The Bible and Common Prayer Book Society of The Episcopal Church Rotating Header Image

What We Do

The Society makes grants of books as follows:

  • We give books at no charge whatever, we even pay shipping and handling
  • We give books to worshipping communities –
    • New starts or parishes needing to replace worn-out books
    • Financially struggling or expanding parishes
    • Parishes which have suffered from natural disasters such as flood, fire or earthquake
  • We define “worshipping communities” as –
    • Local congregations
    • Congregations in the Armed Forces served by Episcopal Chaplains
    • Congregations served by Chaplains who are priests or deacons of the Episcopal Church and ministering in:
      • Prisons
      • Nursing homes and other health-related facilities
      • Educational institutions, such as colleges and universities
    • Other worshipping communities on a case-by-case basis
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The Bible and Common Prayer Book Soceity of The Episcopal Church

The Bible and Common Prayer Book Society of the Episcopal Church was founded in New York City by Bishop John Henry Hobart in 1809. It was originally set up to serve the needs of the Diocese of New York, but through the years the Society's mission has been expanded to include parishes all around the Episcopal Church. The Society's earliest grants were confined to Bibles and Books of Common Prayer, but our ministry has also grown to include The Hymnal and other musical resources such as Wonder, Love and Praise. Our ministry now also includes worship resources in other languages, most notably Spanish. We are able to make donations of El Himnario, El Libro de Oración Común, and Spanish-language Bibles. We also make the Prayer Book available in French and in Chinese. Even with all this diversity, the Society exists for a single purpose – to help provide worship materials for worshipping communities. The Bible and Common Prayer Book Society is an independent charitable organization and our financial resources are entirely limited to past and current donations. We receive no funds from any other organization.

815 Second Avenue New York, NY 10017 Telephone: 800-334-7626 ext. 6131 or direct at 212-716-6131 Fax: 212-716-6120