This is the fourth article in our occasional series in which ideas for circulating the Holy Scriptures are discussed. This article, written by a longstanding supporter and customer of the Society, explains another approach to using a Bible stall in an open-air market to distribute the Scriptures.

‘In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand: for thou knowest not whether shall prosper, either this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good’ (Ecclesiastes 11.6).

Small beginnings

My wife and I have been running Bible stalls in open-air markets since 1999, when we made a very small start in two local market towns. Since 2000 we have concentrated on high immigrant areas, for which we now stock the Bible in more than 60 languages. We had weekly stalls in Southall, West London, from 2000 to 2019 and in Watford (March to October only) from 1999 to 2013. In High Wycombe, our local town, we’ve continued to have stalls since 2002. We have taken our English language stock to the annual Widecombe Fair in the middle of Dartmoor in Devon since 2000, and from 2006 to 2015 we also took it on the following day to Barnstaple Pannier Market on the north coast of Devon.

Stock

Besides Bibles—from vinyl-covered hardback to good-quality leather-bound Bibles in text and reference formats—the stock includes evangelistic tracts and booklets, a few commentaries on the Bible and books of the Bible (but with an emphasis on Bible study aids), concordances, Bible dictionaries, and Scriptures in Hebrew and Greek and helps to use them. Some doctrinal books and booklets, biographies and church histories have also featured from the beginning. Scripture publications in large print are very popular, and Scriptures on audio CD, wall and pocket calendars in many languages, and bookmarks add to the range. Most material is sourced from publishers and distributors in the UK, supplemented, mainly for Southall, by imports of Indian-language Scriptures from India.

Aims and practicalities

Our aims are to take the Gospel of Jesus Christ to people where they are and to provide encouragement and sound teaching for Christians. The stalls are non-denominational and non-profit making, and we use the name ‘The Bible Stall’ with no mention of any affiliation. In general, we limit free distribution to TBS articles and a few tracts to people who are not customers. Specially made felt-lined wooden boxes provide protection for the storage, transport and display of the items. Manning the stall requires two at most, but having a few helpers lined up to provide cover is essential. Most market superintendents welcome the stall and have almost always given us good pitches. We go out in all weathers except snow as experience has shown that this leads to the books being water damaged.

Experiences

We intend the Scriptures and literature to carry their own message but have also had many fruitful conversations over the years. We have a tract called ‘How the lost sheep was found’. Several times people have read the title and said, ‘That’s me!’ before buying it. On one occasion a lady in Watford spent a long time perusing the display and bought publications entitled A Scriptural Testimony to the Deity of Christ and The Atoning Death of the Son of God. After she had gone a regular customer, standing by, said that this lady was a Jehovah’s Witness so her choice had been perfect. At Southall Market a rough-looking man asked for an evangelistic tract to give to the murderer of his ex-wife because he had forgiven him. One learns never to judge by appearances.

At Watford Market a man spent about 10 to 15 minutes looking at the display and at the end said, ‘What a treasure’. He was a Coptic Orthodox surgeon who said he always prayed before he gave an epidural injection and had never had one fail. Sometimes apparently innocent questions from someone seeking to know more about Christianity lead to a series of attacks against the Gospel. In one such case when a man was shouting at us, nearby stall holders—a Hindu and a Muslim— told him to go away and asked us why we did not shout back at him.

Impact

It is encouraging to know how many are doing something for the Lord. Many buy tracts to distribute in the streets or for door-to-door visiting; some buy a few booklets before visiting a friend or residential home; others buy Scriptures and evangelistic literature to take on holiday or send abroad to family or friends. A local customer has sent hundreds of Bibles in English and other languages to prisoners in Africa and Asia for many years.

Another ministry that has grown out of the market stall work is a Bible study group. We have had weekly conversational Bible studies, up to 2010 in Southall and since then at our home in High Wycombe. These are held on Monday evenings and are mainly for friends from the market stalls. For health reasons a married couple from our Monday Bible study group ran the stall in Southall for us every other week for several years. On the alternate weeks a Sri Lankan brother unloaded and loaded the car for me. We were very grateful for all this help.

The text on our business card is: ‘thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus’ (2 Timothy 3.15). We pray that through this work the Lord would be pleased to make wise unto salvation those whom He so wills amongst the shoppers at the open-air markets.

Next Steps

If you are interested in pursuing the idea of setting up a Bible stall in your local market, consider working through these steps.

1. Commit the idea to the Lord in prayer.
2. Consider whether this would be a church work or an individual exercise.
3. If a church work, share this article with the leader(s) of your church, chapel or assembly.
4. Understand the legal regulations, such as obtaining a market stall licence and insurance.
5. Understand the initial and recurring costs which would be incurred.
6. Establish who would take responsibility for the work, ensuring they understand the commitment involved.
7. Make the necessary applications, registrations and payments.
8. Agree which items to stock, and purchase them.
9. Commence the work in dependence upon the Lord.
10. Provide regular reports to the church, if applicable, so that the members can pray for the work.