UBS World Report 339, March 1999

HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam — “We can rejoice greatly with the Roman Catholic community in Vietnam for the completion of a new translation of the Vietnamese Bible,” said a UBS representative at a short dedication service for the new Bible held on Sunday, January 31, 1999.

Only the New Testament, published in 1993, has so far been available. Now, Vietnamese Catholics can enjoy a complete common-language biblical text. They have been awaiting this for the best part of three decades.

“My hands trembled with emotion as I held a copy of the newly-produced Bible, knowing that this was truly the work of God,” was the comment of a visiting UBS staff member when he received a copy of the Bible. The first printrun was of 25,000 copies, with a further 25,000 copies planned. It is expected that the first publication will be sold very quickly. There are more than 6 million Catholics in Vietnam.

The dedication service was conducted by Monsignor Pham Minh Man, Archbishop of Ho Chi Minh City, in the diocese Church of Saint Francis, Saigon. Speaking to more than 800 people who had come for evening Mass, Archbishop Pham Minh Man drew people’s attention to the responsibility of the Christian to “open wide the entrance to the Holy Bible for everybody”.

He described what Jesus had said in the sermon on the Mount as a “constitution for the Heavenly Kingdom” and urged people to read the living Word of God to learn more about Jesus. He stressed that people could only get to know Jesus and follow his teachings if they learnt about them from the Bible.

“My hands trembled with emotion as I held a copy of the newly-produced Bible, knowing that this was truly the work of God.”

This new Bible in modern Vietnamese is a landmark in the history of the Catholic Church in Vietnam. It adopts a localised nomenclature for biblical names according to the Church’s tradition. It also follows the principles of dynamic-equivalence advocated by the UBS, which concentrates on rendering faithfully the meaning of the original text rather than translating it word for word.

The translation is the work of scholars in the Liturgy of Hours Group, who began the project in 1971. The idea of doing an interconfessional translation was seriously considered at the time and the Bible Society in Vietnam organised a month-long translation workshop in Dalat in 1974.

Translators from Protestant and Catholic Churches gathered to hear UBS Translation Consultants from Guatemala, Germany, the USA, France, Thailand and the Philippines put forward guidelines and principles of translation work. It was at this workshop that the theory of dynamic-equivalence was introduced.

Then came the fall of Saigon and the reunification of the country. Most of the Protestant translators left the country. However, despite extreme difficulties, members of the Liturgy of Hours Group remained and continued with their translation work. They completed the New Testament and parts of the Old Testament.

When, in 1991, UBS representatives visited Vietnam to assess the needs of the churches and meet with church leaders, they met the translators of this group. When a UBS translation consultant assessed their work he found that they had been faithfully following the UBS translation principles learnt at the 1974 workshop.

The UBS has supported this translation project since then. The Bibles are made available at a subsidised rate thanks to help from Bible Societies around the world. And many people are eager to obtain their copy.

“Just sitting in the office of the Liturgy of Hours Group, one hears the telephone ring every few minutes. That indicates the tremendous amount of interest this new Bible has sparked,” commented the UBS representative.

“The majority of calls are enquirers, or people placing orders for Bibles. Thousands of people have registered and paid for their Bibles in advance. Obviously the demand is going to be very high with millions of Catholics, and they expect the first printing to be sold out very quickly.”

In his dedication address Monsignor Pham Minh Man added: “Those people who love Jesus have to spread his Word to others,” and, along with many other Church leaders, he hoped that one day, every member of the Catholic Church in Vietnam would have their own copy of the Bible. (WR 339/2 - 3.99)

ORISSA, India — Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two young sons died when the vehicle in which they were sleeping was set on fire by a militant, anti-Christian mob. The attack happened in the early hours of Saturday, January 23.

“I am sorry that these people could do this, but I am not angry. This is how my husband would have wanted to die. I feel proud that he dedicated his life to the people and to the leprosy work here.”

Dr Staines, a strong supporter of the Bible Society, had left behind his wife, Gladys, and their 13-year-old daughter, Esther, in Baripada because there was no room for them in the Jeep. He was planning to return to Baripada that morning.

According to villagers, an angry mob of some 50 armed militants descended on Manoharpur looking for Dr Staines. They barricaded other Christians in their rooms and formed a chanting circle around the burning Jeep to prevent anyone from rescuing Dr Staines and his children.

The powerless onlookers included Professor Subhankar Ghosh, former Bible Society Executive Committee member, who watched the episode from his room beside the church. He said that the mob was chanting Bajrang Kali – a reference to a Hindu goddess.

“It seems that it was all very well planned,” he said. “They stormed the village at about 12.15 a.m. and barricaded us in so that we could not get out to help him.”

Dr Staines had helped to translate the New Testament into Ho, a local tribal language. The Ho New Testament in Oriya script was published by the Bible Society of India in 1997.

Dr Staines had proofread the entire typeset text himself, and he bought the whole printrun of 3,000 New Testaments for local distribution. He was hoping to start work on the translation of the Old Testament.

“Dr Staines was a personal friend of mine,” said Dr B K Pramanik, General Secretary of the Bible Society of India, who himself comes from Orissa.

“I have admired his simple living style, philanthropic service and missionary zeal. The Bible Society and I have lost a great friend and a chosen vessel of God.”

Dr Staines and his two sons were buried in Baripada on Sunday January 24. Mrs Staines remained resolute and calm, refusing to be angered by the people who caused the death of her husband and children.

“I have the strength of the Lord with me, otherwise I would not be able to keep on smiling,” she said. “I am sorry that these people could do this, but I am not angry. This is how my husband would have wanted to die. I feel proud that he dedicated his life to the people and to the leprosy work here.”

She added that her daughter, Esther, had coped with the event remarkably well, being able to rejoice with her mother that her father and brothers were now “with God”.

That same day in Bhubanes-war, hundreds of Christians observed a minute’s silence in memory of Graham Staines and his boys. Chief Minister J B Patnaik, who was laying the foundation stone at the Loyola High School development, suggested that everyone should spare a thought for the martyred missionaries.

The Chief Minister assured the Christian community that the culprits would be severely punished for such a barbaric act.

The Director General of Police in Orissa, B B Panda, told journalists that he had visited the village of Manoharpur personally and talked with residents who had witnessed the attack.

“My blood boils when I think of this incident,” he said. “I will do everything to bring the culprits to book.”

The authorities have since arrested and charged five Hindu extremists belonging to the Bajrang Dal – the militant youth wing of the ruling Bharadya Janata Party – and more than 40 other activists.

Dr Staines had worked in the tribal area of northern Orissa for more than 30 years and was a well-liked figure, running the local Mayurbhanj Leprosy Home, which he had helped to establish, and working to eradicate leprosy in the region.

“Through his work Dr Staines expressed his love of God,” said Suram Mahat, one of Graham Staines’s long-time friends. “He did not have to try to convert people: just let them see the work of God’s Word in his exemplary life.

“Leprosy is a huge problem in this area of Orissa. There is a stigma attached to people who contact the disease. They are cast out of the society because the tribespeople believe it is a curse from God.”

Dr Staines and his helpers also staged between four and five ‘Jungle Camps’ every year where the Bible was taught and many of the illiterate Santhal villagers were encouraged to learn to read.

He also showed film strips to village children, counselled the villagers in the makeshift churches and – backed by the Evangelical Missionary Society (EMS) – distributed Gospels and New Testaments wherever there was a need. The EMS is a 100-year-old Australian organisation which Dr Staines helped to establish in Mayurbhanj.

