Good News - April 2019

COVER STORY GoodNewsFL.org 27 APRIL 2019 “Women are the heartbeat of the family, and we really need to keep the Bible in our homes,” said Koldenhoven, so she initi- ated the project to bring in the perspectives and passions of a diverse group of women. They are currently working on a “One Thousand Women, One Thou- sand Blessings” campaign in which women can contribute a 250-word account of how the Bible has impacted their life along with a photo to be in- cluded in a beautiful keepsake coffee table book with 1,000 stories from each state for a contribution of $1,000. “The thought was that if 1,000 women give $1,000 that’s a million dollars in support of the museum,” said Koldenhoven, who hopes they will be able to duplicate this in each state. They are also hosting a Women of Legacy Summit and Reunion event in Washington, D.C., September 16-18, at the Trump International Hotel with guest speakers, music, break out sessions and a whole day at the museum. A runway show in themuseumballroomwill feature biblically-inspired couture fashions from designers such as Versace and Dolce & Gabbana, and guests will dine on gour- met Mediterranean specialties from Chef Todd Gray of Manna Restaurant. Everyone who visits the Museum of the Bible has their favorite must-see. Ken McKenzie said their number one visited experience, awarded Best New Exhibit of 2018, is a 30-minute interactive “Hebrew Bible Walkthrough” that takes guests through the Bible story from Genesis to the end of the Old Testa- ment. “Nazareth in the World of Jesus” is a recreation of the village 2,000 years ago with living history interpreters in costume, followed by a 12-minute animated video narrated by John that starts in John 1 and ends with him on the Island of Patmos writing Revelation. “One of the pieces I enjoy most is a huge map of the world, and every lit dot on that map is somebody who has the YouVersion Bible App open in real time,” said McKenzie. “That’s really impressive and thought-provoking.” Bob Hoskins mentioned all of the artifacts presented from archeological digs that authenticate the Bible, seeing the impact the Bible has had in the be- ginnings of hospitals, medicine, educa- tion and the printing press, and an experience at the museum where you walk through the Red Sea. There is something at the Museum of the Bible for everyone. If you go, there are several airlines with afford- able non-stop flights from Fort Laud- erdale or Palm Beach to Washington, D.C. and a number of hotels easily in walking distance of the Museum. Just looking out his office window, McKenzie sighted a Marriott, a Holiday Inn Ex- press and a Crowne Plaza Hotel nearby. The Museum is also within steps of the Federal Center SW Metro Station. Tickets are $19.99 for adults and $9.99 for children ages 7-17 if purchased online or $24.99 and $14.99 at the door. For information on docent-guided tours or group reservations, visit museumofthebible.org . Doug Stepelton visits the Museum of the Bible Designed by artist Larry Kirkland , the Gutenberg Gates create an entrance to Mu- seum of the Bible that helps convey its mis- sion to contribute to guests’ understanding of the most important book in Western history. Inspired by Johannes Gutenberg’s invention of themoveable-type printing press, the gates display the first 80 lines of Genesis in Latin, as originally printed in the Gutenberg Bible.