Heritage Church launching Bible-reading campaign

“The Bible is central to our faith,” said Pastor Jon Hayashi of Heritage Church but many people are intimidated by its scope and size. The Story gives us a way to journey from Genesis to Revelation together in 31 weeks so everyone understands God's story and how their story intersects with it.”

The Bible is the best-selling book in history, but how many people in Odessa are actually reading it? A Gallup survey reports the average American household has four Bibles. However, research by Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life (2008) found that only 16 percent of Americans read the Bible every day.

Heritage Church is hoping to reverse this trend, starting with its own congregation. Pastor Jon believes that The Story, a Zondervan best-seller, is the right tool to increase Biblical literacy, helping readers understand God’s story from Genesis to Revelation and how their own stories intersect with God’s. Consisting of 31 chapters of carefully-selected scriptures sequenced in chronological order, The Story presents the word of God in an engaging format, reading like a novel.

“I want the people in my congregation, as well as the city of Odessa, to realize the incredible love God has for them and how their story is found in His story,” said Pastor Jon.

The Story Church Campaign is a unique program providing up to 31 weeks of curriculum for children, teen and adult Sunday school and up to 31 weeks of corresponding sermons. When accompanied by reading through the five age-related books (The Story, The Story: Teen Edition, The Story for Kids, The Story for Children, and The Story for Little Ones), the entire church can be literally on the same page for 31 weeks. Heritage Church plans to begin the experience on September 23.

With thousands of participating churches nationwide, The Story is becoming a movement that is bringing wide-ranging benefits to local churches. Many have reported increased community outreach, increased Biblical literacy, congregational growth and a greater understanding of how God’s story reveals the reasons for the things that happen in man’s story.

Heritage Church would like to invite you to experience The Story. Sunday services start at 10:30 a.m. For more information, please call 982-2951.