Contact: Erika Castle, 719-598-5869

FOWLERVILLE, Mich., Dec. 2 /Christian Newswire/ -- Christian Resources International (CRI) is calling on American Christians to memorize scripture and celebrate this Christmas as many Christians in developing nations do - without a Bible in hand. CRI Executive Director Fred Palmerton, suggests, "Churches in the United States should try and conduct one worship service this Christmas the way that our brothers and sisters in the Third World regularly have to worship: without a Bible."

Palmerton wants Christians in the United States to be more aware of the hardships encountered by believers overseas. "Often, the only resource worshippers in developing countries have is their memory, or what they write down on scraps of paper after visiting a church that does have a Bible."

The average pastor in a Third World nation doesn't own a Bible. Palmerton points to the 400 or so letters CRI receives each month from pastors requesting their first Bible as a sign of the need. On the other hand, the average American Christian owns nine Bibles and is actively in the market for more, according to research by Christian Booksellers Association and Zondervan Publishers.

For CRI, a ministry that sends Bibles and Christian books to needy Christians overseas, this discrepancy cannot be ignored. "If American Christians were willing to keep one family Bible and send the rest of their Bibles overseas, millions more people would be exposed to the life changing effects of God's Word."

Palmerton invites individuals, churches and groups to sign up for Operation Bare Your Bookshelf (www.bareyourbookshelf.com), a project that makes it easy for American Christians to send their Bibles and other Christian books overseas. "Imagine what it would be like for your family to read the story of the birth of Jesus in the Gospel of Luke for the first time." Palmerton asks.

Christian Resources International is a 50-year old volunteer-driven ministry that enables Christians to send their used Christian books and Bibles to more than 160 countries worldwide.

If you would like to donate your Bibles and Christian books, visit www.bareyourbookshelf.com to register or receive more information.