Our History

Small Beginnings

It was 1948.    The war was over.  Canada was booming.  People were enjoying a new prosperity--and using it to obtain all the conveniences of life.  But something was missing from many Canadian homes.  While people filled their lives with many things, many lost sight of the most important thing of all--God and His Word.

The American Home Bible League had started almost a decade before in the sleepy town of Walkerton, Indiana.  On Good Friday afternoon in 1938, William A. Chapman and his wife, Betty called on 256 homes, placing 45 Bibles on the promise that they would be read.  Soon after, Chapman founded the American Home Bible League and word spread north of the border.  Canadians wanted to get involved, too.

Throughout the 1950s, Canadians distributed Bibles door-to-door through local churches and various outreach ministries.  A fledgling organization, the Canadian affiliate of the American Home Bible League barely survived its first decade.  In 1959, the American Home Bible League, discouraged by lack of success, decided to scale back operations in Canada.  It looked like the League's mission in Canada was over before it had even had a chance to begin. 

Humble Beginnings

The year 1960 brought new life to the Canadian Home Bible League.  From her home near Toronto, Ontario, Jo Vander Boom had been competently handling correspondence, emptying the mailbox, and replying to donors for a year now on behalf of the American Home Bible League. 

Soon her husband, John, experienced in business and marketing, came to the attention of the American Home Bible League, too. 

In 1960, John Vander Boom was appointed the first Canadian Director.  Together, John and Jo set out to build the Canadian Home Bible League—from the ground up.  They started in their bedroom, with little more than a typewriter and a small file box. 

“They hired me on the condition that I would cover all of Canada,” John Vander Boom says.  In 1962, he embarked on a cross-country trip that took him away from home for three months.  The trip helped him establish contact with individuals and churches and was a key step in making the organization a truly national one.  “We had no mailing list at this time,” says John.  “This trip was essential for us in establishing contact with the churches.”  

By 1962, the Canadian Home Bible League had outgrown the Vander Boom’s home.  “A new office was opened in December 1962,” wrote John Vander Boom.  “We were able to rent very suitable office and warehouse space for only $75 a month, including heating.”  

A Growing Mission

With an increasingly diverse population at home, the Canadian Home Bible League also became more and more aware of needs beyond its own borders.   

“A special appeal for Cuba was the Canadian Home Bible League’s first international appeal.  We sent a letter to raise money for Bibles in Cuba” recalls John Vander Boom.  The cost of producing this letter was $100.  We didn’t know how it would go.  We worried.  Had we done the right thing?  But when the first returns arrived in our mailbox, we could already see God’s blessing on this appeal.”

In 1971, the Canadian Home Bible League was incorporated under a Dominion Charter at which time it became a separate legal entity, allowing the organization to continue to offer charitable tax receipts for donations in Canada.  The same year, the first property was purchased--an office in Weston Ontario.

Vander Boom formed a Council of Reference, a group of prominent evangelical church leaders who lent their endorsement to the ministry of the Canadian Home Bible League.  This action was the first step toward obtaining the broad spectrum of interdenominational support The Bible League of Canada enjoys today. 

On December 11, 1984 the name of the organization was changed to the World Home Bible League of Canada, reflecting the organization's increasing commitment to international ministry.  In 1985 Rev. John G. Klomps became the new Executive Director. 

The Bible League of Canada Today

The present name, The Bible League of Canada, became official in 1992.   In 1994, offices were moved to their present location in Burlington, Ontario.   After nine years of leadership under Rev. David Tigchelaar, Dick Kranendonk became the Executive Director in 2006. Paul Richardson succeeded him in 2010 and is the current serving president..

Today we continue with our mission to provide Scriptures and training worldwide. We partner with churches and organizations in Asia, Africa, Europe and CIS, Central and South America, and Canada.

God is using people like you to help change lives. Christians from countries around the world, with diverse backgrounds and denominations are faithfully sharing Scriptures, leading Bibles studies, planting new churches, and training others to make disciples. God is faithful to His Word!