A historic, first-of-its-kind, ecumenical and multi-sectoral undertaking, that will bring together Filipinos nationwide to celebrate God’s Word as a concrete expression of Christian unity. A response to the dream and prayer of the Lord Jesus in John 17:21. Aims to raise at least P30 million for the May They Be One Bible Campaign. Featuring a total of 35,489 verses from 78 books of the Bible, including Deuterocanonical books. Why Write a Bible by Hand? To create Bible awareness and foster love for God’s Word among various sectors in the country. Help raise funds for the May They Be One Bible Campaign A response to the XII Synod of Bishops in October 2008 and the Apostolic Exhortation of Pope Benedict XVI. Unite Filipinos in a bayanihan effort toward national transformation through God’s Word. Who Can Participate? Filipino citizens; Bible-believers from different denominations, locations and sectoral affiliations. Those able to register in designated/ participating Writing Centers all over the country. Registration forms are available at the ECBA and PBS offices and may be downloaded from the PBS/ECBA websites. The Handwritten Bible The Bible will have a two-column, twolanguage page format: English on the left column and the writer’s heart language on the right. Passages to be “handwritten” will be exclusively be from the PBS’s Magandang Balita Biblia Series or authorized versions published by the Summer Institute of Linguistics and the Translators As-
sociation of the Philippines. Ruled paper bearing the PBS and MTBO logos will be used in writing. A special pen will also be provided for writing. Writing Centers Interested churches and organizations may apply to become a Writing Center. Authorized Writing Centers will receive a Writing Kit containing Guidelines, Bible sheets, markers and registration sheet from HUB Coordinator. Writing Center will be assigned particular Bible chapters and verses to complete. Writing Guidelines Participants are to write in their normal handwriting. Each writer may write the verse in English or his/ her heart language. Each write must have studied or undergone formation on his assigned verse prior to the date of writing. A writer is encouraged to contribute a minimum of P50/verse (the price of a subsidized MTBO Bible) and may opt to write/donate several verses. Each writer is encouraged to conduct a personal Bible distribution as part of his/her continuing commitment to bring a Bible to every Filipino home. The Regional Coordinator is enjoined to ensure sequential writing where participants write the verses in their proper sequence and without skipping verses. For long or multiple chapter assignments, it is recommended to set up several writing desks so there won’t be long queues. Care must be taken, however, to ensure that no section/portion is duplicated or missed out. It is recommended that registration is done prior to writing date to ensure that writers get adequate information, formation and practice. This will also facilitate table assignments. Tables must be clearly numbered/ identified and ushers must be on hand to direct writers to the correct tables.
Working Guidelines for Regional Coordinator Identify writing centers for your diocese and/ or council. Identify writers for the assigned Bible chapter and verse. Pre-registration should be done. Identify the writer’s complete information and contribution for the project. Plan the date and venue of Bible formation. Formation should focus on the assigned Bible chapter. Collection of contribution should be done prior to actual writing. Submit report of pre-registered writers and deposit (copy of deposit slip, if any) collected contribution to PBS. Plan and inform PBS/ECBA of the program, date, and venue of actual writing. Awarding of Certificate of Participation should also be included in the program. Completed pages must be secured and sent to the Philippine Bible Society, in good condition. If you have more registrants than there are assigned verses, do not copy verses not specifically allocated to your group. Instead, encourage those unable to write to join the Scripture reading and formation classes also being conducted as part of HUB. Should your church/group not be able to complete the assigned verses, simply return the completed pages to PBS with the filed out registration sheets and donations. Feel free to make copies of the Scripture text to be written and the practice sheets and distribute these ahead to allow writers time to practice. Document the event. Submit pictures, video, and simple write-ups to HUB SECRETARIAT@bible.org.ph Submit completed kit to PBS within one (1) month from the start of writing.