CU students lined up to write the Bible for the Bible Across America tour on March 27.

The Bible Across America’s Web site said the tour is a promotional celebration of the 30th anniversary of the New International Version of the Bible published by Zondervan, the world’s leading Bible publisher. The NIV is the most widely read and translated version of the Bible.

The Web site said the tour is traveling the country attempting to collect the 31,173 Scripture verses needed to create a handwritten version of the Bible. With the handwritten verses, two transcripts will be published. One will be donated to the Smithsonian and the other auctioned off to benefit the International Bible Society.

Launching in September of last year from Zondervan’s headquarters in Grand Rapid, the tour has parked its 42-foot motor home donated by Spartan Motors in over 90 cities within 44 states, the Web site said.

Even though only 44 states were visited, contributions from the remaining states were made as well. Cities visited ranged from the deep south of Mobile, Ala., to the windy city of Chicago to the Emerald city of Seattle, Wash., the Web site said.

The seven-month tour was initially supposed to be five months but was extended due to a shortage of contributions, said Emily Kuczynski, public relations associate for Lambert Edwards & Associates. The firm is Zondervan’s public relations firm and is helping with the tour.

Throughout the day, students and area residents stood before a long sheet of white paper placed on an illuminator box and handed a pen and an index card with a Bible verse printed on it. The paper did not have lines but the illuminator box did and was used to help people write in a straight line on the sheet, Kuczynski said.

One by one, students leaned over and showed off their penmanship as each verse was recorded twice on two sheets of paper. Afterwards, students received tour information and a card with their name and the date and Scripture verse they wrote to indicate they just made history as part of the 31,173 contributors.

“It’s a way of uniting Christians from all over America,” Kuczynski said.

Kuczynski said the end product will result in a book called “America’s NIV” and it will be available for purchase in the fall. Inside the book will be an index listing the names of every person who contributed a handwritten Scripture.

Senior Leia Duncan wrote I Timothy 6:10 and came to the event because of its significance.

“It’s an opportunity. It feels kind of like a part of history,” Duncan said. “To be a Christian and for it to be on our campus. I just think it’s something important.”

Kuczynski said when they write, contributors are asked to “take their time and write slowly because it is in pen.” Even so, mistakes do happen. And when they do, volunteers just grab some white-out and the writer rewrites.

Freshman Matt Miller made a mistake when he was writing I Timothy 6:13. He wrote Jesus Christ instead of Christ Jesus. But all was corrected, and he received his history contribution card along with sophomore Rosie Pearson who wrote I Timothy 6:12.

Pearson and Miller came because it was a unique opportunity.

“I think it’s a really cool idea to be able to write a Scripture in the Bible,” Pearson said. “It makes it feel more human and rich and a part of history.”

“It’s a cool way to kind of preserve a kind of legacy here,” Miller said.

Senior Kimmi Van Dyke wrote Romans 3:16 and came because she wanted to take part in something bigger than herself.

“I thought it would be cool to be a part of something big, and even though my words aren’t inspired, the words that I’m writing are and could have an impact on someone’s life,” Van Dyke said.