Former senator John Grant elected chairman of the America's Board

THAILAND (FBW)–John Grant, former Florida State Senator and longtime member of Idlewild Baptist Church in Tampa, was elected to serve a four-year term as chairman of the America’s Board, to which he was elected this past December.

The election took place in Ben Pu Wann, Thailand, at the recently concluded Global Quadrennial organizational session of the United Bible Societies.

The United Bible Societies is the parent organization, tracing its formation to the year 1710, of more than 180 Bible societies throughout the world. Last year it distributed more than 21 million Bibles printed in more than two thousand languages.

The work of the Society is carried out through four area boards. One of the four, the America’s Board has jurisdiction over all work in Central and South America, Canada, and the United States.

Grant was elected over candidates from Uruguay and Guatemala. He was sworn into office and presided over the organizational session in Thailand. The next meeting of the Board will be in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Grant is a veteran of 22 years as a trustee of the American Bible Society and has long been involved in Scripture distribution.

On his election, Grant stated that he was deeply honored and humbled to have been chosen as chairman and is looking forward to visiting each of the Bible societies in the America’s area during the next four years.

Grant commented that it was a “moving experience” to meet with the collective members of the four area boards coming from more than 60 counties and seeing that “commitment to the common cause of God’s Word can bring unity that transcends ethnic, geographical, racial, political and social differences.”

Grant, who had launched an exploratory committee to run for the U.S. Congress, quickly abandoned that effort in order to devote his time to what he called a “higher calling.”