One of his helpers, William Ebenezer, who was due to speak at the next ‘Jungle Camp’, speculated on what the motive was behind the killing.

“People were very impressed by Graham’s life and message. He was a very influential and prominent figure; but I think it was not his position as much as what he preached that worried the extremists. Graham Staines never had enemies.”

The death of Dr Staines and his two sons is the culmination of numerous acts of violence and destruction carried out by Hindu extremists against Christians, particularly increasing over the last eight months.

Many people believe these acts to be the responsibility of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) or National Volunteer Corps – the most powerful Hindu revivalist organisation in India today. Its aim is to protect Hinduism from being ‘defiled’ by outside influences such as Islam and Christianity.

Formed in 1925, the RSS provides basic military training and encourages the holding of public ideological discussions across the country. It was from such a background that the assassins of Mahatma Gandhi came.

Although there has been persecution of Christians and Christian churches for many years, until last year, a lot of the violence instigated by such bodies was directed against Muslims.

Now the RSS has begun to target the country’s more than 20 million Christians, claiming they are launching a major drive to convert lower-caste Hindus to Christianity. Christian leaders have denied any such concerted effort. There is some experience of revival among tribal people and this may be the reason for the accusations.

In July last year, it was reported in the press that in western Gujurat State, the body of a deceased Christian was dug out of his grave and dumped outside a church. Two months later an armed group of Hindu activists were said to have caned and gang-raped a group of nuns in a church-run kindergarten in Madhya Pradesh, central India.

Rahul Bedi, reporting for a major Australian newspaper, said that what upsets the community even more is the reaction of some Hindu leaders condoning such acts as ‘punishment’ against the missionaries.

The Evangelical Fellowship of India reports that more than 90 violent incidents were documented in 1998.

On December 28 Hindu radicals burnt down a church in Surat, Gujurat, and stormed three others causing damage with axes, iron bars and hammers. That same day, mobs set a church ablaze in Mulchand, 50 miles south of Surat.

Police stated that they were on the alert for more such attacks and would do their best to guard churches in Gujarat’s major cities. However, they did not have enough officers to protect every chapel and every makeseshift church in every village.

On December 27 a mob torched a Pentecostal church in the village of Varki, gutting the church and wounding seven people.

In Rajkot, a large group of activists stormed the I P Mission School, burning 400 Bibles that they found and shouting slogans such as “Christianity is not worth following”. The school is run by Christians but two-thirds of its students and staff are Hindu.

These and other incidents of violence followed a national day of protest declared by India’s Christians on December 4. Most church-run schools, including many of the country’s most prestigious institutions, were closed for the day.

“I have admired his simple living style, philanthropic service and missionary zeal. The Bible Society and I have lost a great friend and a chosen vessel of God.”

“This peaceful protest called on the state to fulfil its obligations to safeguard the rights of the minorities – in particular of Christians – in the context of India’s pluralistic and democratic society,” said Richard Howell, General Secretary of the Evangelical Fellowship of India.
A delegation of Christians presented Prime Minister Shri Atal Behari Vajpayee with a petition and secured a promise from him to condemn such violence publicly and to take firm action to stop it.

In Orissa State acts of persecution have become too common to be reported in the media, according to Dr Staines before his death. He himself had received several threats, and on December 1, he told his friend, Ron Penny, about two incidents in which 130 and 90 Christian homes had been destroyed. In one incident the mob had beaten up two Christian young men, then tied them up and burnt them to death.

Mr Pramanik confirmed that incidents of persecution had been on the increase and that threats were now being received by the Bible Society.

“Our Central Offices were ransacked on January 5, and as yet the police have failed to discover the culprits,” he said.

“Meanwhile, our Auxiliaries in Orissa and Tamilnadu have received written threats from fundamentalists, and Calcutta Auxiliary had a telephone call threatening their work on January 15, also from a Hindu activist.

“Please pray for us as we face this unprecedented situation. The activists know that the Bible is the source and key to all evangelistic efforts of the churches and Christian organisations here,” he added. (WR 339/3 - 3.99)

Mass lay-offs, salary reductions, and strikes – these are just some of the effects of the economic crisis the ordinary Filipino worker has experienced over the last year and a half, and can expect throughout 1999. For Christians, this is a test of faith and the opportunity to hold on to God’s promises. The following story, submitted by Edna Mae Rabago of the Philippine Bible Society, demonstrates how Bible-based faith can bring about changes.

Their lives were deeply rooted in the assurance they drew from the promises in God’s Word. They did not despair, but prayed and then left everything in God’s hands.

MANILA, Philippines — When the Asian economic crisis hit the Philippines, June Bernardo and Mike Cruz faced financial ruin. But they had a resource to sustain them through hard times – their faith in God’s Word.

As regular employees of Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP), working in the Production, Planning and Control section, Mr Bernardo and Mr Cruz enjoyed the steady financial security of their jobs. They went to work 24 days a month and had the assurance of benefits given to all regular employees of TMP.

Then, late in 1997, crisis struck the Philippines: the peso value went down; El Niño plagued the agricultural provinces of the country; big corporations started laying off employees; and the government was faced with strikes.

Suddenly, Mr Bernado and Mr Cruz realised that their jobs were no longer so secure, as the demand for cars decreased. Their fears grew when their 24-day-a-month schedule was reduced to two weeks in every month, and then four-days-a-month, until they were no longer needed at work until summoned by management.

In such a situation, despair and hopelessness would be natural to most people. But Mr Bernado and Mr Cruz had more than ‘most’ people: they had Christ as their loving Saviour, and their faith was founded upon the truth of the Bible. Their lives were deeply rooted in the assurance they drew from the promises in God’s Word. They did not despair, but prayed and then left everything in God’s hands.

In March 1998, for the first time since they started work at TMP, both men began to commit their work to God every morning by having a moment of prayer together. They also followed a schedule of personal Bible study during their lunch break. Mr Bernado used to spend his time reading the Bible in the library.

One day in May, three other Christian employees of TMP saw Mr Bernado in the library, joined him, and the four of them experienced a wonderful time reading the Bible. From that time they decided to meet every lunchtime to study the Bible together.

Gradually, more Christian employees learned of the Bible study and joined in. Soon, the original group had doubled, and when Mr Bernado and Mr Cruz began to distribute Selections and Christian literature, the numbers continued to increase.

They placed Selections by the check-in clock, on the seats of the shuttle buses and on each table at work. They enlarged the message and posted copies in each toilet cubicle, where employees could not miss them.

Other employees were now aware of the group and even non-Christians started to attend out of curiosity. The management got to hear about the Bible study sessions. According to company policy, those involved in activities taking place on company premises have to explain their activity to the management.

When he went to see the management, Mr Bernado Bernardo was delighted to find that they not only approved of the Bible studies but offered their support for the group.

On December 5, what had begun as a meeting of Christian friends became an organisation called ‘TMP for Jesus’– an active Bible and evangelistic group incorporated into the company’s Family Welfare Program, as is required by the Department of Labour and Employment.

That day, TMP for Jesus held its first ‘thanksgiving service’ with a guest speaker. At this celebration, the members distributed copies of Scripture Selections published by the Philippine Bible Society, as well as Portions and Bibles.

