Transformation Thurrock : Do YOU have the Gideon factor?

Do you have the Gideon factor?

South West Essex - that’s Thurrock and Basildon - is just one of three areas across the United Kingdom which is without the presence of a Gideons International group.

As almost everyone knows, the Gideons International are famous for their placing of Bibles in hotel bedrooms and by hospital beds. Nearly everybody at some point in their lives has possessed one of those little red New Testaments - even the Beatles sang about Gideons’ Bible in their song Rocky Raccoon off The White Album.

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The most well-known Gideons’ man locally is Peter Spreadborough, formerly of Grays Salvation Army and now Chafford Hundred Community Church. He was a regular visitor to many local secondary schools, handing out the red Bibles to hundreds of young people over many years.

However, since Pete’s ‘retirement’ from the Gideons, local representation has diminished to the point where there is no team to visit schools, hotels, hospitals, surgeries, factories, offices and many other institutions and workplaces to give away free Bibles.

Transformation Thurrock has been approached by Chris Axelby and Roger Grange of Gideons to ask for help in recruiting a new and fresh team to revive the work and begin once more to be a presence in the two boroughs of Thurrock and Basildon.

Former banker Chris is a recruiter for Gideons, and businessman Roger lives in Hornchurch where he heads up the Havering group. Roger also has a shop in Stanford-le-Hope.

They are looking for professional and/or retired men who are not already in ministry. If you are reading this and are interested, please contact Roger on 01 708 456 732.

Interested parties and their wives will then be invited to a presentation given by the Gideons on Saturday 12 March at a local hotel (details to follow).

This is another potential aspect of the borough’s rich tapestry of schools’ work, and Transformation Thurrock is endorsing and promoting the Gideons’ work as a conduit for non-denominational mission.

About the Gideons

In 1899 three commercial travellers in the USA formed an association of Christian businessmen to encourage each other in their Christian faith and to spread knowledge of God through personal evangelism and united service for the Lord Jesus Christ. They chose the name Gideons after the Old Testament leader who, with a few chosen men, did a great work for God.

Today, over 250,000 members work in over 190 countries placing a total of over 80 million copies of the Word of God annually as well as witnessing personally for Christ. Internationally over 1.5 billion Scriptures have been presented.

The Gideons’ objective is to share God's message of salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ by personal witness and through placing Bibles and New Testaments into people's hands.

The Gideons became established in the British Isles in 1949. God has blessed the work of its National Association. To date over 30 million Gideon Bibles and Testaments have been presented nationally and there are 5,000 members involved in the work across Britain.

The Gideons is a non-denominational extended missionary arm of the Christian church. It works closely with Christian churches, for it is through them that the Gideons draw its membership and its prayer and financial support.

For more information about the Gideons and their work, please go to www.gideons.org.uk.

Tim Harrold, 31/01/2011