Gideons International
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| Founded | July 1, 1899 |
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| Founder | Samuel E. Hill John H. Nicholson William J. Knights |
| 36-2270051 | |
| Location |
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Members
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300,000+ Gideons and Auxiliary members (wives of Gideons) |
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Key people
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Craig Warner (Executive Director) |
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Revenue
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$128,835,615 (2012) |
| Website | www |
Gideons International is an evangelical Christian association founded 1899 in Wisconsin. The Gideons' primary activity is distributing copies of the Bible free of charge. This Bible distribution is a global enterprise taking place in 200 countries, territories and possessions. The association's members focus on distributing complete Bibles, New Testaments, or portions thereof. These copies are printed in over 100 languages. The association is most widely known for its Scriptures placed in hotel and motel rooms. The Gideons also distribute to hospitals and other medical offices, schools and colleges as well as jails and prisons. The association takes its name from the Biblical figure Gideon, depicted in Judges 6.
Gideons began distributing free Bibles, the endeavor for which they are chiefly known, in 1908, when the first Bibles were placed in the rooms of the Superior Hotel in Superior, Montana. Members of The Gideons International currently distribute over 80 million Scriptures annually, and the numbers are growing, especially in places like Brazil, India, and Asia. On average, more than two copies of the Bible are distributed per second through Gideons International. In late April 2015, Gideons distributed their historic two billionth Scripture. The distribution of the first one billion Bibles and New Testaments by Gideon members spanned 93 years (1908 to 2001). The second billion was attained in less than 14 years (2002 to 2015).
The headquarters of Gideons International is in Nashville, Tennessee.
The organization began in fall, 1898, when two traveling salesmen, John H. Nicholson of Janesville, Wisconsin and Samuel E. Hill of Beloit, Wisconsin met when they shared a hotel room at the Central House Hotel in Boscobel, Wisconsin, where they discussed the formation of an association. In May, 1899, the two met again in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, where they decided the goal of their association would be to unite traveling salesmen for evangelism. In July, 1899, Nicholson, Hill, and Will J. Knights met at the YMCA in Janesville. Two of them continued with the distribution of the Bibles. Gideons began distributing free Bibles, the work it is chiefly known for, in 1908, when the first Bibles were placed in the rooms of the Superior Hotel in Superior, Montana.
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Wikipedia