Due to the attitude of the management and the benefit of the group to so many employees, TMP has been cited as a model company. In addition, the REVO – the latest model produced by Toyota – has become so successful that everyone has been able to return to a full working schedule.

The ‘TMP for Jesus’ group distributes Bible Society Selections every day. A fellowship meeting is held on Monday nights and time is set aside for evangelisation on Fridays, when members visit company workers sick at home or in hospital.

Mr Bernado Bernardo and Mr Cruz Cruz were able to stand on the promises in God’s Word and see them fulfilled.

“If you put God first in your priorities and make his Word your guide, you will not be beaten by any crisis,” is Mr Bernado’s maxim. (WR 339/4 - 3.99)

The new publication portrays positive interaction between people of different nationalities and social backgrounds. Using the comic format is an experiment by HUCOTEC to see whether this method of presentation communicates the message more effectively than a regular printed Portion.

Thanks to the sponsorship of the Bible Society in Australia (BSA), 5,000 copies of God’s Multicoloured Family were printed and prepared for distribution. A Methodist primary school in Sigatoka, Fiji, was chosen to host the launching ceremony. This took place on November 6 1998 as part of the school’s weekly devotions.

Representing the BSA and HUCOTEC, Dr John Harris spoke to the assembled children and teachers about the work of the Bible Society and the aims of HUCOTEC in producing this comic.

Sample copies of the comic were presented to the headmaster of the Sigatoka school, as well as to head teachers from other parts of the island who were present at the launch.

It is hoped that many Bible Societies will examine this new comic and consider adopting and/or adapting it for their own use. (WR 339/5 - 3.99) [PHOTOS]

SYDNEY, Australia — As the nation prepares to host the next Olympic Games in July 2000, the Bible Society in Australia (BSA) has published a second edition of the Sports New Testament, titled Towards the Goal.

“In any area of life where we’re struggling, we can turn to God’s Word for guidance.”

Launched with the backing of a major radio and television campaign, the new publication features the profiles and testimonies of 16 world-famous athletes. These include: Michael Chang (tennis), Margaret Court (tennis), Darren Beadman (horse-racing), Hansie Cronje (cricket), Bernard Langer (golf), and Brad Mackay (rugby league). All 16 say they read and believe the Bible.

The public awareness campaign, focused in New South Wales, includes two television advertisements in which America’s Michael Chang and Australia’s own Margaret Court promote the Sports New Testament. The BSA believes that this edition, containing the Contemporary English Version text, will encourage and inspire sports enthusiasts of all ages.

The Bible Society is working closely with mission partners Quest Australia (the churches’ organising task force ministry at the Olympics) and Youth With a Mission (YWAM) to ensure effective distribution of Towards the Goal.

BSA General Secretary the Rev Philip Oliver said the campaign was a great opportunity to reach thousands of Australians and international visitors “in a very personal way”.

“The Year 2000 is a significant time for most Christians, and there is a strong feeling that God has a purpose for this nation as it hosts the Olympic Games,” he said.

According to Tom Treseder, the Bible Society’s New South Wales Director (and current World Master’s rowing champion), “This unique New Testament is a fascinating and easy-to-read paperback that gives insights into some of the world’s leading athletes while making the Word of God more accessible.

“As well as following the highs and lows of 16 sporting careers, Towards the Goal tells how each person achieved their biggest win of all – their relationship with Christ,” said Mr Treseder.

Australian tennis star of the 1960s and 70s Margaret Court encountered Christ when she was still ‘at the top’ of her tennis career, in 1972.

Now the pastor of a church in Western Australia, Mrs Court said: “The Sports New Testament gives us the strength to run the race of life – a race which is becoming harder for an increasing number of Australians.” She also described Towards the Goal as “an effective resource for Australia’s churches, and a source of encouragement and renewal for many.”

“Christian sportspeople know that their success does not depend on their sporting ability alone, but on their relationship with God and the hope and security that brings,” she added.

During an interview with Sydney’s Radio 2UE, Mrs Court said: “Even as a young girl I knew my talent was from God. But I didn’t know the Bible the way I do now.”

She went on to explain that in 1979 she became seriously ill with a heart condition, accompanied by depression and insomnia.

“It was then that I started to learn the power of God’s Word. The Bible gave me inner strength and brought healing to my body and mind,” she said.

“One verse that really kept me going is Galatians 2:20 – ‘I have died, but Christ lives in me. And now I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave his life for me.’ (CEV)”

In her role as church leader, Mrs Court now teaches others to appreciate the Bible. “It’s a part of my life,” she says, “and a wonderful way of renewing your mind and knowing the peace of God.”

The Sports New Testament has a user-friendly index which enables the reader to discover quickly and easily what the Bible teaches on a wide variety of human concerns.

Mrs Court firmly believes that the Bible is the book of direction for Christians. "In any area of life where we’re struggling, we can turn to God’s Word for guidance,” she said.

Margaret Court made history in 1960 when, at the age of 17, she became the youngest tennis player ever to win the Australian Open. In subsequent years she won a further 10 singles titles in this championship. Other victories during her extraordinary career include: 5 French Open titles, 5 US Open titles and 3 Wimbledon titles.

Photo: Offenders plant a symbolic sycamore tree in the prison grounds

WELLINGTON, New Zealand — The lives of prisoners around the world are being transformed by a Bible-based program of restorative justice. Known as The Sycamore Tree Project, the scheme was devised by Prison Fellowship International (PFI). Due to the success of the three pilot projects, the program is to be extended to a further 83 countries where PFI has representation.

One of the main consequences of The Sycamore Tree Project has been a renewed interest in the Bible. Having supplied Bibles to prisons for many years, the Bible Society in New Zealand is anticipating a significant increase in demand for Bibles in the coming months.

Two men’s prisons – in Houston, Texas, USA, and Dorset, England – and a women’s prison in Arohata, near Wellington, New Zealand, were the first to test The Sycamore Tree Project.

The initiative is based on the Gospel story of Zacchaeus, the dishonest tax collector, and his encounter with Jesus (Luke 19:1-10).

Graeme Taylor, PFI’s Pacific Regional Director, who helped oversee the pilot scheme in the Arohata Women’s Prison, described the project as being “about the need to recognise that crime has victims, that restitution is necessary, and forgiveness is paramount. Once these have taken place there is an opportunity for a new direction in life.”

Fleur Grenfell, the Prison Manager there, said: “I think it’s been great. I only hope the Prison Fellowship returns to take the program to all the other prisons in New Zealand.”

Prison Chaplain Pam Sims agreed: “This program has really got something going for it, and I hope it spins through all the prisons in the country.”

Whilst crime victims are not matched up personally with the perpetrators of the crimes committed against them, the Sycamore Tree Project has had far-reaching effects for both.

“It’s been a life-changing opportunity,” said crime victim Sandrea Marshall, who is a Christian. “Having been the victim of crime, I needed a lot of answers to a lot of questions. It hasn’t yet resolved them all for me, but I am a more understanding, more forgiving person than I was – and those qualities are increasing in my life all the time.”

“For me, this is one instance where God took something terrible and turned it into something good. And he didn’t do that in a small way – he did it bountifully!” she explained.

One woman prisoner said that the changes brought about in her life as a result of her participation in the Sycamore Tree Project have led to many fellow-prisoners asking to be enrolled for the next available course.

“When the four of us who took part in the project went back to our wing, we ended up running mini Sycamore Tree groups in the corridors! Now the other prisoners can’t wait for the next official course to start,” she said.

