Gideons International

In 1908, the Gideons began distributing free Bibles. The first Bibles were placed in rooms of the Superior Hotel in Superior, Montana. Members of The Gideons International currently average distribution of over 70 million Bibles annually. On average, more than two copies of the Bible are distributed per second through Gideons International. The headquarters of Gideons International is in Nashville, Tennessee.

• Name — The Gideons International • Founder — Samuel E. Hill John H. Nicholson William J. Knights • Tax Id — 36-2270051 • Founded — 1899 07 01 • Location — P.O. Box 140800, Nashville, TN 37214-0800 • Key People — Dan Heighway (Executive Director) • Region Served — 200 countries and territories • Num Members — 269,500 Gideons and auxiliary members (wives of Gideons) • Website — gideons.org

• Illustration — The interior of Room 19, Central House Hotel, Boscobel, Wisconsin, kept in the style it was in 1898 when the founders of the Gideons met there The organization began in the fall of 1898, when two traveling salesmen, John H. Nicholson of Janesville, Wisconsin, and Samuel E. Hill of Beloit, Wisconsin, met in a hotel room they shared at the Central House Hotel in Boscobel, Wisconsin, and discussed the formation of an association. In May 1899, the two met again in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, where they decided the goal of their association would be to unite traveling salesmen for evangelism. In July 1899, Nicholson, Hill, and Will J. Knights met at the YMCA in Janesville. Two of them continued with the distribution of the Bibles. Gideons began distributing free Bibles, the work they are most known for, in 1908, when the first Bibles were placed in the rooms of the Superior Hotel in Superior, Montana. The organization describes its connection to the story of Gideon: "Gideon was a man who was willing to do exactly what God wanted him to do, regardless of his own judgment as to the plans or results. Humility, faith, and obedience were his great elements of character. This is the standard that The Gideons International is trying to establish in all its members, each man to be ready to do God's will at any time, at any place, and in any way that the Holy Spirit leads." In keeping with this symbolism, the symbol of the Gideons is a two-handled pitcher and torch recalling Gideon's victory over the Midianites as described in Judges 7.

In addition to their well-known hotel room Bibles, members of The Gideons International also distribute Bibles to members of the military of various countries, to hospitals, nursing homes, prisons and students.

A typical Bible or New Testament from The Gideons International contains: • a short preface; • a pamphlet suggesting Bible verses that may be of assistance in various sorts of trouble; • translations of John 3:16 into a variety of languages and scripts; • the Bible text itself, without notes, references, or any other reference matter other than chapter and verse headings; this can either be the full Bible (typical of the copies placed in hotel rooms), or just the New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs (typical of the copies handed out as gifts to individuals); • a short description of the evangelical understanding of salvation, with biblical quotations, and a place for the reader to sign and date their confession of Jesus as their savior (this is especially common in the shorter editions featuring the New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs). In English, Gideons typically uses a lightly modified English Standard Version of the Bible, which replaced their prior use of the New King James Version.

• Illustration — A Gideon member placing a Bible in a motel room • Illustration — Gideon's Bible beside a Book of Mormon in a JW Marriott Hotel found in Las Vegas, Nevada • Illustration — New Testament with an orange cover handed out to the general public by the Gideons International The covers of the New Testaments distributed by Gideons are color-coded based on which groups they are intended for: • Orange: given in sidewalk distribution • Green: for college/university students • Red: for in-school distribution to middle/high school students • Digital camouflage/desert camouflage: for the military • Dark blue: printed in a language other than English, some also went to county jails • White: for medical professionals • Light blue: for distribution by the Auxiliary only • Brown: for jail and prison facilities • Burgundy: personal worker's testaments (for individual witnessing by Gideons) • Periwinkle: personal worker's testaments (for individual witnessing by the Auxiliary) • Gray: "Friends Testaments" (for individual witnessing by Friends of Gideons; these do not include the Gideon emblem on the cover in order to distinguish them from Testaments shared by members of The Gideons.) During World War II there were military-issued New Testaments, brown for Army and blue for Navy, distributed by the Gideons. In addition to desert camouflage and digital camouflage, there are also woodland camouflage editions for the military.