“Every thinking man, when he thinks, realizes what a very large number of people tend to forget: that the teachings of the Bible are so interwoven and entwined with our whole civic and social life that it would be literally impossible for us to figure to ourselves what that life would be if these teachings were removed.” - Theodore Roosevelt

Philadelphia City Council and Mayor James Kenney recently awarded American Bible Society with citations declaring, “The bicentennial legacy of American Bible Society is a testament to over two hundred years of religious liberty in Philadelphia and the United States which has proven beneficial to moral, civic, and public life.”

Philadelphia’s government noted the historic contributions of American Bible Society—namely our distribution of approximately six billion Bibles around the world and our support of the United States military for more than two hundred years.

American Bible Society’s headquarters relocated to Philadelphia in 2015 and strives to serve this historic city by collaborating with ministries, churches, and organizations to share Scripture’s message of truth, hope, and healing. Many Philadelphia city outreach programs—made possible through your faithful support—noted at the citation ceremonies were:

• We presented Philadelphia Police leadership and chaplains with a customized Bible and Bible resource called Strength for the Street.
• We provided Philadelphia prison leadership and chaplains with Bibles called Hope Awakened: God’s Word and a Devotional Companion for Inmates.
• We partnered with the Greater Philadelphia Chamber Commerce to provide scriptural aid for our vulnerable transient population.
• We established and cultivated ministry partnerships with numerous local congregations to meet the spiritual needs of thousands of Philadelphians
• We began work on the Faith and Liberty Discovery Center, an interactive exhibit that invites people to explore the cultural force of the Bible, which inspired and informed the American ideal of liberty and which continues to shape our national identity as a free people.

Mayor Kenney’s Citations read, “Philadelphia is pleased to celebrate and partner with American Bible Society as it continues its ministry of Bible Engagement into and beyond a third century, in order that people experience the life-changing message of the Bible.”

American Bible Society presented customized Bibles to council members and to Mayor Kenney and his team thanking them for their service and encouraging them to find hope and wisdom for their work in the pages of Scripture.