Using the Bible Marking Plan in an evangelistic series the greatest single new method we have found in more than thirty-five years of preaching. At the General Conference in San Francisco in 1962 Elder G. E. Vandeman explained the plan, but somehow I felt it wasn't for me—it would slow me down too much, I thought (though I admit most people agree that I need to slow down).
Then in January, 1963, J. R. Spangler spoke at the Florida workers' meeting and explained the plan further. Later he said to me, "Now, Fordyce, you simply must start using this plan; I don't care what excuses you offer. There's nothing like it. You have to try it!"
A few weeks later I was on the telephone talking to George Vandeman, Bruce Johnston, and Elden Walter, getting additional ideas. H. H. Schmidt and Harold Roll of our Florida Conference said they would back us in trying the plan. So Robert Collar, our campaign manager, ordered the Bibles and Bible bookcases, and we prepared a special check card and then launched the plan in our Tampa series.
We held eight campaigns in 1963 since trying this plan, and I must admit I believe it has increased the baptisms by at least 35 percent.
In the present series here in Vancouver, Washington, we have used more than one thousand Bibles. It builds a large and constant attendance, which increases the offering as well as the results. One hundred sixty-six have taken their stand for baptism here in the three-week series and 116 have already been baptized.
So let me share with you the plans we follow.
On the opening Sunday night just before O. H. Bentzinger's song service, I explain in detail to the audience the Bible Marking Plan—that it is for everyone nine years of age and up (because that is about the low limit for baptism age). We explain that after ten nights of attendance, the Bibles will become theirs to keep. As Pastor Bentzinger begins his song service and Mrs. Collar her black-light drawing on her Colorama Electrograph, ushers come in with armloads of Bibles and pass these out to all who desire to follow the Bible Marking Plan.
On the back of each Bible is a piece of adhesive tape and the Bibles are numbered from 100 on up, the number being placed on this tape.
In each Bible is a blue-and-red marking pencil and a perforated check card. Each is asked to put down his name, address, and Bible number on the three sections of the card.
Then all tear off the stub at the bottom (III) and present this each evening thereafter at the proper bookcase to identify the proper Bible matching this numbered stub. (This small bottom stub carries only the name and Bible number.)
After this first meeting, the ladies help Mrs. Detamore and Mrs. Bentzinger go through the Bibles and tear off the second stub (II) and these are given to Pastor Collar. After the local pastors have removed all Adventist names, the remaining cards with names and addresses are stapled on the top of long visitation cards, which are later to be filled out by the ministers helping in the home visitation.
The upper—and larger—part of the card (I) is left in the front of the Bible and is punched as individuals go to the bookcases to claim their Bibles on the way in to the service each evening.
Each Bible bookcase holds one hundred Bibles—five shelves, with twenty Bibles on each. At the bottom of the Bible case is cabinet space for keeping supplies. This raises the lower shelves so that the ladies need not stoop so far to reach the Bibles.
At the close of the service the people leave their Bibles on tables provided in the foyer near the bookcases. Then after all have left, the ladies replace the Bibles in order by number in their proper spaces. Each bookcase is labeled 100's, 200's, 300's, et cetera.
We have covers which lock on the front of these cases to protect the Bibles when we are in auditoriums or halls used by other people part of the time. We have initiated a plan that helps wonderfully in building up the attendance night after night.
On the first Monday night we hold up a beautiful cedar chest that Sam Marts supplies us. (Address: Keepsake Bible Inc., P.O. Box 1304, Nashville, Tennessee.) Inside this chest lid is a lovely picture of Jesus. The chest has a locket snap. Also inside is one of the Friendship Edition Bibles. The audience is thrilled with the beauty of this Bible cedar chest.
We explain that anyone enrolling two new friends in the Bible Marking Plan (which means that the new friends plan to earn their Bibles by attending at least ten nights) will be given this lovely chest. They may bring one new friend one night and another some other night and then be awarded the chest. (As they enroll their new friends, and the new friends receive their Bibles for marking, the Bible numbers of the new friends are marked on the card inside the Bible of the one who brought them, showing that they have received their chest.) Once people begin seeing these chests in the audience, enthusiasm builds up and people go to work to bring out their friends.
After ten nights (itisnot required that these be consecutive nights) the Bibles become theirs and if they choose they may take them home with them, though a majority prefer to leave them each evening at the cases.
