British Methodists transcribe Bible by hand

In celebration of the 400^th Anniversary of the publication of the King James Bible, England’s Methodist districts are transcribing 66 books by hand.

By Kathleen LaCamera

MANCHESTER – In an age when a hand-written letter is an increasingly scarce commodity, British Methodists have pledged to transcribe all the 66 books of the Bible by hand during the first five months of this year.

The “Written by Hand, Taken to Heart” national initiative is part of the denomination’s recognition of the 400^th Anniversary of the publication of the King James Bible. One of the world’s best-selling books of all time, this translation was first published in 1611, at the request of England’s King James I.

Each of England’s Methodist districts – roughly equivalent to US Annual Conferences – will transcribe 25 Old Testament chapters, five Psalms and eight New Testament chapters. The completed transcribed Bible will be presented at the 2011 British Methodist Conference this month.

Ms Jenny Ellis, the church’s Connectional Spirituality and Discipleship Officer, said most of the work is done in the community in “scriptoriums” set up in shopping centres, schools, nursing homes, universities and other public spaces.

“We want this to be a public expression of the church valuing Scripture,” said Ms Ellis. “And we want to be  as creative as possible.”

In addition to the opportunity to contribute handwritten verses, participants will also be invited to create illustrations to go alongside them. – United Methodist News Service.

Kathleen LaCamera is a freelance journalist who also works as a hospital and mental health chaplain in Britain’s National Health Service.