THE GIDEONS INTERNATIONAL IN CANADA REBRANDS AS A REFLECTION OF ITS BROADENED MISSION TO TELL THE WORLD – TOGETHER.

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GUELPH, ONTARIO, SEPTEMBER 21, 2021 — Building on its 110-year history of placing Scripture in hotel rooms, schools, and beyond, The Gideons International In Canada is ushering in a new era of ministry.

With a renewed passion to share God’s Word, the organization is refocusing its approach and changing its name to ShareWord Global. Building on its legacy, the new banner reflects a multifaceted evangelism mobilization mission, anchoring the ministry on
partnerships with the local church to ignite and fuel Christians to share the gospel alongside Scripture.

“We’ve never just been Bible distributors”, said ShareWord Global President, Dr. Alan Anderson. “Our belief that the Word of God is alive and powerful hasn’t changed. God has called us to expand our evangelistic efforts internationally and come alongside our brothers and sisters across the world with tools, resources, and inspiration to be faithful – not just to a brand name, but to Jesus himself, who instructed us to ‘go and make disciples of all the
nations’ (Matthew 28:19).”

TOGETHER, WE CAN TELL THE WORLD…
The ministry began over a century ago, with two salesmen that shared a passion for the Gospel. From their initial meeting, The Gideons was born as an evangelistic association of travelling salesmen. One method they employed in spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ was the distribution of Bibles in hotel rooms. Over the following decades, the ministry steadily broadened its outreach to sharing God’s Word with prisoners, hospital patients, public servants, students — and anyone else along the way.

After becoming an autonomous organization in 2011, Gideons International In Canada began to reshape its ministry by inviting Christians to share the gospel with innovative new Scripture resources alongside local church partners. This led to the development of Scripture magazines (Hope, Redemption, Light, Spark) and a digital app called NewLife to introduce people to the gospel of Christ in a new way. These innovations not only energized the domestic ministry, but also helped propel new international work, starting in Peru and spreading to many other parts of the world.

The ministry then began connecting with pastors on every continent and serving them through a model that they could embrace as their own.

It was thanks to this new energy and growth that ShareWord Global’s ministry model gradually took shape. By building upon its history of partnering with the local church to mobilize Christians to personal evangelism, ShareWord Global now works on three main pillars:

  • Evangelism: Igniting and fueling a passion for evangelism – helping everyday men and women of all ages to feel more confident in sharing the gospel.
  • Scripture: Using traditional Bibles, easy-to-read translations, and beautifully illustrated Scripture magazines, sharing Scripture remains at the core of our efforts to invite people into a relationship with Jesus.
  • Partnerships: The organization is committed to come alongside local churches to mobilize their congregations around the world to bring hope to their communities through personal evangelism and the sharing of Scriptures.

The work of ShareWord Global is ongoing in Canada, Kenya, Ukraine, Brazil, Nicaragua, Cuba, the Middle East and many other regions. This year, thousands will be mobilized to share the Gospel and through them, millions will hear of the person and work of Jesus Christ and receive Scripture.

The gospel is meant to be shared, and together we can tell the world.
 
To view the launch video, read more about the change, or for more information about how ShareWord Global can serve you and your church community, visit www.sharewordglobal.com/ca/notjustbibles.