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Presentation to the School Board

Thank you Mr. Chairman, members of the Board, Superintendent, Ladies and Gentlemen:

We appreciate the time you have given to us to consider our proposal. As you may already know, we are here to request that the School Division allow us to make the Bright Beginnings New Testament available to the Grade 4 students of this school division. In our meetings with the Principals we were encouraged by their positive responses to approach the Board and humbly seek your approval.

We thank you for approving Scripture distribution in the past, and we all know that many of the children have sincerely appreciated that and benefited from being able to read their own copy.

Language changes over time, and it has become a concern to us, that the Scriptures given to the students be "user friendly", and hence this proposal. The Bright Beginnings New Testament is based on the New International Reader's Version. This version is a simplification of the world's most popular translation known as the New International Version. The NIV has sold more than 100,000,000 copies worldwide in less than 20 years since first publication. It is by far and away the world's best selling book. It is accepted by Catholic and Protestant Christians of most denominations as a reliable and readable translation.

The NIV and NIrV were sponsored by the International Bible Society. IBS was founded in 1809 for the purpose of assisting in scripture translation and distribution. One of the first IBS projects was a grant that enabled William Carey to translate the Bible into the Bengali language. To date, IBS has published Scriptures in 560 languages and distributed more than 350 million Scriptures. We support IBS through Canadian LifeLight Ministries.

Children in other public schools that have received these Bright Beginnings New Testaments have expressed their deep appreciation for these scriptures. Why is it important for Scriptures to be available to students in middle years?

1. It is the greatest literature. It has stood the test of time. It is a collection of 66 books written during a period of 1,500 years and compiled into one volume 2,000 years ago. There are more than 5,000 ancient manuscripts and dozens of authors from antiquity to attest the veracity and accuracy of its writings.
2. No other book throws so much light on the history of Western Civilization. To study history without reference to this book, is to miss the foundations of our history. Biography and social studies are elucidated in this book.
3. Some of the greatest Poetry ever written is found in the Psalms. What more evocative language is there than "The Lord is my Shepherd"?
4. Adventure, travel and romance are all a part of this book. The greatest stories ever told.
5. Philosophy and the Meaning of Life. As Dr Stephen Glen re-iterates again and again in the course entitled "Developing Capable People", each individual needs to see themselves as capable and significant. Dr Glen asserts that Maslow changed his Hierarchy of Needs at the end of his life and concluded that the need to feel significant is the greatest need of any human being. Individual significance needs to be validated again and again. This book does that better than any other book I know. It tells of how God considered each individual so significant that He sent his only Son so that humans could have a significant and fulfilling life in this world and eternal life hereafter.

In conclusion, thanks again for your time. A great school division is built on many people doing what they can to make it better. We are willing to do our part to contribute to the effectiveness of our schools by providing this readable book for the benefit of our students. We sincerely believe that it will significantly contribute to the quality of life of our students.

If you approve this request, we will contact each school principal and arrange for a convenient time and place for the distribution. We will provide letters for the students to take home to advise their parents. Many schools invite us to meet the students who are interested in the library during the lunch hour. We expect that 90 - 95% of the Grade 4 children will pick up their own copy of this beautiful New Testament. Thanks again.

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