GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., November 10, 2008 — One month since launching from Grand Rapids, Mich., the Bible Across America (BAA) tour is still on a roll, literally. Over the past month, the Bible Across America team, comprised of a young twenty-something married couple, has traveled more than 7,000 miles to 33 cities in 22 states to host writing events at churches, retail stores, community events, conventions, colleges, on a busy street corner in the heart of Midtown Manhattan and at a NASCAR race in Charlotte, NC. To date, the BAA team has gathered more than 6,000 handwritten verses from people from all ages and walks of life.

In addition to capturing the local community’s attention at each stop, the Bible Across America campaign has captured the attention of media across the country. USA Today, CNN, TIME Magazine and the Associated Press are just some of the national media outlets that have covered the tour, in addition to hundreds of local newspapers, television and radio stations across the country.

Zondervan launched the Bible Across America tour to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the bestselling NIV Bible by inviting 31,173 people to create the first-ever handwritten version of the NIV Bible.

The tour launched September 30 from Zondervan’s headquarters with a special event for employees and the community. At the launch, former Zondervan CEO Bruce Ryskamp penned Genesis 1:1 to kick off the four-month tour that is traveling across the country in a 42-foot RV donated by Michigan-based Spartan Motors.

“Going into this campaign, I expected to hear many amazing stories from the road, but I have been overwhelmed at how touched and blessed thousands of people have been by this project,” said Zondervan president and CEO Moe Girkins. “The fact that thousands of people have come out to wait in line and contribute a verse, in some cases driving hundreds of miles to see us, is evidence of the impact the NIV Bible has had on their lives. It’s so exciting to hear stories of entire families coming out to participate in this together, knowing that they are making their mark in history as modern day scribes.”

The Bible Across America Tour has completed its stops in the Northeast and the upper Midwest and is currently in the nation’s heartland with events this week in St. Louis, Kansas City, Topeka and other cities before heading down South and then out West.

The Bible Across America team is maintaining a blog from the road featuring stories, videos and photos at www.BibleAcrossAmerica.com. A GPS unit installed in the RV allows people to track the RV’s current location on the Web site. Those interested in hosting a writing event can also make requests to rvteam@bibleacrossamerica.com.