When the ladies at the Bible cases make the tenth punch in a card, they tell the person that the Bible is now his and question whether or not he wishes to take it home or continue to leave it at the case each evening. If some wish to take theirs with them, the ladies take out the punch card from the Bible and remove the number off the back, sticking it to the card. In this way, should any question arise about the Bible, we can check the cards that have been taken out of the Bibles.
We have never found any plan so effective in building up the attendance. Each new enrollee becomes a booster for the meetings. This plan has at least doubled the week-night attendance.
As the sermon begins, the opening text is announced by page number. And it is a thrill to hear hundreds of Bibles being opened.
You may ask the audience to mark anywhere from eight to twelve of the most important texts a night. Two or three nights they may mark as many as fifteen texts. You will use other texts, of course, in your evening's discourse, but the audience cannot possibly mark all texts used in most sermons.
You may wish to make special suggestions from time to time such as: "Draw a circle around the word 'Sabbath,' or 'seventh.' " "Put an exclamation mark by this next text," et cetera.
But one of the most helpful marking suggestions we have found is for the Sunday night that I speak on the law and the gospel. Toward the end of the sermon I review the Ten Commandments and after each commandment pause and ask, "How many of you believe Christians should keep that one? Raise your hands." And so on down through all ten of the commandments, missing the fourth—the very one that begins with the word "Remember."
Then we go back and read through the one we missed and ask, "And now how many of you believe that Christians should still be keeping the seventh-day Sabbath holy? [Hands are raised.] All right, how many are willing to make a covenant with
God that you will endeavor to do this? Just now, right there by the fourth commandment, will you make a quiet covenant between yourself and God by writing 'I will' in the margin? Please do that just now."After the meeting that night, the workers go through the Bibles and on the minister's visitation cards they note all non-Adventists who have written "I will" in their Bibles by Exodus 20:8-11, and also note how many nights thus far the person has been present—you can tell this by the number of holes punched in the Bible attendance card inside the front cover of each Bible. This information is an invaluable help to the personal workers as they go to visit in the homes.
We have found it an invaluable plan to provide a Bible for every member of the family nine years of age and up. In this way we obtain the name of each person in the family who is interested and it greatly increases the number of our baptismal prospects. This plan gives you the very cream interests of those attending your meetings.
To build up enthusiasm for the Bible Marking Plan occasionally ask: "How many are marking your Bibles from night to night? Hold them up. That's wonderful!" And this sight makes a wonderful picture for advertising.
Now to answer some questions that will naturally arise:
a. Are our members provided Bibles? Indeed. Since they are part of the plan, they become enthusiastic about encouraging others to join the Bible-marking class.
b. What do people do when they break their pencils? At each Bible bookcase we keep a good supply of extra, well-sharpened pencils. Here they exchange the broken pencil for a sharpened one.
c. If a person lacks one or two nights of the ten, is there any way by which he may still get his Bible? Yes. Toward the end of the series we explain that as an accommodation, we allow persons to make up for nights they lack of the ten at 50 cents a night. People really appreciate this. (And it helps to pay for the Bibles!)
d. Doesn't the attendance fall off the third week, since many have earned their Bibles? No. On Sunday night of the beginning of the third week we offer a book award to all attending six of the remaining meetings (we hold meetings seven nights a week). This book is usually Daniel and the Revelation by LTriah Smith or Bible Readings for the Horne. The third week generally draws our largest attendance.
e. What do you do with leftover Bibles? After a week or so of the meetings, my wife checks through the Bibles and those that have been used only once or twice are re-issued to newcomers. If a former user should later begin to attend again, he will be issued a new Bible.
At the end of the series the used, but unclaimed, Bibles are packed away in boxes and in the next series are issued with new numbers and are used later in the next series.
In Summary
The Bible Marking Plan is the greatest aid we have found in holding the interest of young people and juniors. Instead of whispering and fidgeting they take seriously the matter of marking their Bibles. We are now getting a remarkable number of new interests and decisions from these age groups.
Adults are more deeply impressed with the Advent truths since they look up, read, and mark the most important texts in their own Bibles. The evidence is clear this way—it is not hearsay.
And finally, it gives more power to one's preaching. The force of the points is strengthened rnanyfold as you read from the Word and as the eyes and hearts of all follow with you in their own Bibles.
I cannot express as fully as I would like my deep personal appreciation for this new and wonderful way of fulfilling Paul's commission to the evangelist, "Preach the word!"
(Please address any further questions to Pastor Robert Collar, Box 1313, Orlando, Florida.)
Note:
See PDF for Perforated Check Card used by Elder Detamore
