The Family Bible Challenge explained by Jo Hillier

Bible Society is fresh back from the Big Church Festival where the Family Bible Challenge was launched. I was part of the team running the experience and was there every step of the way!

The Bible Society team arrived on a beautiful sunny morning at the Wiston Estate in West Sussex to set up and see our vision finally come to life after months of planning.

Building our venue was an exhausting affair but the result was absolutely worth it. We created an interactive experience for groups of all sizes, abilities and ages, put together using interactions from the Good News Bible – Family Edition. At 10am we opened our doors, with four families at a time racing against the clock in a Pictionary-style game which had them dashing across the room to find their biblical answers in a giant word search.

The idea was simple; the public reaction was amazing! We showed that family Bible study could be a fun, group-led experience which gets everybody engaged and interested. A fun time was certainly had by all and everybody left the challenge area slightly out of breath and eager to see more of the Good News Bible – Family Edition!

The lounge area gave our visitors a chance for a well-earned rest while they explored this new edition and tried out some of the activities for themselves.

Our staff and volunteers were inundated with praise for both the experience and this Family Edition of the Bible, which is unlike anything else out there. Despite camping, many families opted to grab their own copy then and there.

We saw their surprise as they first opened the huge A4-sized Bible and looked at the unique landscape layout – this was planned so that a family can gather around it. We saw puzzled expressions replaced with excitement and enthusiasm to give it a try.

We saw more than 300 families over the two-day festival, some who wanted the Family Edition for their home and others who saw it working in church and community groups. That is the beauty of this Bible – it is designed to serve the needs of those using it.

The challenge we created was too good to pack away for long and we are now planning where we go with it next. Our mission is simple – for as many people as possible to experience the fun that can be had and to get around the Bible together.

Jo Hillier
Jo Hillier is the Bible Brands Co-ordinator at Bible Society.
Here is the link to check out the Good News Bible – Family Edition!
You can look at the product images HERE.

Images below from top left, clockwise: the Family Bible Challenge race, the A4 Bible, How to use this Bible spread, the new landscape layout, a map of Jesus’ ministry, and blog author Jo Hillier. ©️ Bible Society.