For over 210 years, the Massachusetts Bible Society has been at the work of distributing God’s word - the Holy Bible - to those in need. Small churches, hospitals and hospices, prisons and street programs have all benefited from this dedicated service mission. We have found ways to encourage small groups of people to really study the sacred texts to help apply old lessons to current problems.
The First Congregational Church of Wareham celebrated the Installation of Rev. Philomena Hare, Board President for the Massachusetts Bible Society, on Sunday, Sept. 26, 2021. Installation is a rite in the United Church of Christ that confirms and celebrates the relationship among a congregation, pastor, and the wider church.
The Massachusetts Bible Society (MBS) is please to announce we recently received a generous gift from The Evangelical Missionary Society in Massachusetts in support of our Bible Grant Program. MBS has been giving out Bibles for over 210 years. With this new partnership, we are able to continue granting gifts of Bibles (and sometimes other sacred scriptures) to prisons, hospitals, homeless programs, churches, and many others who have need.
Congratulations to Jaz Buchanan, who won the Massachusetts Bible Society Scripture Reading Prize, hosted by the Office of Ministry Studies at Harvard Divinity School. We've posted her sermon, and will link to her reading when it is available.
The Massachusetts Bible Society is pleased to announce the March hiring of our Interim Executive Director, Dr. Theodore (Ted) Wilson. Dr. Wilson retired from a long and productive career managing not-for-profit child caring and human service organizations. He will work with the Board of Trustees on behalf of one of the oldest, longest serving charitable organizations in the country. He succeeds Rev. Anne Robertson who was called to return to parish ministry as the Pastor of the Crawford Memorial Methodist Church in Winchester (MA).
"I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?" --Isaiah 43:19
The Rev. Anne Robertson writes, “The focus of this study series is on issues of justice in the public square. The Bible is the lens through which we are examining those issues, but, just as with reading glasses, the biblical lens will often fade into the periphery as it does its job of helping us see what is on the page.” She further asserts, “The Ten Commandments, ultimately, are about the intersection of individual behavior and public life— exactly where we find ourselves when confronted with the controversial issues of our day.”
“There are many reasons to turn to the Ten Commandments in the times we are in, but Anne Robertson gives us here a useful way to engage our ancient texts in a lively and creative way. Local churches and faith communities will find this a compelling way to discuss current issues in the context of Scripture and how we can improve civil dialogue. Her thoughts on guiding discussions are a perfect resource for any group leader.”
Anne Robertson has written an astonishing exposition of the second of the Ten Commandments: “Thou shalt not make graven images.” Her study is deeply grounded in scripture. But her work is to mobilize her expansive imagination in order to show the demanding contemporaneity of this innocent-looking mandate from Moses. Amid her work she offers a trenchant critique of our idolatry of nationalism with an eye on our “worship of the flag,” and our idolatry of guns with a knowing riff on the NRA.
To the person unfamiliar with the Bible, Exploring the Bible: The Dickinson Series provides an introduction that is utterly unintimidating; to regular readers it is a companionable and challenging conversation partner. Anne Robertson not only invites people into the biblical texts, she welcomes them - with good humor, an obvious reverence for the texts, and a completely trustworthy voice.
LITERACY
UNDERSTANDING
DIALOGUE
