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The Rev Dr John D Erickson was first appointed Secretary for Asia at the American Bible Society (ABS) on August 15, 1965: he retired as UBS General Secretary on December 31, 1997, following a career in Bible work that covered three decades and was to span the growth and maturing of the UBS, as well as much development in his own national Society, ABS.
After almost two and
a half years as Secretary for Asia and eight years involved in ABS fundraising
and church relations, Dr Erickson was appointed UBS World Service Officer
for the Americas and Asia-Pacific in 1976. In 1988 he was elected Chairman
of the UBS Executive Committee, and in 1991 he became UBS General Secretary.
During his term of office, he has seen the beginnings of a new UBS regional
structure aimed to provide more effective help to national Societies.
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| Speaking at the WSC leaving reception |
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He believes that the key was to return to the basic mission of the Bible Society. “We were able to ask the question, ‘What do we have to do in order to help national Societies reach their full potential?’ and that is what fuelled the changes,” he said.
Dr Erickson has seen much progress since he began with ABS: “I can remember, in the early 1960s, when our goal was to triple worldwide distribution: from 50 million Scriptures to 150 million in a year,” he said. “Today the fellowship of Bible Societies distributes about 600 million Scriptures worldwide. Now that is impressive growth for any organisation or movement, but there is still so much more we are not doing!” he said.
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Dr Erickson was instrumental in the setting up of the Amity Printing Press in Nanjing, China, which has printed more than 17 million Bibles since 1987.
He has seen a dramatic expansion in many countries in the design and production of human needs-related Portions, following the launch of the ‘At Least a Portion for Every Person’ program. And his commitment to interconfessional work has encouraged Societies to reach out to all church groups and confessions.
“Can anyone set down limits to Bible distribution – suggest that this or that group should not receive the Scriptures? I doubt it. Everyone is entitled to receive a copy of the Word of God in a language that will speak to their heart, whatever their culture or creed. Our mission is to every person, and where they cannot read, it is our responsibility to provide God’s Word in a format they can understand, such as audio cassettes,” he said.
“Maybe 60 per cent of the world’s population cannot read their own language, and part of our vision must be to provide the Scriptures for them.”
Dr Erickson has spent much of his time travelling, to the cost of his wife, Nancy, and his family. But his love of meeting people and understanding them, experiencing different cultures and attitudes, has enabled him to take travelling in his stride. His long experience of Bible work includes fundraising – he was instrumental in the ABS ‘Gifts of Love’ 1990 program, which helped the UBS provide millions of Scriptures to people in Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union.
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On January 14, World Service Center (WSC) staff gathered to bid an official farewell to Dr and Mrs Erickson. A farewell from the Executive Committee was held on January 29. They will be missed at the WSC; they will be missed by many national Societies, and many of those who serve in the Bible cause around the world will long remember Dr Erickson’s leadership, encouragement, and devotion to the Bible cause. (WR 328/22 - 2.98)