Pam Sims confirmed this reaction: “Women are coming up to me constantly saying, ‘Please, please don’t forget me on the next course’.”

Fleur Grenfell attributed the positive feedback to the sensitive way in which the program was run. “It wasn’t pushed onto the women; the process was well thought-out,” she said.

One of the main spin-off effects of the program has been an increased interest in the Bible.

According to Pam Sims, “Bibles are highly sought-after in this prison. And the amazing thing is, that there is an openness about reading and studying the Scriptures that has never been there before. For example, I no longer have to deliver a Bible to a prisoner in secret. Now they’re quite happy to have Bibles passed to them in the corridors or wherever we happen to meet,” she said.

Ms Sims can hardly keep up with the demand. “I’m getting feedback about what they are reading in the Bible all the time. They are asking all sorts of questions about what they are reading . . . It’s obvious they’re reading their Bibles and reading them seriously,” she said.

The pilot scheme in Arohata ended with a celebration dinner. A few days later, participants planted a sycamore tree in the prison grounds as a symbol by offenders and crime victims that a simple Gospel story has changed their lives for good.

The project derives its name from the Gospel story of Zacchaeus, the dishonest tax-collector who climbed a sycamore tree to get a better view of Jesus. Spotting Zacchaeus in the tree, Jesus called him down and talked to him. What transpired between them, as recorded in the Gospels, forms the basis of the six key parts of the Sycamore Tree Project:

1. Zacchaeus, an offender, came to Jesus — prisoners who volunteer for the project will be allowed to participate.
2. Jesus accepted Zacchaeus — the project has a Christian focus.
3. Zacchaeus’ ‘victims’ confronted him — there are carefully organised encounters between offenders and crime victims.
4. Zacchaeus promised to pay back more than he had stolen — some ‘repayment’ for their crime, direct or indirect, will be made by the offenders.
5. Jesus explained the meaning of what had happened — the project draws attention to Biblical standards of justice.
6. Jesus and Zacchaeus had dinner together — the project ends with a celebration.

The second aim was to make the Scriptures more widely available throughout the country by opening new bookstores in southern Egypt where there have previously been none. There are now five Bible bookstores in Egypt, and there were four booths at the fair – one more than last year – selling Scriptures at preferential rates. The Cairo International Bookfair ran from January 27 to February 11.

“I only hope that our suppliers can keep up with the demand so that everyone looking for the Word of God is able to find it.”

Five years ago, when the Bible Society first began participating in this bookfair, there were only two other booths with Christian literature available. This year there are 18 different Christian booths marketing a wide range of Christian publications. And Ramez Atallah, the General Secretary of the BSE, saw this as an encouraging development.

“In a way, you can say that the Bible Society has pioneered Christian presence at the Cairo bookfair,” he said. He was hopeful this year’s fair would offer another exciting distribution opportunity for the BSE.

It was not all plain sailing: the staff faced an exhausting two weeks – needing to dig deep to find the stamina for the long extra hours. Also, the Bible Society was trying to cope with budget restrictions that hampered the availability of some items.

“Finding the extra resources for a major distribution opportunity like the Cairo fair was a real challenge,” said Mr Atallah.

“I only hope that our suppliers can keep up with the demand so that everyone looking for the Word of God is able to find it either at the Cairo bookfair or subsequently through one of our bookstores,” he stated.

Last year the BSE produced a new Selection intended to speak to people about moral issues in light of the Clinton–Lewinsky scandal.

Entitled BathshebaGate, the Selection makes no mention of the US presidential crisis, but focuses on King David’s affair with the wife of one of his soldiers.

Quoting mainly from the Old Testament books of Samuel and Psalms, the Selection concludes with a reference from the New Testament. The Selection has section headings that reflect the modern media’s terminology, but it is believed that the biblical message can clarify the confusion of moral issues in such situations. (WR 339/8 - 3.99) [PHOTOS]

MOSCOW, Russia; February 11, 1999 — The Bible Society in Russia (BSR) has been officially registered under the new religious laws making its work legal once more.

“I am delighted that we can carry on working and are now fully recognised by the state authorities,” said an excited Anatoly Rudenko, Director of the BSR.

“With our recent purchase of the new building [please see World Report February 1999, 338/4] this is all the more important: everything can go ahead now, appeal, renovations, restructuring and all the projects we are doing, with the blessing of the state.”

Currently, a large shipment of audio cassettes containing the dramatised New Testament in Russian has arrived in Moscow and is awaiting clearance. Mr Rudenko thought that the new registration would expedite such procedures all the more quickly.

“There are 4,000 churches out there which have requested to join the ‘Faith Comes By Hearing’ program and are just waiting for these cassettes to get started,” he said.

“We have set up a database at the BSR offices and the New Testament sets will be despatched by mail as soon as they have cleared customs.”

He also said that the project to distribute more than 54,000 Scriptures to children in orphanages and to young offenders had gone very well and was now completed. Reports with photographs would be sent for publication. With the Children’s Scriptures there were also 1,000 sets of cassettes with Bible stories for children on them and 1,000 wall calendars.

“The most important thing for us now is not to lose our impetus, to keep up the pace of our work and not be distracted,” he said.

“My only fear is that one can sometimes become bogged down with internal problems, but now, with this green light it will be all systems go for achieving the most in the course of 1999.”

Photographs of the registration ceremony and document are expected. (WR 339/9 - 3.99)

ALMATY, Kazakhstan — “A high degree of unemployment, low salaries, financial difficulties: all these are affecting everyone here in Kazakhstan,” reports Igor Savich, the General Secretary of the Bible Society.

“This would be bad enough; but at the bottom of the invisible ‘ladder’ are those groups of people that suffer from physical disabilities. Many of them are just miserable people looking for some help but without any hope,” he said.

Photo: People crowded around the bookstall at the Central Asian Missionary Conference in Kazakhstan

There are more than 20,000 visually-impaired people in Kazakhstan. In 1998, the Bible Society decided to direct its energies towards this group with a distribution of Braille and audio-Scriptures on cassette tapes.

“We wanted to reach some of the furthest towns in Kazakhstan,” said Mr Savich. “We also wanted to gather information about the visually-impaired people eager to receive audio-Scriptures, so that we can work with Aurora Ministries in providing for their needs.”

Aurora Ministries (USA) is helping to provide tape players for those with sight difficulties. More than 2,000 blind and visually-impaired people have been given free copies of the Russian New Testament with Psalms on cassette tapes free in the course of the year. Many of these people are not Christians, but the gift of the New Testament is seen as a milestone in raising their hopes and encouraging them in what is often a time of despair.

Also, due to the support of the UBS fellowship, the Bible Society was able to reach other marginalised groups of people with Scriptures. In the last year 200 copies of Gospels and New Testaments were given to prisoners.

Distribution also took place to orphanages and hospitals in Almaty and Aktubinsk. Some 760 copies of different Children’s Bibles in Kazakh and in Russian were set aside for these groups and taken to them by church volunteers.

“Thousands of people of different nationalities and religious backgrounds saw Bibles in different languages and many bought copies.”

For people suffering from leprosy in Kzyl-orda region 100 copies of the Kazakh New Testament and 190 copies of the Kazakh Children’s Bible were provided by the Society.

