Project Ezra 2011 - History and Strategy

Project Ezra is dedicated to encouraging, equipping, and mobilizing born again followers of Christ, from around the world, to read the Word of God in public. Whether you are an experienced street evangelist, rookie street evangelist, or have never so much as handed a gospel tract to a stranger, we pray that Project Ezra will encourage you to share your faith boldly and biblically.


History
Project Ezra began a week before Easter, 2009. While reading his Bible, project founder and street evangelist Tony Miano read: “Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching” (1 Timothy 4:13). As he read that verse, he was reminded of the account found in Nehemiah 8:1-8, where Ezra gathers the nation Israel and, for hours, reads the Law of God to the people. And then the thought came to mind: “What if people around the world gathered on Good Friday to read the account of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ?”



So, with only a few days for people to prepare, Tony called on his friends on Facebook to join him on Good Friday to read Matthew 26-28 aloud, in the open-air. The response was amazing. More than 170 people from more than 30 states and several foreign countries participated in “Mission Good Friday.” Even more exciting were the testimonies that poured in after the event. Many of the people who participated had never open-air preached. Having stepped so far out of their comfort zones to stand on a box in public and read the Bible aloud, a number of people reported that “Mission Good Friday” was the catalyst and encouragement they needed to try preaching the gospel in the open-air.

The next Project Ezra event was “Sermon on the Mount Saturday,” which was held on May 23, 2009. Once again, more than 170 people from around the world participated. More amazing testimonies came in, with many accounts of people breaking the evangelism sound barrier, as they read God’s Word in the open-air.



Taking It to the Next Level – The Project Ezra Strategy

Following Sermon on the Mount Saturday, and after consulting with Project Ezra administrators, Daniel Beaudoin and Bart McCurdy, Tony decided it was time to take Project Ezra to the next level, which meant more organized public readings of the Word and getting more people involved. The decision was made to organize Project Ezra readings every weekend and during all of the major holidays.

In order to fulfill the vision of organizing people around the world to read the Bible in the open-air every weekend, a strategy was needed to make such an effort manageable, as well as appealing to participants without overwhelming them. Here’s the strategy.

The Bible will be broken down into ten lists. The lists will follow Dr. Grant Horner’s Bible Reading System:
• List 1 - Matthew, Mark, Luke, John

• List 2 - The Pentateuch

• List 3 - Romans, 1&2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, Hebrews

• List 4 - 1&2 Thessalonians, 1&2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, James, 1&2 Peter, 1, 2&3 John, Jude, Revelation

• List 5 - Job, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon

• List 6 – Psalms

• List 7 - Proverbs

• List 8 - Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1&2 Samuel, 1&2 Kings, 1&2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther

• List 9 - The Prophets

• List 10 - Acts



Participants commit to reading one chapter from one list, each week. Participants may choose any chapter they want from the list, and Project administrators will supply a suggested reading along with notes on how the passage can be used to enter into a gospel presentation. Participants will read their chosen chapter sometime during Friday, Saturday, or Sunday each week, if at all possible. Participants will then choose one chapter from the next list, to read the next week. And so on. Of course, participants can choose to read more than one chapter each week, if they like.

Tony Miano and the Project Ezra administrators will post reminders, reading schedules, and suggested chapters to read from each list. From time-to-time, Tony and the Project Ezra administrators will also provide devotionals about the Bible chapters they’ve read in the open-air, testimonies and pictures of other Project Ezra participants, open-air videos, and other material designed to encourage and equip participants. These materials will be posted on the Project Ezra Facebook page and official blog.

Project Ezra members will participate in mutual accountability by posting their Project Ezra testimonies, pictures and videos on the project’s Facebook page and/or blog.



What If I Can’t Participate Every Week?
That’s okay, although we encourage you to do so as often as you can. If you have to miss a week (or more), simply go to the Facebook page to see from what list you should choose a chapter of the Bible to read, for the current week. Again, this strategy is designed to make it easier for people to participate more often.



2011 Reading Schedule

All dates are Saturdays. Project Ezra participants should try to do their open-air Bible reading on Friday through Sunday of each week, if possible. See “An Introduction to Project Ezra” information for books of the Bible in each “List.”

Jan 1 List 6 Psalm 19
Jan 8 List 7 Joel 2
Jan 15 List 8 2 Kings 17
Jan 22 List 9 Isaiah 6
Jan 29 List 10 Acts 9:1-22
Feb 5 List 1 John 10
Feb 12 VALENTINE’S DAY READING
Feb 19 List 2
Feb 26 List 3
Mar 5 List 4
Mar 12 List 5
Mar 19 List 6
Mar 26 List 7
Apr 2 List 8
Apr 9 List 9
Apr 16 List 10
Apr 23 MISSION GOOD FRIDAY
April 30 List 1
May 7 List 2
May 14 List 3
May 21 List 4
May 28 SERMON ON THE MOUNT SATURDAY
June 4 List 5
June 11 List 6
June 18 List 7
June 25 List 8
July 2 FIRST JOHN ON JULY FOURTH
July 9 List 9
July 16 List 10
July 23 List 1
July 30 List 2
Aug 6 List 3
Aug 13 List 4
Aug 20 List 5
Aug 27 List 6
Sep 3 LABOR DAY READING (Matthew 11 &12)
Sep 10 List 7
Sep 17 List 8
Sep 24 List 9
Oct 1 List 10
Oct 8 List 1
Oct 15 List 2
Oct 22 List 3
Oct 29 REVELATION ON HALLOWEEN
Nov 5 List 4
Nov 12 List 5
Nov 19 List 6
Nov 26 THANKSGIVING/BLACK FRIDAY READING
Dec 3 List 7
Dec 10 List 8
Dec 17 THE TRUE GIFT OF CHRISTMAS – The Gospel of John
Dec 24 CHRISTMAS WEEKEND READING – (Luke 2 and John 1)
Dec 31 List 9



Welcome to Project Ezra!
Our hope is that you will be blessed through your participation and that you will grow in your love for and obedience to the Lord and His Word.



Dan Beaudoin
Project Ezra Group Administrator