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A Message from Crossway's President

November 26, 2013 by: Crossway

This is a special message recently sent to our friends and supporters from Dr. Lane Dennis, president and publisher of Crossway. For more information related to Crossway's 75th anniversary celebration, please visit Crossway.org/75th.

Dear Friend of Crossway,

On this 75th anniversary of our ministry, we are overflowing with thanks to the Lord for His great faithfulness.  “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies…are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness”! (Lamentations 3:22-23).

Likewise, I want to thank you in particular for your partnership, prayers, and gracious support – all of which is an integral part of what the Lord has accomplished over these last seven decades.

Crossway, as you may know, was founded originally as Good News Publishers in 1938.  It was founded with a $20 tithe, saved up by Clyde and Muriel Dennis (my parents), that they dedicated to the Lord for the publication of the first gospel tracts.

It is amazing to see how the Lord has multiplied that first twenty-dollar gift – and the faithful gifts of untold thousands – over these last 75 years:

  • To distribute over 2 billion pieces of gospel-centered literature worldwide,
  • To publish tens of millions of Crossway books (with 800 titles by 350 authors currently in print),
  • To distribute 80 million ESV Bibles worldwide since 2001,
  • And to reach untold numbers of people around the world who have come to know Christ as their Savior.

During this past year, the Lord has continued to work through our ministry in a special way.  In only 12 months, God has enabled Crossway to distribute 23 million gospel tracts (the most in over 30 years); to publish over 1.9 million gospel-centered books (many of which are available in over 50 languages); to launch the new ESV Gospel Transformation Bible; and before the end of this year, to distribute more than 1 million ESV Study Bibles worldwide, since its first printing in 2008.

In addition to these evidences of the Lord’s hand, we have also seen his gracious provision for us in two significant ways:

1.  The Crossway Flood: After a major flood swept though our offices last April, the Lord moved the hearts of people from 35 countries to help us recover. Through an outpouring of generous gifts – from more than 2,000 of his people worldwide – we were able to maintain funding for critical Bible projects in China, and still meet the unexpected costs of damage recovery and flood-proofing our building. It has been remarkable indeed to see God’s gracious provision, in almost exactly the amount that He alone knew we would need.

2.  Strategic Bible Projects in China: Perhaps most significantly this last year, we have seen the Lord’s hand of provision in three ministry projects in China.  These include:

  • Chinese Translation of ESV Study Bible Notes – This major effort, to produce a Chinese Study Bible for distribution throughout Mainland China, has been fully funded for the New Testament. God willing, we anticipate publication of a Chinese Study Bible New Testament in 2014 (followed by the Old Testament).
  • Chinese-English Gospels of John – 1 million Chinese-English Gospels of John are being distributed in China (in partnership with the Pocket Testament League). Each copy includes a clear presentation of the gospel in English and Chinese.
  • Chinese-English Bilingual Bibles – The total number of full Chinese-English (ESV) Bibles distributed in China has now reached 250,000 copies this year, through funding provided by Crossway and its supporters.

The Lord has indeed done far beyond anything we could ask or think during this last year – and certainly throughout the last 75 years of our ministry. He is our Lord and Savior, and His grace is always sufficient.  With this confidence in the Lord, all of us at Crossway are deeply grateful to you, as we look forward to seeing the Lord’s continued provision for our ministry – to share the truth of God’s Word and the riches of the gospel with a world that is desperately lost apart from Christ our Savior.

With my great appreciation for your partnership in the gospel,

In Christ,

Lane T. Dennis
President

Crossway is a not-for-profit Christian ministry that exists solely for the purpose of proclaiming the gospel through publishing gospel-centered, Bible-centered content. Learn more or donate today at crossway.org/about.