By Philip A. Blows, Operations Director

This is the seventh article in our occasional series in which practical ideas for circulating the Holy Scriptures are discussed. During the Covid-19 pandemic many individuals and congregations started putting Bibles outside for free distribution, as was detailed in Quarterly Record 634. A great many Bibles have been distributed this way, and many churches are continuing with it as a longer-term strategy. Some have made purpose-built boxes for this, and this article looks at one built by a pastor, Rowland Wheatley from Kent, England, who has kindly provided detailed instructions on how to build a weatherproof Bible distribution box. Perhaps you or somebody you know would be interested in taking on this woodworking project.

These boxes, one fixed on a picket fence outside Cranbrook Chapel and the other on a post fixed to the kerb outside our home, have survived two winters with ice, rain, and wind and a summer where the box got quite hot. No water got into the box and the Bibles were not damaged by cold or heat. We are thankful to the Lord for leading us to a successful design and are pleased to pass on the details for others to use.

You will need:

• Non-structural hardwood: 9 x 607 x 1220mm
• Thick clear acrylic sheet: 300 x 200 x 5mm
• Timber for lid header: 45 x 15 x 300mm
• Drawn brass butt hinges: 1 pair, 2” x 1⅛” (brass hinges do not rust)
• Magnetic catch: 40mm length
• M3 stainless steel wood screws with countersunk head: 16 screws of 8mm length and 3 screws of 12mm length
• Good wood glue: e.g, Titebond 2302 Liquid Polyurethane Glue
• Steel nails: 25 x 1.7mm
• Paint: primer, undercoat, and topcoat
• Adhesive-backed solid rubber strip: 6 x 3 x 1300mm

Most of these items can be sourced from stores such as Wickes, Amazon, and eBay, as well as local DIY stores.

Instructions

1. Cut the plywood to make the back (285 x 161mm), front (285 x 122mm), and base (285 x 176mm).
2. Cut the plywood as shown in the diagram to the right to make the two sides.
3. Glue the plywood panels together and nail with 25mm steel nails punched below the surface and filled with wood putty.
4. Shape front and back to match ends as shown in the image below:
5. Cut the acrylic lid to size (300 x 200mm). Make sure the front corners are rounded.
6. Cut the lid header timber to size (45 x 15 x 300mm).
7. Glue the lid header to the acrylic lid using the wood glue, and then use 3 x 12mm wood screws to attach firmly.
8. Fix the lid onto the box using the hinges.
9. If you want the box to close itself, attach some rubber strip behind the hinge as shown in the image below.
10. Attach the magnetic clasp to the front edge of the box and the lid.
11. Stick the adhesive rubber strip along the top front edge of the box, so that the lid sits on it when closed.
12. Sand the box well and paint with a good primer, undercoat, and topcoat.
13. When the paint has dried, stick ‘Free Bible’ signs on the box and optional sign inside the box.
14. You are now ready to mount your Bible box.

Notes

• The lid must overlap the box, the front overlap being used to lift the lid. The lid is clear acrylic and slopes to the front allowing water to run off. It sits on a rubber seal. 
• Rubber placed on the hinge behind the box ensures the lid can never be left open—people do not have to close it as it closes itself. 
• A magnetic catch on the inside of the lid at the front ensures the box stays closed and does not blow open. 
• If the box is to be fixed to a fence, it will need timber spacers at the back to hold it 40mm off the fence to allow the lid to open. 
• The signs to stick on the box can be purchased from Amazon, e.g., Personalised A6 wheelie bin stickers. Alternatively, laminated paper could be used and stuck on with silicone.

We hope that these instructions are useful and that they will help some to commence or develop a local Bible distribution work. Please send us photos of your completed Bible boxes and share with us your experiences of using them.

First published in Quarterly Record 641. Edited for online publication 17 March 2024.