Honoring Emma Dryer of The Chicago Bible Society

Most Christians in Chicago are familiar with Evangelist DL Moody who founded the famous Moody Bible Institute.

What most people do not know is that Miss Emiline Dryer was the driving force behind the founding of that school in the late 1800's.  Fewer still know that Emma Dryer founded a ministry that reached poor people on the West Side of Chicago including substance abusers and prostitutes. I'd say that nobody knows she was on the Board of Directors of The Chicago Bible Society, which eventually took over that work upon Dryer's retirement. The following is an interesting insight about her committment to Bible work found online:

Dryer quickly rose to a place of high position in Chicago. She became superintendent of the YWCA in November, 1871. She worked with the Chicago Evangelization society, which eventually became Moody Bible Institute. Emma was also on the board of the Chicago Bible Society, as the only woman among twenty-eight other men. She worked very closely with Moody, R.A. Torrey, Dr. Moorehead, and the other bosses who were doing evangelistic work in Chicago during the late 1800s.

Dryer also “corresponded with groups and individuals all over the country.” She was very involved in fundraising, and often wrote personal thank you notes to her supporters. Many of these letters were long and contained a clear outline of the Gospel. Emma wanted to take every chance she had to share the Gospel with everyone she encountered. Even writing thank you notes was an opportunity for ministry for her. At the top of her stationary were both a Bible verse and a short quote. The verse was from Philippians, “Holding forth the Word of Life.” The quote was “Unlike all other books, the Bible is it’s own interpreter.” Dryer wanted everything in her life to flow out of the Bible. Her goal was to share the Bible with as many as she could.

Chicago Bible Society New Media Director Allan Winters plans to produce a video (DVD and online) documenting the long term (she lived to be nearly 90 years old) Ministry of Emma Dryer in Chicago.

Chicago Bible Society hosts forum on Church life in China

Rev Yuan Shiguo, delegate from the Protestant Church in
China addresses the audience at our forum on Church
Life In China

October was a very busy month here at the Chicago Bible Society.

First, we had a very successful Gutenberg Award Dinner held at the Union League Club in Downtown Chicago Oct 10th.Our newest Video, "Chicago Bible Society, Reaching our City, touching the World" was shown for the first time.

Later on Oct. 13, we hosted a forum on Church life in China. Delegates from the Protestant Church in China were in attendance and several participated in the Forum. They were in the city for "The Bible Exhibition" that was held at Chicago Temple (United Methodist) Church Downtown.  

Our New Media  Coordinator, Allan Winters, briefly addressed the delegates and the audience regarding the availability of free downloadable Bibles and Bible Apps from our website.

Chinese Church Exhibit On The Bible Comes to Chicago

Twenty-Three Chinese Protestant church officials are coming to Chicago  for a two-week visit.  The Chicago Bible Society is part of the host committee that will welcome them to the city.

As a part of the visit, the Chinese will present an exhibit about the history of the Chinese church and the history of the translation of the Bible Into Chinese.

The exhibition will be held at the First United Methodist Church/Chicago Temple (pictured above) at the corner of Clark Street and Washington in downtown Chicago.  It will be open to the public during the daytime From October 12 through October 16.

You can view a six minute video of the exhibition by
Clicking here

CBS Releases New Mobile Web App

When the Board of Directors of Chicago Bible Society
 approved New Media Development last year, it was with the intention of initially using New Media to increase awareness of the Vision and outreach of this 170 year old Chicago Institution.

Now, almost a year later, the New Media Project is expanding far beyond the initial goals of using FaceBook, Blogs and online videos to increase traffic to the CBS Website.

With the proliferation of iPhones and Smart Phones throughout the world, it became aware to New Media developer Allan Winters, that there was this large Potential Mobile Web audience that would appreciate an App that would provide vital information about the Society away from traditional Desktops.

This new App, released in August allows users to access the latest news and information about the Society, view CBS online Videos, interact with CBS via FaceBook and even read this blog from the App.  The App also invites users to share content to others using e-mail, texting and other features with just a tap of the finger.  This App will be available from the CBS Website Shortly when the Website is updated. 

The Power of A Gospel Tract

Over the years, The Chicago Bible Society has distributed multiple thousands of Gospel Tracts throughout the City of Chicago.

