Christians across the UK will remember the millions of people worldwide deprived of the Bible's message as they celebrate Bible Sunday this autumn.

Hundreds of churches are set to take part in praying and fundraising events especially for people living in non-literate communities and those living in extreme poverty.

With a large majority of non-literate communities in the world's poorest countries, many cannot afford to have the Bible's message to read or even listen to. Through Bible Sunday, Bible Societies in the UK have decided to unite together to use the Bible to shape the lives of communities across the globe.

More than 4,000 people registered online for this year's Bible Sunday resources, and some 10,000 downloads have been made from the Bible Sunday website.

Bible Sunday was first launched 103 years ago, taking place on 6 March 1904.

The Times newspaper published a leading article on 8 January 1904, promoting the celebration which said, "It seems a felicitous proposal to celebrate the 100th birthday of the British and Foreign Bible Society by observing the first Sunday in March this year as, Universal Bible Sunday."

Soon it was adopted into the church liturgical year and was celebrated until recently on the second Sunday of Advent. Following the liturgical revision in the late 1990s, Bible Sunday was moved to the last Sunday in October.

This year the Bible Societies of England and Wales, Scotland and Ireland, North and South, have expressed their desire to work together to alert UK Christians to worldwide hunger for the Bible's message through Bible Sunday.

'Going Large', the theme for this year's Bible Sunday, offers free resources which include two short films, a script for a drama sketch, a lively talk outline, prayers and a PowerPoint presentation highlighting the hunger for audio Bibles in non-literate communities and in places of great poverty. The resources are available in three languages, English, Welsh and Urdu.

"The amount of interest shown this year is very encouraging and the Societies hope Bible Sunday will not only help build confidence in the Bible, but also alert people to the hunger for its life-changing message around the world," a Bible Society release has stated.

Bible Sunday is mostly observed on 28 October. However, churches are encouraged to celebrate the Bible on any Sunday.

For more information please visit: www.biblesunday.org.uk