First Baptist Church of Rincon will have a special worship service on Sunday at 6 p.m. to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the publication of the King James Version of the Bible.

“The King James Version, which was published on May 2, 1611, has made a tremendous impact on Christian faith and the English language,” said pastor Bob Rogers. “How many times I have seen people peacefully close their eyes and listen when I read aloud Psalm 23 in the King James Version. So many English expressions, such as ‘the blind lead the blind’ (Matthew 15:14), and words like ‘beautiful,’ ‘longsuffering,’ and ‘peacemaker’ came into our language from the KJV.”

The special worship service will include stories about the translation of the Bible into English, history of the King James Version and unique words and expressions in the English language that come from the KJV, special scripture readings from the KJV, and special music.

There will be a display of old Bibles in the church foyer, including replicas of the original 1611 King James Version Bible, and copies of the Hebrew Old Testament and Greek New Testament. Pastor Rogers has an old family Bible printed in 1826 which will be on display. Anyone who has an old Bible that they are willing to loan for the display may contact the church office at 826-5536.

The public is invited to the special celebration.