SCRIPTORIUM 2009 - A Celebration of Scripture

Genesis, Exodus, Psalm 1-30, Luke, Romans, Galatians, Revelation

April 24th - 26th in Hannibal, MO

Each year, the highest priority on my calender is traveling 1,000 miles to join a gathering of Scripture enthusiasts from around the country as we converge on Hannibal, MO to celebrate our Creator God and His Holy Scripture He has so graciously given to us. Participants from age 4 to 89(I would give anything to still be able to actively memorize at age 89 like Vi Hanson, who yearly greatly inspires all of us.) quote chapters of Scripture they have prepared as we soak in God's Word and encourage each other with eternal truth.

This year the new books are GENESIS! EXODUS! PSALM 1-30! LUKE! ROMANS! GALATIANS! & REVELATION! Will you join us and quote a chapter or more from one of these books? A list of chapters still available and a form for you to request a specific chapter are located at the bottom of this page.

There is no charge at the Scriptorium for those who will be quoting Scripture. The Hannibal EV Free church provides both housing and food for the weekend.

I still remember the thrill I felt when I first heard about these Scriptorium gatherings. I believe there are literally hundreds of Christians who would love to hear about and consider participating in Scriptorium 2009. My prayer is that all of them will hear about it one way or the other. Would you consider taking a little time and sharing information about the Scriptorium with families, schools, churches, homeschool groups and others you know who love Scripture? May God bless you as you commit to knowing and loving Him more and more.

For more information you can contact Pastor Jim Woychuk directly at (573) 795-9894 TreasureHisWord@sbcglobal.net 245 N. Levering Hannibal, MO or contact Phil Walker at (845)416-8010 philjohn1558@yahoo.com

Good Reasons to Participate in Scriptorium 2009

JOHN 15:7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.

PSALM 19:9-11 ...The ordinances of the LORD are sure and altogether righteous. They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb. By them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.

What is a Scriptorium?

Scriptorium is a gathering of Bible memorizers for the purpose of reciting and hearing major portions of God’s word. This weekend event also gives us a chance to encourage each other in the discipline of treasuring up God’s word in our hearts. This year’s Scriptorium will also feature special guest Marquis Laughlin (www.marquisonline.org) who will be dramtically presenting DANIEL 1-6 followed by a question and answer session.

The Passages: For the fourth year in a row, we are gathering to hear God’s word recited from memory. At Scriptorium 2006, we heard the entire New Testament. In 2007, we recited the poetry of God’s people from Job to Song of Solomon. Last year, we enjoyed 119 chapters from the pre-exilic prophets and the gospel of John. This year, we’re eager to learn and hear 90 chapters of the Law (Genesis & Exodus), followed by a gospel (Luke), a letter (Galatians), and the Apocalypse (Greek for “Unveiling,” Revelation, 142 chapters total).

The invitation: Would you consider absorbing one or more of these chapters and coming to recite April 24-26, 2009? Once again, the Hannibal Evangelical Free Church will provide all meals and lodging for those coming from out of town. And like last year, we’re going to allow time for encouraging conversation and relaxing recreation.

The vision: As this project has matured, we’ve learned the importance of mastering (or rather, being mastered by) God’s words. “Over-learning” the verses well in advance of the recitation weekend allows the memorizer to give proper interpretation and dramatic expression to the verses. Try to recite the verses with the emotion of the original speaker. Think, for example, about what kind of articulation and emotion one could use to recite Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Or consider how to emote properly the climactic, “I am Joseph, your brother” (Gen. 45:4), or the Ten Commandments. We look forward to hearing you recite God’s word with your whole heart.

The Goal: Plan to certify that you can say your passage by April 1st. Ideally, this will include already having practiced quoting your passage with expression before friends or family

But, I’m not a memorizer... Most people find memorization difficult, but the more you try, the better you’ll get, and the time and effort necessary to really learn a passage allows you to ruminate on God’s word more deeply than usual.

What translation should I memorize? Our preference is for non-paraphrase translations on the more literal side: KJV, NKJV, NASB, ESV, NIV. Call for more information.

What are the accommodations like? The campus has dorm rooms for men and women and some private suites for families. Some guests will stay with church families in their homes. Dorm housing features comfortable bunk beds and single beds.

Will we sit through the entire recitation? The recitation will be broken into one hour segments. If you’re coming, we ask you to attend at least half of these.

What else is there to do on the campus? You can snack, hike the grounds, play basketball, pool, ping-pong, and Foosball; you can visit with other attendees.

What about meals? Meals are being provided by the Hannibal Evangelical Free Church and will be served cafeteria style in the downstairs dining hall. The recitation will pause for one hour during meal times.

Will we recite the books in order? In general, yes, but some exceptions will be made for those unable to be present at the time their books would naturally come up.

What if my mind goes blank when I’m reciting? We plan to have prompters ready to help out in those moments. They’ll be ready with your translation and passage.

Can non-reciters come? As long as we have space, we are accepting non-reciting guests as well.

Financial help for travel? Please let us know if you need help in affording the trip.

When does Scriptorium 2009 begin? We plan to begin at 1 pm on Friday, 4/24/09.

When does Scriptorium 2009 end? With lunch on Sunday 4/26/09.

Location and contact information: Scriptorium 2008 c/o Hannibal Evangelical Free Church 245 N. Levering Ave. Hannibal, MO 63401 Phone: 573-795-8994 Email:TreasureHisWord@sbcglobal.net Hannibal Navigation 100 Miles N. of St. Louis , MO; 230 Miles NE of Kansas City , MO; 65 Miles S. of Iowa state line

Airports/Amtrak: Quincy, IL ; St. Louis , MO

Credit at Homestead: Dr. David Pent is offering college credit at Homestead College of the Bible for Scriptorium work. Contact the school at 407-321-0320 for more information.

Chapters still available to be memorized

EXODUS 21-23; 36-37 and LUKE 8.

New participants may sign up for any and as many of these as they would like.

When all the regular chapters where first spoken for, we started a new system of bonus chapters.

Each participant may sign up for only 1 bonus chapter, but may ask to be put on a waiting list in case other regular chapters that were originally spoken for open up.

Bonus chapters still available include PSALM 7, 9, 18, 21, 22, 25, 26;

ROMANS 1-3; 7-11; 14-16

Please let us know which chapter you would like to quote at Scriptorium 2009 by contacting Pastor Jim Woychuk at (573)795-9894 or TreasureHisWord@sbcglobal.net or by filling in the form below.