A vicar has been swamped with requests for Bibles after making the kind-hearted gesture to offer to send the holy texts out for free in a viral TikTok clip.
The Reverend at St Thomas Church in Aldridge, Walsall, posted the “little” video online offering up the Book of Books to those who asked, and has since raved about the enthusiastic reception to his long-standing – yet unexpected – project.
He told GB News he was taken by “total surprise” by the sheer quantity of interest he has received over the request – and added there was “no end in sight”.
After putting out the unsuspecting post, Mr Sims was flooded with requests for a Bible – and had been viewed tens of thousands of time just overnight.
Consequently, he and his bustling congregation buckled in for a weekly “packing party” every Monday morning.
So far, the group has sent out 3,142 Bibles to eager learners across Britain.
All books are blessed and delivered with a handwritten note to the recipient while they are being packed, Mr Sims added.
Each Bible costs around £3 or £4, he noted – however, he stressed that he wanted each and every recipient to feel “valued”.
The congregation of St Thomas’s Church in Aldridge has been working together to send out the blessed texts
| ST JOHNS CHURCH/DAVID SIMS
Due to the sheer quantity of Holy Books requested, the local church launched a crowdfunding page which has raised more than £10,500 so far.
The vicar began his social media journey back in lockdown, to reach out to the public and engage in public philosophical debates.
He was particularly enticed online by the “amicable” way those onlines engaged with one another, and wished to be a part of that conversation.
But while he was once a small creator online, the vicar has now since curated an ample following of 24,800 on his TikTok profile under his “TikTok Vicar” persona.