Never underestimate the power of a gospel tract. After George Whitefield,later to be a great evangelist read one called “The Life of God in the Soul of a Man,” he said, “God showed me I must be born again ” He went on to pray, “Lord, if I am not a Christian, or if I am not a real one, for Jesus Christ’s sake show me what Christianity is.Then his journal tells us “from that moment . . . did I know that I must become a new creature.”

A Christian book relates the true story of a diver who saw a piece of paper clutched in the shell of an oyster. The man grabbed it, found that it was a gospel tract and said, “I can’t hold out any longer. His mercy is so great that He has caused His Word to follow me even to the bottom of the ocean.” God used a tract to save the man. He also used a tract to inspire the great missionary Hudson Taylor, as well as innumerable others.

Why should Christians use tracts? Simply because God uses them. That fact alone should be enough incentive for a Christian to always use tracts to reach others, but there are even more reasons why we should use them. Here are a few:
Tracts can provide an opening for us to share our faith.We can watch people’s reaction as we give them a tract, and see if they are open to listening to spiritual things.

Tracts can do the witnessing for us. If we are too timid to speak to others about the things of God, we can at least give them a tract, or leave one lying around so that someone will pick it up.

Tracts speak to the individuals when they are ready; people don’t read it until they want to.
Tracts can find their way into people’s homes when we can’t.
Tracts don’t get into arguments; they just state their case.

The Chicago Bible Society has a large number of Gospel tracts at its office.  For more information, or to place an order call our office at (312) 573-8809

The Bible of Choice for the Younger Generation

Back in the Day when I was in High School there was a Christian Group on Campus. I, having more interest in Rock and Roll than the Rock of Ages, thought these people were weird, especially because most of them carried large Bibles into the classroom.

Later, having giving my life to the Lord, I did not consider them so strange after all, but that was after I had graduated.  Today, I saw this article from Leslie Leyland Fields in Christianity today that caught my attention.  She writes:

A couple of Sundays ago, my husband, son and I enacted a mini-drama from a script that has likely played out in every church going family in America.  During the sermon, with our heads intently bent over our study Bibles, my husband and I glanced down the pew to see our teenage son leaning over his cell phone.  Texting during the sermon? {the husband starting texting his son to tell him to pay attention to the sermon with no response}

By now you've already guessed the ending of this vignette.  The response to our accusations, wide eyes and sly protestations of innocence before whipping out the cell phone - with the Bible fully downloaded on it.  Ah, the snarky pleasure on his face!

Interestingly enough, Mrs. Fields, as have I, has learned the convenience and pleasure of reading the Word of God on a smart phone.  The Executive Director of the Bible Society and I met today with a major Bible  publisher in the Western Suburbs.  During our dicussions with him he showed us their Scriptures on a smart phone and also an iPad and described in detail their strategy of distributed their Bible digitally as well as in print.

Young people today do not need to carry large Bibles around, and most are not.  Not when a lightweight device does the job just as well.  This is one reason the Chicago Bible Society is promoting the use of Bible Apps.  This is a particularly effective strategy for reaching young people around the world with the Word of God, online.  Allan Winters, Chicago Bible Society

We Need Another Big Mac!

Following the recent Tsunami and Nuclear Reactor accidents, the Japanese Prime Minister said that this was Japan's Greatest Crisis since World War Two.

Following World War II, General Douglas MacArthur sensed a similar crisis in the heart of the Japanese people.  He said there was a "spiritual vacuum" in their hearts and urged that vacuum be filled with the message of Christianity.  He urged that ten million Bibles be sent to Japan along with thousands of missionaries.

Today, it may not be necessary to ship millions of printed Bibles in this new hour of Crisis.  Using the free Bible Apps, which allow Japanese to download, read and hear the Bible using their smart phones and iPhones, huge quantities of these "virtual Bibles" can be made available for distribution.

The Chicago Bible Society has created an Online Bible page on its website, where these apps can be downloaded in over 48 different translations and over 50 Languages

New Media Project

This new blog is the first step in maximizing the outreach of The Chicago Bible Society online.  Every month you'll learn of the latest activities and programs initiated by the Society, one of the nation's oldest Bible Societies.