A small quantity – 200 copies – of Children’s Bibles and New Testaments were also given to children at summer camps in Almaty and in Karaganda. At “Favor” camp in Almaty, Alexandr Pikalov told the distributor that it was good to be able to offer children the Word of God. He found that children who read the Scriptures were positively influenced by them in their attitudes and behaviour.

About 570 copies of different children’s Bible storybooks in Kazakh and in Russian were presented to children on the occasion of special festivals dedicated to the celebration of Christmas in Almaty.

In the course of last year a Kazakh television station organised a programme that aimed to help young children learn the alphabet. There was a competition for the best children’s drawing sent in to the television studio, and the artists of the chosen drawings would receive prizes. As an additional gift for the winning children, the Bible Society provided 40 copies of different Children’s Bibles, and as a result of this the children and their prizes were pictured on television.

The nation’s capital is now the new city Astana – formerly called Akmola – but Almaty, where Bible House is located, is still an important national city and the capital of the south. Many important political, economic and cultural elements continue to operate from there.

The largest Scripture distribution is still done in and around Almaty, but the branches of the Bible Society in Aktubinsk and Karaganda are now working well. The Society continues to expand in opening depots to supply some of the far-flung regions of Kazakhstan. Work has begun to open depots for the south in Chimkent and for the east in Ust-Kamenogorsk. The first consignments of Scriptures is currently being distributed and reports indicate that demand for the Bible is high in Ust-Kamenogorsk

In nearby Kirgyz Republic, the Bible Society has purchased property almost in the centre of the capital, Bishkek. This forms part of a multi-storey building and has enough room for offices, a book shop and almost 100 square metres of space for warehousing.

Bible Sunday gives the Society scope to mount Bible exhibitions and display the Scriptures currently available as well as historic items. Great interest was shown in the new editions and the revision of the Russian Bible. During Bible Sunday in Almaty one church sold more than US $500-worth of Scripture materials.

“The main cathedral is situated in one of the most beautiful parks in Almaty. It is a favourite spot for visitors and many people like to walk in the park at weekends,” said Mr Savich.

“Over Easter, we set up a Scripture bookstall right in front of the Russian Orthodox Cathedral of the Resurrection. Thousands of people of different nationalities and religious backgrounds saw Bibles in different languages and many bought copies.”

The Bible Society has also been active by displaying its range of Scriptures at Christian gatherings. In April the Society organised a stall during an evangelical outreach in the largest Baptist church in Almaty. During the mission the Society promoted the Scriptures at the entrance to the church and many people purchased Bibles.

In May last year, the Central Asian Missionary Conference took place in Karaganda and this attracted more than 400 representatives from Kazakhstan, Kirgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. There were also guests from Russia, Ukraine, USA and Canada.

Photo: These blind people were delighted to receive Braille Portions free of charge from the Bible Society in Kazakhstan

Throughout the conference the Bible was in constant use, encouraging and unifying the Christians representing hundreds of churches from across Central Asia. People could browse through Scriptures in the different formats at the Bible stall, and acquaint themselves with the activities of the Bible Society.

Early in December, the Bible Society was also present at a special Christmas music recital in Almaty’s Central Concert Hall, organised by Lutheran missions. The hall was packed to overflowing, and aside from listening to the beautiful sounds of Bach’s organ music and Christian songs, people, young and old could indulge their interest in the display of scriptures offered in the lobby. Many Bibles and Portions were distributed that evening.

“It has been gratifying to note the interest of many people in the Holy Scriptures,” said Mr Savich, an interest which even surprised the Society staff and volunteers.

Many non-Christians had access to the the Word of God for the first time and were able to purchase anything from Bible dictionaries to an Atlas of Bible lands, Children’s Bibles, and a wide range of Portions, some in different languages.

The current production of the Bible Society is called A Student’s Guide to Bible People, and this is being made available in Kazakh, Kirgyz and Uighur. The book has descriptions of more than 200 famous biblical characters. Its purpose is to get people aquainted with the life and activity of people at the periods in which the Old and New Testaments were written.

It is interesting to note that the Bible is not available in the Kazakh or the Uighur languages, but such a book will prepare the ground for the day when these are published.

A new translation project is the translation of the New Testament into today’s Kirgyz. There is a great need for the Bible in a form of the language that ordinary people will be able to understand easily.

The project, which is supported by the Bible Societies, has progressed to the point where the Kirgyz Gospels of Luke and John are now drafted, checked and ready to print. (WR 339/10 - 3.99) [PHOTOS]

“I was keen to know more about this power that could reach deep inside me and make me feel at once an eagerness to find out more, and also a fear that I was not right with God.”

“It was 1992. I was in a square in my town, and I saw gathered there a group of young people wearing white bands around their heads. They were the volunteers who were prepared to die for the cause. A religious leader then prayed for their success. But could they really understand the cause, or the real reasons for the fighting. I was one who once believed in that cause.

Photo: Shiroli (left) and friend perform Kazakh Christian songs at the Central Asian Missionary Conference

Then I was in Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan, in 1995: I witnessed corpses there in the city streets; I heard machine guns firing. Many people were afraid: it was a difficult time for all of us. There seemed to be no purpose in the killing, no way out of a confusion in which a heartless God seemed to demand the lives of our young people. Nobody could explain to me why people had to die, and why in our country there was so much hatred.

One day, my sister came to my home and told us about Jesus Christ and his message of peace and reconciliation. I was angry to hear this. I tried to find answers and counter-arguments. When I discovered that my wife had also become a Christian I was angry, and frequently argued with her.

Then my son fell ill, and got so bad we thought he would die. Something my wife did touched my heart: she went into another room and prayed. I could hear the words of the Lord’s Prayer and I recognised that she was reading the Bible.

Whatever she had done, it seemed to work, and my son got better. But I still refused to accept that Jesus had had anything to do with it.

The first time I tried to pray was when I heard a Christian hymn in my own language. I felt that something was happening inside me. The biblical words in that hymn went straight to my heart, and I could feel a change taking place. I was keen to know more about this power that could reach deep inside me and make me feel at once an eagerness to find out more, and also a fear that I was not right with God.

After this I started to attend a Prayer House, and when I went, I always seemed to end up in tears. I wanted to pray, but didn’t know how to.

Then there was a time when I struggled – my reasoning arguing with my heart, and my mind gained the upper hand. I became antagonistic in Bible studies and began to doubt what I was hearing.

However, when I started reading the Bible for myself, I found the answers to my questions. I began to understand that my mind could not tell my heart what to feel, what was right or wrong. I also realised the importance of having faith.

I soon came to the realisation from reading the Gospel that Jesus was the Son of God. The more I read, the more I was convinced that the Bible was the truth. I was also convinced of my sin and repented.

From then on the Bible became a very important book for me. Now I am the leader of a group that meets regularly for Bible study. We must seek to live out the Bible in our lives.”

“Many people are open to the Word of God in Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Kirgystan, and it is vital that the Bible be available for them to discover that it is the book of truth.

“Thanks to the help of the Bible Societies, we can continue to supply the Scriptures at reasonably low costs, and our aim is to create a distribution network in central Asia that will enable every person to have access to God’s Word,” Mr Savich added. (WR 339/11 - 3.99) [PHOTOS]

COPENHAGEN, Denmark — “I was very surprised to find a Bible in my own language in a Danish church,” says an Armenian refugee after visiting Kingo’s Church, a local parish church in a multi-ethnic neighbourhood in central Copenhagen. “To me it was a very important sign that the people in this church really cared for the needs of the foreigner. I felt so welcome,” the refugee added.

