Gideons German Bible

More News

GERMAN PRESIDENT ACCEPTS GIDEON BIBLE
Gideons Distributed 17 Million Scriptures in 50 Years

By Wolfgang Polzer

Friday, January 6, 2006

BERLIN (ANS) -- The Gideons have distributed 17 million Bibles in Germany in 50 years. They presented the Book of Books to German President Horst Koehler in Berlin, January 6.

The Gideons – named after a judge in the Old Testament – are best known for placing Bibles in hotel rooms. But they also hand out Scriptures to individuals in hospitals, prisons, schools and military institutions.

The German head of state thanked the Gideons for their perseverance in their ministry and urged them to continue the good work. Koehler: “Whenever I enter a hotel room, I am anxious to know if there is a Bible”.

The president of the German Gideon federation, Helmut Bieber, praised Koehler for his closing words in his inauguration address: “May God bless our country”. His remarks had encouraged many Christians.

They are also delighted with Koehler’s emphasis on Christian values, said the German Gideons’ vice president Hartmut W. Brox. Executive director Johannes Wendel and the commissioner for international relations Konrad Weiss assured Koehler of the Gideons’ persistent prayers.

The Gideons, founded by American salesmen in 1899, are engaged in distributing the Bible with the aim of winning others for Christ. The association with international headquarters in Nashville, Tennessee, has approximately 250,000 volunteers in more than 180 countries. They distribute more than 63 million Scriptures each year.

Wolfgang Polzer (55), is senior news editor of the Evangelical News Agency idea, Wetzlar (Germany), which he joined in 1981. His previous work included four years in the editorial department of the Salvation Army in Germany. In all, he has spent 28 years in Christian media. Wolfgang can be contacted by e-mail at: Wolfgang.Polzer@idea.de.

ASSIST News Service (ANS) - E-mail