By Sara WestheadThis week, the Bermuda Bible Society hosted its annual Proclamation at St Andrew’s Church in Hamilton.Originally created by an Anglican church in Quebec, Canada, the event has now stretched across Canada and into Bermuda, thanks to the work of the Canadian Bible Society, of which the Bermuda branch is an affiliate.“We read the four Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles in their entirety over two days,” explained Rev Erskine Simmons, who is president of the Society here in Bermuda.“It is an abbreviated version here, though,” he explained, as some groups read the whole Bible around the clock, a project which takes about ten days.The event was well supported by local congregations from a variety of denominational backgrounds, including the Anglican Church of Bermuda, the Roman Catholic Church in Bermuda, many of the Brethren churches, and more, as well as by students from CedarBridge Academy and The Bermuda Institute, the Seventh-day Adventist church’s school.Proclamation was held on Monday and Tuesday, with readings being given in 45-minute shifts, starting on the hour.“Attendance was quite good,” Rev Simmons shared, though he had wished that more people who were ‘just listeners’ would have attended.Now an annual event on the Bible Society’s calendar, this is the second year the group has used this format.“Using this present format has worked well for us.”In addition to Proclamation and other events hosted annually by the Bermuda Bible Society, the group also sees to the distribution of Bibles amongst new recruits in the Bermuda Regiment, and to prisoners.This year, they were able to give recruits a Bible featuring the Regiment crest emblazoned on the cover.Prisoners are given a special Bible, “The Way to Freedom”, which uses contemporary English and highlights passages where God sets people free.