Kingo’s Church is one of several Danish churches which received a set of 20 Bibles last autumn in the major local ethniciptureity languages, including Arabic, Armenian, Chinese, Farsi, Somali, Turkish and Urdu. The Bibles were part of a national Bible distribution project to immigrants and refugees in Denmark.

Initiated by Biblia, the Danish Bible Society’s bookshop, the project has financial support from the UBS and was organised by the Intercultural Christian Centre (ICC).

The ICC consists of a network of local churches ministering to people across ethnic, cultural and religious differences in Denmark, where some 400,000 people have family roots in another country. The churches involved in the Bible project were carefully selected by the Centre and located in areas with a high percentage of immigrants and refugees.

The only condition for receiving the Bibles was that the church council or the minister in charge had to promise that the Bibles would be placed in a prominent position, visible to the congregation and visitors alike – and not kept in cardboard boxes in the church office!

The Kingo Church council decided to display their new Bibles on a special bookstall at the back of the church near the main entrance.

“We want to show that we are not just here for people who understand Danish,” says one of the pastors.

“Our location in a growing multi-ethnic area of Copenhagen has challenged us to rethink of ways of reaching out to the community. We have decided that we want to make the Bible available to immigrants and refugees in their own language, and to the many asylum-seekers who visit our church once a month for a special service in English.”

Most of the churches which received a set of Bibles have decided not to give the Bibles away but to make them available for use during services. But if someone asks to buy a Bible in his or her own language, that can always be arranged. Some churches have already received several requests for Bibles.

In Denmark, civil registration – the registration of births and deaths – is still done by the Evangelical Lutheran state Church. This means that when a child is born in a non-Christ, animmigrant family, the parents have to inform the local church office and fill out a registration form. Some churches see this as an opportunity for making positive contact with a segment of the population who otherwise would have no contact with the church.

If an immigrant family fails to come to the church office – as many do – a church worker pays a respectful visit to the family, congratulating them on the birth of the baby and offering any help which the family may need.

Another church located close to a multi-ethnic centre for asylum-seekers offers simultaneous translation of the Danish service into English every Sunday. They have found that having Bibles available in various languages has made it considerably easier for newcomers, who speak no Danish and perhaps only a little English, to follow the content of the service.

“Asylum seekers often join our services,” explains a member of the congregation. “Some of them have not been able to take a Bible with them in their own language when they fled their country. So when they find a Bible here in Arabic, Farsi or Armenian they are very excited.

“It has also been exciting for the Danish congregation to see the Word of God displayed in so many different languages and scripts.

“It has helped make us aware that God speaks to all people, irrespective of their language and colour of their skin. Some of us have been amazed to watch refugees who speak very little Danish read a Bible passage aloud in Arabic or Armenian fluently and with authority during the service. This has been a very moving experience for us all.” (WR 339/12 - 3.99) [PHOTOS]

The magnitude-6 quake struck the cities of Armenia and Pereira and surrounding districts in the Andean, coffee-growing region of western Colombia on Monday, January 25. More than 200,000 people were made homeless and upwards of 1,000 people died.

“People are still in shock, but they need more than food, blankets, and a place to stay ... They need help and hope, something to look forward to beyond the disaster and their great losses.”

“I was on my way back to the airport at 1:19 p.m. when the car started jumping,” he said. "The driver stopped and we watched in amazement as people ran about, terrified. Buildings were moving and then began to crack and fall apart. The earth was moving like a giant wave.

“It was frightening. But when I saw it later on television, I realised the magnitude of the disaster, and this shook me even more.”

The hospitals were soon overflowing with upwards of 4,000 injured. Thousands of people were forced to camp on the streets without sanitation or clean water. Water had to be delivered in tanker trucks, but the bad roads to and from the damaged cities made it a difficult and lengthy task for the drivers.

The quake not only destroyed homes, but banks and businesses were left lying in heaps of rubble. Even those who still had their homes had no jobs to go to.

“There’s no money, no banks, nothing!” said a despondent Olinda Otalva, who had been waiting for hours in a queue only to find that the food had run out.

A shortage of trucks and confusion among the aid workers have hampered the assistance program. President Andrés Pastrana said that despite the tons of humanitarian aid that was being sent to the region, the people needed 150 tons of food daily.

“The food we have received is minuscule,” said John Mairo Cohecha, Mayor of neighbouring town, Calarca.

Officials set up food kitchens, and the army distributed thousands of military rations. Some stores, like Armenia’s downtown Cristal Supermarket, gave food away rather than risk looting.

The President appealed to those who still had their homes standing to take in some of the homeless.

“People are still in shock, but they need more than food, blankets, and a place to stay,” said Alfonso Corzo, the General Secretary of the CBS. “They need help and hope, something to look forward to beyond the disaster and their great losses.

“We have already begun a program to distribute Bibles, Selections and Portions that will bring comfort to those who have lost loved ones and help people to trust God for their future.” (WR 339/13 - 3.99) [PHOTOS]

In a project set to run from January 26 through to October 31, the staff of the CBS will be assisted by church volunteers and volunteers from other organisations and ministries in reaching those affected by the earthquake. Information has been gathered about those most in need and the first part of the distribution has begun.

The project aims to replace Bibles lost in the disaster, to spread the message of comfort and hope in God’s Word and to reach everyone with God’s plan of salvation.

A copy of the Bible will be made available to 10,000 families who have lost belongings and homes in the earthquake. In addition, some 30,000 children will be offered New Reader Portions, Bible Comics and Scriptures from the Heroes of Faith series.

Those people in hospitals in the affected area will be given Portions entitled The Way to Spiritual Health – 5,000 of these are being made available.

The Society also aims to reach 10,000 young people with New Testaments. Beyond that the CBS is making available 1.5 million challenging Selections entitled The Right Way. Volunteer groups and churches will help to distribute these throughout the disaster zone.

“It is important, at this time of shared grief and pain, to reach out to the whole population in the affected area with the words of hope and comfort found in the Scriptures,” said Alfonso Corzo, the General Secretary of the CBS.

“We can rely on the help of the government and on overseas aid to solve the material needs, but for long-term problems, for spiritual searching and questioning, we need to make God’s Word available.

“With the help of the Bible Society fellowship, we hope to be able to bring some light and encouragement to those who have been touched by this disaster,” he added.

The CBS is intending to fund the costs of almost half of the planned project, and is appealing to the UBS to help with US $59,400. The total cost of the project has been estimated at $104,000. (WR 339/14 - 3.99)

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil — Commercial companies are beginning to market products for Brazil’s Evangelical Christians. Estimated to include some 18 million people, Evangelicals are now being recognised as an important consumer group in this country.

A publicity poster in which a model announces “The Word of God in Every Tongue” has caught the attention of the Brazilian public. The poster is an advertisement for Hosanna candies (sweets) that carry Bible messages in their wrappers. Similarly, Freegels Gospel candies offer cards depicting biblical characters.

Even toiletries, previously seen as “sinful”, are now offered by Christian companies and are on the shopping lists of many.

“We carry out surveys to find out more about Evangelical consumers,” Jomar Coelho, Manager of the Christian Beauty company, told Vinde magazine.

