It’s Sunday morning, you’re out of town and in a hotel. It’s 11 o’clock, and you’re in your pajamas. Last Sunday at this time you were in church, singing hymns, and the minister was about to take center stage. Like most avid churchgoers, you pull open the nearest nightstand drawers—no Bible to be found. You try the other nightstand—the same result. You check the drawers beneath the television stand—nothing there.
No Bible here, no Bible there, no Bible anywhere!
Relax, all is not lost.
The hotel has free wi-fi. You can access any book (Genesis through Revelation), chapter, and verse on the proverbial net.
Recently, my husband and I were surprised not to find a Bible in our hotel room.
I was disappointed when one hotel didn’t have a microwave to heat our leftover dinners. Not finding a Bible was just as strange. Unfortunately, it was another thing customers would have to adjust to in certain hotels.
The Bible has been a staple and source of comfort for average travelers, along with amenities like TVs, coffee makers, mini-fridges, and other things.
We can thank the Gideons and their international Christian organization for many of the donated Bibles found in hotels. As the story goes, two traveling businessmen in a hotel shared their faith and beliefs and thereafter formed The Gideons International in 1899. Several years later, the organization started distributing free Bibles to hotels in America. The objective was to provide Bibles in every hotel room where franchises or individual owners approved them.
A couple of travelers staying in a hotel and talking about God, feeding off each other’s spiritual energy, is not unusual even today. But when John H. Nicholson and Samuel E. Hill, two Christian strangers from Wisconsin, met at a hotel stay and shared their religious beliefs, they envisioned a spiritual outreach. Both realized that being on the road, away from home, was challenging for travelers. The Good Book that helped and comforted them could also do the same for other travelers.
Thanks to the hotel owners for allowing such a venture, and thanks to the Gideons for their devotion to spreading God’s Word abroad.
The Gideons International website, http://www.gideoninternational.org, states:
“Scripture outreach is just one part of how members of The Gideons International carry out their calling. We strategically place and provide copies of God’s Word in places where people are often looking for hope – not as a standalone ministry, but as a tool to support our greater mission of winning others for Jesus Christ.”
The decline of Bibles in hotels is a reality, and, as with most things, time brings about change.
Some people may ask, “Why cater to the Christians?” Yes, there are many other religious groups and faiths. According to surveys, there are various reasons for the decline in the use of Bibles in hotel rooms. These reasons include a decline in Christian affiliation, a rise in the number of nones or those with no religious affiliation, and the use of apps and online programs.
Imagine executing an idea that has the potential to impact and influence the lives of millions—making God’s Word available to the world.
Thanks to the Gideons, the Bible is the most widely distributed book in the world.
I hope you are happy and well.