At Zoar MB Church in Inman, Kansas, diplomas aren’t the only thing students receive to mark their high school graduation. They also get Bibles filled with prayers, illustrations and handwritten messages from their church family.
Former member Andrea Wood introduced Bible journaling to Zoar after discovering the practice online. The church had a long-standing tradition of gifting Bibles to graduates, and Wood saw an opportunity to make those gifts more personal after journaling in her own daughter’s Bible.
“I thought, ‘Why don’t we do this as a church?’” Wood says. “Instead of giving a Bible that has never been opened, why don’t we give Bibles to the kids that show we are praying for them?”
Church members can write prayers for the graduates in the Bibles and add illustrations alongside meaningful verses. The goal is simple: Create Bibles that draw students deeper into the Word and connect them with an entire support network.
No artistic talent required
Tami Garst took over leadership of the program after Wood’s family moved to Texas. She tries to make the process as unintimidating as possible, even for those who don’t feel artistic.
“It’s not about artistic talent,” Garst says. “It’s about sharing your favorite scripture with kids.”
The process functions like a mobile library. At the beginning of each school year, the program team puts a Bible in a tote bag, along with colored pencils and markers. Church members can sign out kits and keep them for a week at a time before passing them along.
Each Bible receives contributions from multiple people throughout the school year. Before graduation, Garst creates a bookmark for each graduate, listing all the journaled verses so they can easily find the personalized sections.
The church presents the Bibles on the Sunday before graduation, with the pastor calling each graduate to the front of the church to receive their gift.
In 2025, Zoar prepared 16 Bibles for graduating seniors, including one for a student serving as a missionary in Uganda. Exchange students who attend Zoar’s youth group also receive a personalized Bible to take with them to their home countries.
One unexpected benefit has been permission to mark up Scripture. Garst noted some people hesitate to write in pristine Bibles. “Receiving one that’s already filled with notes and highlights shows graduates it’s OK to make their Bible their own,” she says.
The Bibles represent months of prayer, creativity and intentional connection across generations. For graduates, the highlighted verses and handwritten prayers become permanent reminders that their faith community continues to support them, wherever life takes them next.
“I loved receiving a Bible my senior year of high school,” says Lexi Milne, 2022 graduate. “It’s such a special way to recognize seniors for their accomplishments. My favorite thing is that every time I open it, it reminds me how many people care for me and my walk with Christ.”
Wood says, “It’s really about God’s Word. The important part is that they’re opening God’s Word and learn-ing it and knowing it.”
Amy Ragland is a freelance writer from Wichita, Kansas. She is a member of Ridgepoint Church, along with her husband, Brad, and their two teenage daughters.
