Please read this important ABR ministry update from ABR Executive Director, Scott Lanser.
'Making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil…' - Ephesians 5:16
Dear friend of ABR,
Every few months I take time to update the ABR family on the work of ABR and to outline our challenges and our opportunities. Over the 7 years during my tenure as Director of ABR we have seen exciting changes and growth as ABR has reached out across the country and around the world, building up the Body of Christ, and sharing powerful insights from our biblical and archaeological research. In fact, ABR's original research on the cities of the conquest and particularly our digs at Khirbet Nisya and Khirbet el-Maqatir have helped believers maintain focus on the critical importance of the Bible's historical reliability and authority. Indeed, we have passionately advocated that the Bible is to be believed and trusted because it is the written word of the living God.
But this is not just the work of a few ABR staff members. It is your work as well. You have partnered with us through your prayers, service, and financial support. ABR is truly a ministry of the people of God, who join together to do the hard, but necessary work of research: It's our staff and associates researching, writing and teaching. It's our teams of volunteer diggers sifting through the soil at Khirbet el-Maqatir. It's the pastors who open their churches for our seminars. It's the volunteers who stuff envelopes and do countless hours of data entry at the ABR home office. It's the thousands of people who attend our seminars and banquets and who visit us at homeschool and Christian education conferences. We could not be successful except for the love and devotion of the people of God.
Opportunities are all around us and here at ABR we are asking you to partner with us as we begin an exciting new step in taking our research to even larger audiences. I am asking you to respond today, as the opportunity and the need is great. In the month of October, Nathan William Media, based in Columbus, Ohio will begin filming our first professional quality videos for ABR. The project will include segments from our upcoming Philadelphia area Bible and Archaeology Conference as well as multiple round-table teaching videos that will include our team of ABR scholars and researchers. The focus of the videos will go beyond just the facts of archaeology and will zero in on the greatest issue of our time: the authority of the Bible. More than ever the church needs to see and hear the powerful and fascinating evidence that archaeology provides for the historicity of the Bible.
Production and distribution of our video teaching resources is expensive. But with your generous gifts we will be able to produce these powerful DVD's and video segments that will play on YouTube, Facebook, and other internet and social media sites, reaching thousands of teens and adults from all across the globe. The overall cost of our video outreach, including our Bible Archaeology curriculum, is over $30,000. So how can you help? During the months of October and November we need those who will give generously to help move this project forward: Everything is in place and all we need now is you. Some of you reading this letter could help us by providing larger gifts of $1,000, $3,000, or $5,000….we will need several larger gifts. But of course we will also need the many smaller donations that together will help us reach our goal.
This is an exciting time for ABR, and working together we will see God do great things! We would also ask that you pray for us as we are enter into a powerful season of ministry activity that includes: Presentations at the Near East Archaeological Society and Evangelical Theological Society meetings, the Philadelphia area Bible and Archaeology Conference, preparations for our 11th excavation season at Khirbet el-Maqatir in Search of Joshua's Ai, as well as other church presentations and conference activity.
We are grateful for each and every one of you. We covet your prayers. Thank you for your partnership with ABR for the sake of the gospel!
All for Jesus,
Scott Lanser
Director
Associates for Biblical Research