Christian Beauty currently has 180 products in its Christian line, launched last March. There are lotions, oils and skin cream, shampoo for adults and children, and a series of colognes and perfumes. And the reason why they are categorised as “Christian” is because the bottles and containers of these products have Bible messages printed on them.

The company said it took all the necessary precautions to avoid offending anyone.

“We never take the name of God in vain, and we do not use symbols that contradict the beliefs of the Evangelical people,” said Mr Coelho.

However, the new consumer tendency is causing concern among the more conservative church leaders and members:

“We are experiencing a new process of corrosion,” said Pastor Alcebiades Fernandes Cavalcanti of the Evangelical Christian Church of Belo Horizonte.

Others are in favour of the commercialisation of products that cater to the Evangelical sector. “These products are often sold by unemployed people. . . which means a labour market has been opened,” said Pastor Carlos Alberto Tavares Alves, of the Central Methodist Church in Cabo Frio, Rio de Janeiro.

Furthermore, stores and other outlets that stock Evangelical products have begun to receive another novelty: perfumed oils for unction.

Unction – that is, anointing the sick with oil – is a practice carried out by many Evangelical churches.

Neusi Rossini Pantera, creator of the Alabaster Oils line, attends the Word of God Pentecostal Church and believes that this new line of products will be well received by Evangelical consumers. (WR 339/15 - 3.99)

Photo: Col Camargo (left) receives a Bible from the Rev Giraldi

SÃO PAULO, Brazil — The Brazilian Bible Society (BBS) will produce more than 80,000 Bibles by the end of 1999 and distribute them to all the military policemen in São Paulo. This is the new target of the BBS social project, signed on October 13 in partnership with the São Paulo Military Police.

Various organisations will be supporting this project, whose goal is to help with the development of ethical values among military policemen.

Bibles containing the Today’s Language text and a personalised logo will be distributed to all members of the São Paulo Military Police. This includes the battalions, administrative and command staff, as well as military prisons and hospitals.

“The Bible, as a source of inexhaustible inspiration in promoting life . . . will be a valuable training tool in the Military Police Force.”

With the goal of creating awareness in the Christian community and raising funds to carry out the project, the BBS will coordinate an annual fundraising campaign, calling on churches and individuals to take part in this initiative.

This BBS initiative is in harmony with the philosophy of community policing, which the São Paulo Military Police has been introducing since last year.

“The great goal of community policing is the integration of policemen into society. In this sense, the Bible Society will not just be promulgating the work, but also contributing to the training of the citizen policeman,” said the Chief of Metropolitan Policing, Colonel Suzano, who is also president of the Executive Committee for the Introduction of Community Policing.

According to Colonel Suzano, “All men need to believe in God, and the Bible will provide support to policemen in their moments of difficulty.”

For the Rev Luiz Antonio Giraldi, the General Secretary of the BBS, this partnership is the beginning of a wider project, which will, in the future, be extended to the whole of Brazil.

“The Bible, as a source of inexhaustible inspiration in promoting life . . . will be a valuable training tool in the Military Police Force,” he said. “We shall be producing a sufficient number of copies to provide one for every policeman, and thus be helping community policing to succeed,” Mr Giraldi added.

Colonel Carlos Alberto de Camargo, the General Commandant of the Military Police, emphasised: “Our job brings us very close to society. This often causes anguish, because it gives us the privilege of seeing social problems at first hand and recognising their urgency.

“Given our understanding of the size and importance of social work, we believe this partnership with the Brazilian Bible Society will help us achieve our goals.” (WR 339/16 - 3.99) [PHOTOS]

KAMPALA, Uganda — The children lean forward in the open air, each face a mask of concentration, as Peter reads from the bright yellow Scriptures.

Cycles go by, kicking up sand in the nearby lane, casting long shadows in the late afternoon sun. Across the road, a church meeting is under way. In any other setting, such distractions could affect the lesson. But these children are blind.

Peter Nyomei lost his sight in 1995. Others around him have never been able to see. For Peter, it began with a fever. They took him to hospital and two days later he was blind. “I thought it was the end of my life,” he says, simply. In Uganda, a child who cannot see is a shame to the family and might even be hidden away without schooling or social contact.
Photo: Peter Nyomei, who helps teach other blind people to read

Photo: Peter Nyomei, who helps teach other blind people to read

“Some people think it is a bad omen having a blind person in their family,” says Margaret Kawudha, Peter’s teacher. “Some of these children are treated badly. They are not cared for, and are dressed in rags.”

But Peter heard that it was possible for a blind person to learn to read and write. If so, he thought, perhaps he would be able go to university and fulfil his dream of becoming a lawyer.

There is no doubting his motivation – or his ability. He quickly mastered braille, and now assists in teaching the other pupils at the Iganga School for the Blind.

“As I kept on practising I found it was very easy, so now I encourage my blind friends who cannot read and write to do the same,” he said.

Peter, who is now in his teens, is a great help to his teacher, Margaret. She has been working with the visually impaired for the past ten years and admits there are times when their demands can be overwhelming. But the Bible encourages her:

“It advises you to bear with others in suffering, and that has helped me so much to deal with these children,” she says.

In a society which places no value on the blind, Margaret says the best hope for these children is to learn braille, and then learn to type. Without the kind of teaching provided by Iganga, she says blind children can “find life useless – they grow up disappointed.”

Today there are eight children at the centre, of different ages and levels of visual impairment.

“The chances for them are very good now,” says tutor-in-charge Patrick Mwima-Edube. His pupils are quick and willing, and have retentive memories: "Once you teach something today, tomorrow they can repeat what you taught them. We should not ignore blind people, but give them the opportunity to do whatever they can.”

Peter agrees: “Everyone who knows a blind person should bring them to a school so they can continue their studies, because this is the key to success.”

He reads from the Gospels provided by the Bible Society, while the other children trace the raised letters with their fingers and try to keep up.

John 3:16 is Peter’s favourite verse. The truth of it hit home after he lost his sight. “Some preachers told me that Jesus is the way for eternal life. Now my life is going well, with the help of my Saviour,” he said.

Even though Peter has put his trust in the one who made the blind man see, his own sight has yet to be restored. But he has thought that one through, and says: “I am not worried at all, because even if I cannot see when I am alive, I know that after leaving this earth I will be able to see with my Lord Jesus Christ.”

Peter’s faith is infectious. He has been able to encourage other blind pupils who are still fearful about what will become of them.

“I have been counselling them about their worry and talking to them about Jesus. They realise there is no helper on earth except for our Lord Jesus Christ and many have accepted him as their Saviour.”

Having led 15 blind pupils to Jesus, Peter now encourages them to read the braille Scriptures provided to them by the Bible Society.

“These Scriptures are very helpful. They improve our reading and show us there is a God who created the earth. They lead us to become children of God,” he says.

Ruth Katushabe from the Bible Society of Uganda watches with satisfaction as the children read from the New Reader Portions she has distributed. “Our mission is to reach all categories of people,” she says, “because the Word of God is life for all.”

Her words are echoed by the General Secretary of the Bible Society, the Rev Canon Benezeri Kisembo.

“This is an area of Scripture distribution we have neglected for a long time: Scriptures for the blind. Through braille, they are now able to read about the love of God for themselves. It is an exciting opportunity,” he said.

Peter agrees wholeheartedly. “Please send us more!” he urges, “so we can continue with our studies, to help us in our lives.” (WR 339/17 - 3.99) [PHOTOS]

KAMPALA, Uganda — The Rev Canon Benezeri Kisembo does not shy away from burning bridges. When he became a Christian at the age of 18, he fully expected his father to drive him out of the family home.

