Rick Warren Hosts 1-Night Event to View Museum of the Bible's Artifacts at Saddleback Church

By Stoyan Zaimov, Christian Post Reporter Wednesday, May 18, 2016

Rick Warren, pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California, speaks at the Pastors' Conference 2014, ahead of the Southern Baptist Convention's Annual Meeting, on Monday, June 9, 2014, in Baltimore, Md. | (Photo: The Christian Post/Sonny Hong)

Pastor Rick Warren of Saddleback Church in California is urging Christians in the area to visit on May 19 for a special "once in a lifetime" event that will showcase biblical artifacts from The Museum of the Bible.

"When the museum opens in Washington D.C. in 2017, it will be among the largest most technologically advanced in the world. The Museum of the Bible team and I will be hosting this one night only event at Saddleback, to share sneak peeks of some of the incredible artifacts they have assembled and provide an insider's presentation on the museum before it opens," Warren wrote in a Facebook message on Tuesday.

Construction on the Museum in question, spearheaded by Hobby Lobby President Steve Green, began back in February 2015, and is set to open in 2017.

The 430,000 square foot museum promises to include eight floors of more than 500 biblical texts and artifacts, including exhibits and gardens narrating the historical impact of the Bible throughout the world.

The construction site for the Museum of the Bible, a Washington, DC-based museum scheduled to be completed by November 2017. | (Photo: The Christian Post)

As Saddleback explains on its website, the goal of the Museum is to "bring the Bible to life in a place where its grand history can be tangibly displayed for all to see."

The event at the California megachurch will include a 75 minute presentation alongside a viewing of some of the selected artifacts.

While Warren did not reveal which artifacts will be on display, the museum's collection includes tablets dating from the time of Abraham; to Dead Sea Scroll fragments; biblical papyri and manuscripts; Torah scrolls, and rare printed Bibles.

Cary Summers, president of the Museum of the Bible, told The Christian Post in an interview last year that once completed, the Museum will host tour groups from public and private schools throughout the world.

"Primarily private school groups and homeschoolers, but also we've entertained numerous universities throughout the world as we've traveled," said Summers. "Some, especially overseas, public and private, have come."