The Story of Bridge-Builders

Who started it all?

Helen Cadbury. Yes, her father Richard ran the famous chocolate factory. She became a Christian at the age of 12 (way back in 1893 in Birmingham) and always brought a pocket-sized New Testament with her to school. She soon attracted friends who were curious about the book that she was regularly reading – she was enthusiastic about sharing her faith with them! Soon, she organised a group of girls who sewed pockets onto their dresses to carry the small New Testaments her father provided. The girls called their group “The Pocket Testament League”. They pledged to read a portion of the Bible every day, pray and to share their faith as God provided the opportunities.

The same vision still drives the ministry today. During these years, the ministry has enjoyed tremendous moments of victory reaching people for Christ.

Are you based only in the UK?

Yes - Bridge Builders only works in the UK and because of copyright restrictions are materials can't be sent outside of the UK. However, we have sister organisations in other countries - particularly Australia, Thailand, Germany, India, Spain, Canada and the USA. This worldwide spread started when Helen met and married the American evangelist, Charles Alexander in 1904. Charles caught the vision that Helen had and his experience in worldwide evangelism gave huge impetus to the work of encouraging Christians to read God’s word, carry it with them and share their faith with others. In 1914, an International HQ was opened in London and began sharing gospels as part of its WW1 outreach. New Testaments were given to soldiers on Salisbury Plains who pledged to read a chapter each day and carry it with them wherever they went and thousands came to know Christ as Saviour and Lord.

“If only we can get people to read the book [Bible] for themselves, it will surely lead them to Christ.” Charles Alexander

Billy Graham was a great encouragement, commenting that “I am completely sold on the work of The Pocket Testament League, and continue to pray for those associated with it.”

Today, although the organisation exists as separate entities in the different countries, we still share a close fellowship together. For us at Bridge-Builders, our main focus is on personal evangelism in the UK context; encouraging Christians to actively engage with non-believers. But we also support our brothers and sisters in other countries through offering pastoral care, channelling funds to them and taking short-term teams working in partnership with them.

Are you called Bridge-Builders or Pocket Testament League?

Both! But to be precise, Bridge-Builders is the business name of The Pocket Testament League Ltd., a company limited by guarantee, registered in England no. 1461289. Reg. address: 32 Edenpark Rd, Birkenhead CH429JP.            Reg. charity no: 281910.

We have adopted this name from January 2004 to reflect our desire to be building bridges to share the good news of Jesus Christ with our friends and family who have yet to know Jesus.

Having done some of our own research on effective evangelism¹, we have found that personal witnessing is one of the most powerful tools available to us as Christians to explain the message of the gospel to non-believers and to dispel misconceptions about the faith in the UK context. It works because it relies on the strength of the relationship built between the Christian and the non-believer to establish a credible testimony and to interest the non-believer to find out more. This is especially true in our postmodern society where there is a huge respect for another’s experience. The apologetic for this age is the reality of Christ in the life of the believer!

The strength of personal witnessing as part of sharing our faith on a one-to-one basis is commended by others as well:

Speaking on sharing personal stories…

“Unbelievers would probably lose interest if you started quoting theologians, but they have a natural curiosity about experiences they have never had. Shared stories build a relational bridge that Jesus can walk across from your heart to theirs.”
Rick Warren, Saddleback Church²

In 1969, Helen Cadbury Alexander died, but The Pocket Testament League (now Bridge-Builders) and its members continue sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ with enthusiasm. Millions of copies of the gospel have been shared since the start of this world-changing ministry. All of this happened because one brave young woman had the vision to bring the Word of God to lost souls around her.

What about you? Would you like to join this exciting movement and continue the legacy begun by Helen Cadbury? Membership is free, and so are the gospels you will share. All it takes is a desire to share your faith. Join us today!

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