about what they do.

But that is set to change after president of the Bermuda Bible Society, Shirley White, made it her mission to increase public awareness and support for the society.

The Bible Society was started in Britain in 1804 after a young Welsh girl named Mary Jones walked barefoot from Wales to London to get her own Bible.

Ever since, it has been the mission of the Bible Society to distribute Bibles to people around the world.

Mrs. White said: "We feel the distribution of Bibles is very important as in some societies you may have one Bible that is broken up and shared around.'' There are now Bible Societies around the world distributing Bibles to those unfortunate communities who are too impoverished or remote to be blessed with the "Good Book''.

The Bermuda society is an affiliate of the Canadian Bible Society, Which is a Branch of the United Bible Society.

Mrs. White said that the Bermuda society has been in operation for many years and they provide Bibles to the Prison, and every new recruit in the Bermuda Regiment is given a New Testament.

The organisation also distributes Bibles to rest homes such as Summerhaven and Fairhaven, as well as to Salvation Army accommodation.

April 26 is the Society's annual general meeting, which will be held at the Salvation Army's Hamilton Citadel on North Street, and will be graced by Soloist, Shani Smith from Cobb's Hill Methodist Church.

Mrs. White said the AGM is a dinner meeting and tickets are available from her or any member of the executive.

The guest speaker will be Mr. Edessio Sanchez, who is a translation consultant with United Bible Societies in the Americas.

His principal tasks are coordinating the translation of a full Bible for young readers in Spanish, coordinating Bible seminars for pastors and lay leaders in Latin America, and writing a translators handbook on the Book of Psalms.

Mr. Sanchez has been a pastor in Mexico and a Bible teacher in the Presbyterian Seminary in Mexico and at the Universidad Biblica Latinoamericana in Costa Rica.

He has written several books in Spanish and is currently working on a English commentary for Judges with Abingdon Old Testament Series.

Mr. Sanchez was involved in the writing of the Spanish Version Popular Study Edition, and advised in the training of the translators for different indigenous languages such as Mayan, Guarani, Tzotzil, Miskitu and Sumo.

Mrs. White said that because they are affiliated with the Canadian Society, they can access Bibles in any language in which they are printed.

And she said that the population has become so diversified that they have had request for Bibles in several languages.

The society is non-denominational and the board of directors has representatives from the Roman Catholic Church, the African Methodist Episcopal Church, the Anglican Church, and the Presbyterian Church.

The main source of income for the society is the Bible a Month Club which collects $5 a month for members, or $60 a year.

Mrs. White explained that these funds are sent to the Canadian Bible Society who use it to distribute Bibles throughout the World.

The Bermuda Society has an annual "Hike and Bike for Bibles'' and last year the route was from the Botanical Gardens in Devonshire to Somerset.

The youngest participant was six-year-old Andrew Frith, while the oldest participant was 69-year-old Edmund White.

Mrs. White said they reached their goal of raising $5,000, and with Churches paying into the society, they manage to donate between $10,000 and $12,000 annually.

Mrs. White said that funds from this year's "Hike and Bike for Bibles'' were for Bibles in Egypt. They choose a different country each year.

Last year funds provided Bibles for people in war-torn Kosovo, and the year before a street ministry in Honduras was the beneficiary.

Mrs. White said that next year their goal is to double their support.

Mrs. White also explained that they were currently preparing for 2004 which will be the year of the Bible, and 200 years since the society was started.

The local society will hold a "proclamation'' over ten days and will include people from all walks of life and all denominations.

As for goals for the society, Mrs. White said that they now want to focus on publicity and gain a wider support base.

Bibles for everyone: President of the Bermuda Bible Society, Shirley White.