexBible Mission Slavic, a Russian-focused ministry in the U.S., is part of the worldwide Bible Mission ministry with headquarters in Germany but with offices in nine other nations, added traveling representative Tim Gorelov from Kazakhstan.
The free exhibit has already toured eight states with more than 7,000 persons having toured the exhibit. A tour is necessary because of the explanation of the many objects on display, Gorelov explained.
The tractor-trailer is divided into two parts. The first deals with the early history of the Bible including its origination, duplication through early manuscripts and the printing press, and modern technology. The second deals with its survival and attempts to suppress its distribution in communist countries.
The Bible Truck chronicles the dedication of a group of Bible smugglers known as the Bookmen and their role in evangelizing Eastern Europe. JOE WESTBURY/IndexThe oldest object is an 1845 Bible and the newest is a bullet-pierced Bible that saved the life of a soldier in the current war between Ukraine and Russia. The bullet passed through the Bible but stopped on the last page, saving the Ukranian soldier’s life.
Display items include objects that have been used to hide and smuggle Bibles in communist nations, such as an automobile gas tank and a propane fuel tank with false bottoms.
“Our goal is to teach about the Bible, encourage believers in their faith, offer an evangelistic encounter, praise God, and build unity within the churches where we bring the exhibit,” Dovbush explained.
Some guests on the tour have said they had received a Bible baked into loaves of bread exactly like that on display. JOE WESTBURY/IndexThe arrangement at First Lawrenceville is typical of what will occur in other churches. Guests register for the tour in the church library, see a small exhibit, then climb a set of stairs into the semi-tractor trailer. A trained volunteer from the church then conducts the tour.
Such involvement by the host congregation is how the exhibit strengthens unity and builds a greater appreciation for the Bible in the church. A photo booth in the registration area also allows guests or families to have their photos taken and presented to them as a bookmark for their Bible.
The life of a Ukranian soldier was spared when a Russian bullet pierced the cover of the Bible in his pocket ... JOE WESTBURY/IndexThe exhibit is in both Russian and English and, while tailored to those two language groups, can be easily adapted to any ethnicity through a local translator provided by the church. The Lawrenceville location is being hosted by the church’s Russian-speaking congregation, said Pastor Inman Houston.
"This is an excellent way to bring the Bible and its story to life. It's very educational on how believers have sacrificed to get the Bible into persecuted countries at the risk of their own lives."
Baptist Mission Slavic does have far older Bibles and historical items in its Minnesota headquarters than the traveling exhibit but are not included in the road tour because of their fragile nature, Gorelov explained.
For more information visit bibletruck.com.
... passed through the entire Bible ... JOE WESTBURY/IndexThe exhibit will appear at the following locations through Jan.23:
... and was stopped by the back cover inches from his heart. JOE WESTBURY/Index
Russian-born Pavel Dovbush shows two ways Bible have been smuggled into communist countries in recent years ... a propane tank, left, and an automobile gas tank, right, with false bottoms. JOE WESTBURY/Index
The Bible Truck made a brief stop at the Baptist Missions and Ministry Center in Duluth this week during its three-day visit at First Baptist Church of Lawrenceville. The free display will remain at the church from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. today. JOE WESTBURY/IndexThe tour is not connected to the new Bible Museum under construction in Washington, D.C.
