The Impact of a Single Bible

An Update on the Pack the Pallet Project

This post is adapted from a letter we received from Justin Runyan, pastor of Burtonsville Baptist Church in Burtonsville, Maryland. In the letter, he shares an update regarding the distribution of ESV Global Study Bibles donated to church leaders in Liberia via the Pack the Pallet project at the 2014 Together for the Gospel conference.

Dear Crossway,

On behalf of my church and the churches of Liberia, I want to express our sincerest thanks for your partnership in bringing the ESV Global Study Bible to pastors and evangelists throughout Liberia. God has graciously accomplished what he initiated nearly two years ago at the Together for the Gospel (T4G) conference with the Pack the Pallet project.

Over the course of three weeks in January 2016, I was able to oversee twenty-three regional Bible distributions throughout all fifteen counties in Liberia. During those distributions, roughly 3,500 pastors and evangelists were personally given a copy of the ESV Global Study Bible and exhorted to build their lives, their ministries, and their churches on the clear proclamation of God's Word. Even now, our ministry partner in Liberia is continuing to distribute the remaining Bibles in regions of the country we were unable to reach.

As I reflect upon the trip, I am amazed by God's great love and compassion for his church. As I traveled to remote regions of Liberia, and looked into the eyes of desperate pastors there, humbly serving the Lord in isolation and obscurity—some previously without a copy of the entire Bible—I was struck by God's enduring commitment to his Bride. Although I did not know them, God did. In his grace, he took my feeble plan to provide resources for only a few dozen pastors and miraculously multiplied it to include many others as well. God's steadfast love staggered me as I placed his Word into their eager hands and saw their faces erupt in smiles.

All of this would not have happened without Crossway's commitment to serve the global church with theologically rich, Christ-exalting resources. Thank you for your willingness to see a global need and use your influence to meet it. Thank you for your prayers and your ministry. By God's grace, we cling in faith to the promise that his Word never returns void, but always accomplishes his intended purposes. The fruit of our partnership, while temporarily invisible, will bloom throughout eternity.

Sincerely,

Justin Runyan
Pastor, Burtonsville Baptist Church

Help Us Equip More Pastors

Crossway is currently working to send 100,000 ESV Global Study Bibles to key Christian leaders around the world. To do this, we are seeking to raise $138,000 by March 31, 2016. In pursuit of this goal, Crossway has committed to matching every dollar raised through the end of the campaign, up to $69,000.

Would you consider partnering with us to equip pastors and church leaders around the world with God's Word? For as little as $4, you could get a study Bible into the hands of a Christian leader in need. Learn more and donate today at crossway.org/GivetheBible!