The Congregational Federation (CF), representing around 200 independent churches across the United Kingdom, is marking the 500th anniversary of William Tyndale’s English New Testament with a combined 500-mile walk.
Tyndale, an English scholar and priest, believed that ordinary people, not only clergy, should be able to read the Bible in their own language.
Denied permission to undertake his translation in England, he travelled to continental Europe, where his English New Testament was printed in 1526. Copies were subsequently smuggled into England, where authorities seized and burned many of them.
Tyndale was later betrayed, executed near Brussels in 1536, and remembered for a translation that profoundly influenced later English Bibles, including the King James Version. His work also helped shape the English language, introducing expressions that remain familiar today.
Walking 500 miles together
As part of the anniversary initiative, congregations in each of the Federation’s 10 geographical areas are collectively walking 50 miles. Churches and individuals have been encouraged to complete their portion of the journey in ways suited to their local contexts.
The initiative was launched by CF General Secretary Yvonne Campbell following the Federation’s National Assembly in Sheffield in May. Campbell also joined CF staff for a walk around Nottingham in July.
The combined 500-mile journey will conclude on 5 September with a gathering at North Nibley in Gloucestershire, traditionally associated with Tyndale’s birthplace and home to a monument erected in his memory in 1866.
CF members will complete the final four miles of the journey before gathering for an exhibition, worship, and a shared meal.
As part of the anniversary activities, the Federation is also producing more than 1,000 booklets telling Tyndale’s story, explaining the walking initiative, introducing the Congregational Federation, and including a copy of the Gospel of Mark.
Walkers will distribute the booklets to people they meet along their routes, extending the commemoration by sharing the story of Tyndale’s contribution to making Scripture accessible in English.
