[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 192 (Thursday, December 17, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E3021]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      RECOGNIZING AND COMMENDING THE 200TH ANNIVERSARY OF BIBLICA

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                           HON. DOUG LAMBORN

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 16, 2009

  Mr. LAMBORN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize and commend 
Biblica for the contributions they have made to our country and join 
with them in the celebration of their 200th anniversary.
  On December 4, 1809, a small group of concerned citizens met in lower 
Manhattan to discuss how to make the Bible available to the residents 
of the city and formed the New York Bible Society, beginning an 
organization that has been woven into the fabric of United States 
culture for 200 years.
  The New York Bible Society provided Scripture for members of the 
United States Armed Forces in each conflict, foreign and domestic, 
since the War of 1812, and in partnership with the United States 
military chaplaincy, distributed more than 1,000,000 Bibles to members 
of the Armed Forces looking for courage, guidance, and comfort.
  When the gates of Ellis Island opened in 1890, the New York Bible 
Society greeted new immigrants with a copy of Scripture in their native 
language, and over the 60 years that followed, provided an average of 
160,000 copies of Scripture each year to immigrants.
  In 1962, John Glenn lifted off into space with a Bible he received 
from the New York Bible Society. In 1968, the New York Bible Society 
sponsored the Committee on Bible Translation, a group responsible for 
creating the New International Version, which is now the most widely 
distributed, contemporary English version in the world, with more than 
300,000,000 copies in circulation.
  The New York Bible Society moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado in 
1988 and became the International Bible Society.
  Following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the International Bible Society 
distributed more than 800,000 copies of Scripture to those seeking hope 
and comfort during one of the darkest moments in United States history. 
The International Bible Society also provided Scripture to disaster 
survivors worldwide, including victims of Hurricane Katrina and the 
2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.
  The International Bible Society merged with Living Bibles 
International and Send the Light and today operates as Biblica.
  Biblica is one of the largest distributors of Bibles and biblical 
resources in the world, operates in 54 countries, and has translated 
the Bible into more than 100 languages. Biblica is the leading provider 
of Bible translations on the Internet, providing the Bible in 29 
languages to more than 100,000,000 Internet users annually.
  It is an honor to recognize Biblica as an integral part of our 
nation's history and I commend them for the contributions they have 
made to the United States and around the world.

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