The goal of this project is to help SRE teachers and CRI instructors to Open The Bible with their students, helping them to discover and engage with God’s word. This grant aims to resource Scripture teachers with God’s word.

In 2024, Bible Society Australia will again supply Class Sets of the CEV Big Rescue Bible (for Primary schools) or the CEV Youth Bibles (for High Schools). These class sets can be for any number of students and are kept by volunteer teachers and instructors for many years, to Open The Bible with students during class.

This project will also supply Borrow Bibles – The Jesus Storybook Bible (suitable for K-3 classes). Borrow Bibles come as a set of three per class for weekly borrowing. Equipped with protective plastic pouches for longevity, and stickers to help prompt returns, they are designed so that as many class members as possible can have a turn borrowing them. These Bibles also stay with the teacher for many years of Bible borrowing, for K-3 students to read by themselves or with their family at home (not sent home as gifts).

The impact of the Bibles in Schools Grant has been seen in the way it resources and encourages the Scripture Teachers who partake in the program. Furthermore, the stories and testimonies from the teachers reveal the impact of having Bibles available in their classes.

In the 2022-2023 financial year, 868 Jesus Storybook ‘Borrow Bibles’ were requested through the Scripture Grant. Around 5,128 CEV Big Rescue Bibles were requested for classroom sets and 334 CEV Youth Bibles were requested for classroom sets. In addition to this, BSA partnered with Scripture teachers, chaplains, and a SRE provider to prepare a new edition of the CEV Youth Compact Bible with an updated cover and custom pages, which is more accessible for youth.