Mobile Baptists earn Bibles with foot action

Baptists took steps Oct. 21 in Mobile to place foreign language Bibles in the hands of international seamen, college students, tourists, refugees, inmates and hospital patients. Published in 75 languages, the Bibles are free through the International Ministries Center (IMC), a ministry of the Mobile Baptist Association.
   
Since the center has to pay for the Bibles, a thousand or so Christians participated in Walk for Bibles (WFB) 2000 to raise more than $30,000, according to Aias de Souza, director of the IMC. As much as $10,000 in pledges are expected.  Anything more than $35,000 (the WFB total in 1998) would surpass past IMC walks, which began in 1986.
   
“The Walk for Bibles is a missions project, and the intent is to give everyone in church life an opportunity to participate and provide Bibles to the world,” he said.
   
The center houses the language Bibles that it purchases primarily through the American Bible Society. The many languages enable the ministry to reach people from the 127 nations who pause on Mobile’s doorstep, many of them seamen, when their ships are in port.
   
De Souza, a native of Brazil and director of the IMC since 1979, said each person walking was challenged to have pledges for one or more Bibles. A Bible’s average cost is $12, with some costing around $23.
   
The five-mile walk encouraged family and church togetherness as children and adults, and even a couple of Baptist family dogs put feet and paws to the pavement.
   
“Several years ago we had a dog that walked, and somebody pledged $25 for the dog to walk,” de Souza said.
   
Groups began leaving the IMC, where the Seaman’s Center is located, every 15 minutes starting at 8 a.m. Refreshments were on-site and at Spanish Plaza, partway along the route.
   
Pastors and volunteers led each group in a prayer just before they walked, and de Souza encouraged and introduced certain walkers, like 83-year-old Lucille Legg, a member of First Baptist Church, North Mobile, in Saraland.
   
She walked for $40 in pledges in the first ever Walk for Bibles in 1986, but this year she walked for $3,535. She has missed walking only one year when she was out of town.
   
“Every day I walk three miles in the morning and two in the afternoon,” she said.
   
“This lady is an inspiration to me and to many other people,” de Souza said.
   
Another 83-year-old, First Baptist Church, Satsuma, member Buck Windham walked the five miles in an hour and 35 minutes; he said he started to run part of the route, but it was a little too crowded. He said the crowd was a welcome sight and a great testimony to the outpouring of support for the event.
   
“I know what this walking for Bibles does, because I went to Brazil 11 times (as a volunteer on construction missions). We had one person saved in the international airport,” he said.
   
Windham referred to a trip to help an orphanage at St. Isabelle. At the airport, a customs inspector was interested in what they were doing.
   
“We carried a box of (Portuguese) Bibles with us, and he (continued from page 1)
wanted to know if he could have one. So we took him off to the side after he was through inspecting, and we witnessed to him and gave him a Bible; he accepted the Lord. The next year we went back and I asked him if he was still serving the Lord and he said yes,” Windham said.
   
Frank Kirksey, pastor of First Baptist Church, Creola, said they had about 48 members sign up to to participate this year. Walkers from the church doubled their pledge amounts this year, coming in with $825. The church has a history of supporting the walk.
   
Seven Hills Baptist Church, Mobile, brought 52 folks to walk — one of the largest numbers from any one church.
   
“We told our folks, especially our RAs and GAs, that this would be an opportunity to put the Word of God in the hands of men and women around the world,” said Pastor Mike Staton.
   
“We’ve walked every time they’ve had a walk, and we just feel like it’s a great way to minister around the world,” said Dorothy Vacik. She and her husband, Jim, are members of Airport Boulevard Baptist Church, Mobile.
   
Clara Hilderbrand, an adult Girls in Action (GA) leader with Turnerville Baptist Church, Chunchula, said, “We’re just a small GA group, but we raised about $350.”
   
The six GAs walking were joined by other Turnerville Baptist members. GAs explained why they were walking.
    
“It makes me feel good to know that God wants us to do this,” said Melany Gasaway.
   
“I think everyone who can’t get a Bible can get one now, and people who don’t know about Jesus can read it in their own language,” said Erica Waltman.
   
“I want to help give Bibles to people in other countries that don’t have Bibles,” said Lauren Wilkinson.
“It feel good to be doing this,” said Holly Hilderbrand.
   
Eastwood Baptist Church, Monroeville, members traveled about 90 miles to be part of the event.
   
Some folks strolled quietly, others carried signs with slogans: “Jesus is Lord,” “God Bless You” and “Jesus Loves You.” Encouraged to pray or sing aloud as they walked, walkers wound along the sidewalks of downtown streets.
   
“This is much more than to raise money to buy Bibles; this is an educational walk that educates those children, 6 years old, 7 – years old, 3 years old, adults, 83 years old — everybody together with one reason — to stand for the Bible,” de Souza said. Bibles are part of a complete IMC ministry in the Mobile community, giving internationals a feeling of home away from home.
   
Baptists, along with volunteers from other denominations, and paid Baptist missionary staff, walk a Christian witness out in the world. As a result, de Souza said seamen benefit from religious services, dinners, seasonal events, recreation, etc., and transportation from ships to malls, banks and grocery stores, as well as the International Missions Center.