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 | The Massachusetts Bible Society has been made possible for over 200 years by contributions from members like you. Thank you for your continuing support.
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Dear Friends of MassBible,
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Puppy Leverage
 | | Dia at 2 months old |
If you have come anywhere near me since August, you will know that I am the proud, frustrated, happy, sleep-deprived mother of a new Chinook puppy named Dia.
God made puppies cute so you would be less likely to kill them, and puppies know exactly how to leverage their gift of cuteness. Despite your firmest intentions, they find their way onto beds, persuade you that one more cookie can't possibly hurt, and make a convincing case for why those shoes weren't really necessary anyway.
Dia doesn't always realize that the dog in the mirror has not come to take her bone, but she does know how to use the gifts she has been given for greater benefit. It is an important lesson, one that Jesus tried to convey in the Parable of the Talents (Matt. 25:14-30). So this fall, we are seeking to apply those principles at MassBible. |
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The Gifts you Gave Us
 MassBible has been given incredible gifts this year. When the devastating earthquake hit Haiti, you responded to our special appeal with over $2500 to provide the spiritual nourishment of Bibles to those who had nothing else.
When Rev. Terry Jones threatened to act on his hatred of the Islamic faith by burning Qur'ans, you responded with over $3,000 to replace them--funds that kept coming in with notes of gratitude even after it was clear he would not burn them after all. Typical of the notes we received from that effort was this from a disaffected Christian:
I was beginning to doubt that any Christian would ever take the kind of action which you have done here, and it is so indescribably good to be proven wrong. Thank you, thank you, thank you; you have restored my faith in basic human decency.
Groups as divergent as the London Free Press and Sojourners praised the action as the best Christian response to the situation. You can read more about the effort and the response here.
Of course we had our regular activities of lectures, seminary prizes, Meetup Groups, church workshops and pulpit supply, culminating in our annual Beck Lectures with Harvey Cox, which are now available for viewing on our website. Our Facebook friends and Twitter followers receive daily notices of books and articles that are of interest to people of faith, and those exploring the Bible for themselves continue to submit questions to our Ask-a-Prof panel.
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Can You Match This?
 | | Dollar for Dollar Match |
As we have worked to show that Christian life is about love, not hate; about unity, not division, new people are beginning to discover us. And that has resulted in a special opportunity for our organization this year in the form of a matching gift fund of $20,000. Our prayer is that we can raise $40,000 to support the important work of MassBible.
Our Trustees, committed donors, and myself have all committed to the fund and will match every gift made to MassBible up to $20,000 as a part of this special appeal. This means that each dollar you donate becomes two dollars that will support our work! In these days of economic difficulty, we all want to find ways to make our dollars stretch farther, and this will make every gift go twice as far as it would otherwise.
Next year as we move to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the King James Version of the Bible, with your help we will continue to respond to events here and around the world when the voice of Christian compassion needs to be heard above voices of judgment.
Will you help us meet our $40,000 goal? Every $5 becomes $10; every $50 becomes $100; every $2500 becomes $5,000. That is wise use of the "talents" that God has given you--bringing back a return on the investment instead of burying the talent in the ground.
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Thank You For Helping Us Grow!
 While MassBible is over 200 years old, we are in some ways a brand-new organization. We are finding our way in a new, wired world and working to find new ways to spread the old message of God's love and desire for justice.
Without your supporting donations, prayers, and words of affirmation it would not be possible. I pray that you may find peace in the midst of the stresses of life, joy in the midst of even the deepest struggles, and hope even when the world shouts "despair!"
We know you will be as generous as you can, knowing that dollars given now will go so much farther. Thank you, thank you for being there for us as we seek to be there for a hurting world.
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Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. Matt. 7:7
Pax Vobiscum,
Anne
Anne Robertson
Executive Director
MassBible |
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