Bible Tour Stops In Green Country

By Rick Wells, News On 6

TULSA, OK -- A new edition of the NIV Bible called the American NIV is being transcribed one verse, one person at a time.

A national tour, called Bible Across America, was at the Spirit Bank Events Center to get Tulsans to show off their best penmanship.

Mandy Helton Jones is orienting a new set of volunteers. Mandy and her husband John are traveling through 90 cities in 44 states asking people to transcribe a Bible verse.

"So all the verses are going down in order until we have the entire Bible; that's over 31,000 verses," said Mandy Helton Jones.

This criss-crossing America tour of more than 15,000 miles will take more than five months to complete. It celebrates the 30th anniversary of Zandervan Publishing's New International Version of the Bible; the NIV has become the most successful Bible translation of all time.

This project will produce a hand-written edition of that Bible.

"I feel very privileged to get to be a part of that," said Nancy Egermeier.

Mandy and her husband found this project advertised on the internet, it has been a wonderful experience, much more than they imagined.

"It really is significant for so many people," said Mandy.

People at every stop along the way, line up, they are given the next Bible verse in order as it comes. The verses are written on large sheets of paper.

Each verse and each page will be published together as a complete America's NIV Bible available in stores probably in a year. Their individual contributions are small, but people like Susie Fawthrop stand in line as long as it takes to be a part of it.

"It was just one long sentence, but it feels great that it's gonna be in there," said Fawthrop.

There will be two original copies of the hand written Bible, one will go to the Smithsonian, the other will be auctioned on eBay with proceeds going to the International Bible Society.