By embracing a new faith, he was contradicting his ancestry and upbringing, and rejecting the livelihood his father had prepared for him in the brewery business.

“Being a Christian is like being a soldier…Like soldiers, we expect a hard life and difficulties, but the Lord goes ahead and meets us.”

And at several points in his career, he has uprooted himself to follow God’s calling, giving up several prestigious positions in the process.

“I believe that at every moment the Lord points in the direction where he seems to want me,” says Canon Kisembo, a softly-spoken man of 54. “I believe he blesses me at the point where he thinks I would serve him best.”

Canon Kisembo was introduced to Christianity by his mother, who, although not a committed Christian, taught him the importance of prayer. He was still a child when he determined he would one day be ordained.

“By the time I finished primary school, because I had talked about it, my friends were calling me ‘pastor’. They kept upgrading me until by the end I had reached the top of the leadership in the church!” he said.

Yet fear of his father’s reaction held him back – until God’s Word , and in particular Psalms 23 and 121, convinced him.

“God showed me that he would take care of me. This he did through a number of Scriptures which assure God’s presence for those who are helpless. The Bible convinced me that God would care for me if I committed myself to him.”

To his astonishment, Canon Kisembo’s decision met with his father’s muted approval. And within seven years both his parents were Christians, partly as a result of his testimony.

“I would explain to them that being a Christian is like being a soldier, living from day-to-day by the command of the Lord. Like soldiers, we expect a hard life and difficulties, but the Lord goes ahead and meets us.”

Canon Kisembo became a junior member of the Bible Society in the early 1960s. Twenty years later, he was invited to become its General Secretary. At that time he was teaching biblical studies at university.

“You could say that that job was much more prestigious – much more what one would like to do. But I felt God was calling me to serve Him in this way, by serving the churches,” said Canon Kisembo.

After six years as General Secretary of the Bible Society of Uganda, he felt challenged to move into translation. In 1987 he became an assistant to a UBS Translation Consultant.

After two years’ postgraduate studies in Scotland, he returned home to become a Translation Adviser for Uganda – only to be appointed Bible Society General Secretary again in 1996.

Today, Canon Kisembo is also the father of five children, and his wife Lovey is an Anglican minister.

Although his career path might have contradicted human expectations, it has one constant: making the Bible relevant and available to the African church.

“My belief is that God is speaking through His Word, the Bible. It is to be passed on to as many people as possible in the best way possible, with integrity. I am privileged to be part of this very important process.”

And people’s lives are changing: “My mother and father are different because of the work of God. Many people in my family, my places of work, and where we live, are changing as a result of their encounter with God’s Word.” (WR 339/18 - 3.99) [PHOTOS]

KAMPALA, Uganda — When Martin Ogwang leads worship, he does so with his heart and soul.

It was when God touched him through music that Mr Ogwang became a Christian. He was caught by surprise one day when he called to see an aunt during a fellowship meeting. He loved the singing and praying.

“I went back home and was resting on my bed, when the Lord brought back to my mind every song I had sung and explained it to me word for word.

“The more He explained, the more I understood, and I began to cry. That’s when I totally gave my life to Him,” he said.

Mr Ogwang is now one of the worship leaders at the Anglican Cathedral in Kampala. When he reads his Bible, he comes to one inescapable conclusion: “If you look at the events happening around you, everything points to one fact: Jesus is coming back soon.”

Mr Ogwang also teaches at a Bible study class. Not surprisingly, his favourite book of the Bible is Revelation. “Everything I do is caught up in Jesus’ return,” he says. (WR 339/19 - 3.99) [PHOTOS]

Photo: This tank was one of the first casualties of the 1981 war brought President Museveni to power

KAMPALA, Uganda — Uganda is a country of wars and rumours of war. Ugandan troops are engaged in the Democratic Republic of Congo; the guerrilla Lord’s Resistance Army is active within Uganda’s borders; there is a state of tension with Sudan; and buses travelling from Kampala, the capital, have been blown up. Insecurity is growing.

“It’s a time when many people are really fearful,” says Simon Peter Mukhama, Accounts Assistant with the Bible Society of Uganda.

But God can turn anything bad into good, and Peter believes that through this period of uncertainty people are turning to the Gospel.

“When war comes and there is a lot of fear, people look for refuge. Psalm 121 says: ‘I look to the hills! Where will I find help? It will come from the Lord, who created the heavens and the earth.’ (CEV) "Our only source of strength is the Lord, and those of us who belong to the Lord have confidence, because we know that if the worst happened, we would go home to be with him.”

Peter’s colleague, bookshop clerk Elizabeth Mutumba, agrees. "Whenever there is a crisis in the country, people come to realise they need God,” she said.

Bible Society board member Gary Skinner, from Kampala Pentecostal Church, is also convinced that fear of war is drawing people back to God.

“I think rich Western countries forget God. But where there is trouble, people come to God. There is a tremendous hunger here – there really is.” (WR 339/20 - 3.99) [PHOTOS]

This preposterous situation is a weekly occurrence in many parts of Africa today. Pastors or lay readers often read the Scriptures in English, even when the majority of their parishioners do not understand English well, and even when there is an African language version available.

Why? Firstly, they have not been taught to read the Scriptures in their own languages; secondly, they have had their theological training in English. They are afraid to make mistakes. Also, English has a lot of prestige as an international language.

A working group in The Gambia looked at the results of this situation in a number of local churches and decided to do something about it. They looked a little closer and saw that the majority of people who heard the "foreign" (English) reading did not understand it very well.

They also observed that when an oral translation of Scripture is given, although it is "live", it is sometimes inaccurate or heavy, especially when the text is poetic or from one of the Epistles.

A missionary with Timothy Trust, working with a Bible Society consultant, a pastor, and a Methodist missionary, organised two workshops for Methodist ministers and lay leaders to begin solving the problem in one district of the Methodist Church.

The language situation in the district is complex, but quite typical in West Africa. Three levels of language exist. At the most local level, a number of villages speak Manjako; some speak Jola, and the city churches have mostly Krio speakers.

At the next level ‘up’, almost all the above speak one of the Gambian trade languages – either Mandinka, especially in the interior, or Wolof in the urban centres along the coast. Finally, English is taught in school and used officially in government offices and some churches.

The working group recognised that each language level has a role in the church. The mother tongue is crucial for teaching, and it is the language of the heart.

The Gambian trade languages are important for promoting inter-ethnic fellowship. And English is important because it is the language of formal education, it is prestigious and it opens doors to the outside world.

The workshops brought together primarily people whose mother tongue was either Manjako or Krio. Many of them spoke Mandinka and/or Wolof. This mixture reflects the situation in many churches where people of different language groups are worshipping together.

One of our goals was to model how a church can make effective use of all its languages.

The main emphasis of the first workshop was small-group reading practice in Manjako, Mandinka and Krio. In the second workshop we started a group for reading Wolof.

To prepare for the workshops, the Methodist missionary prepared a lectionary (passages from Mark’s Gospel) which was to be read and expounded in the next three months of the year. These passages were translated in advance by the Manjako team led by translator Pastor Pierre Mendy. The New Testament has already been printed in Wolof, Mandinka and Krio.

In future workshops, we hope to record the selected passages onto audio cassette, so participants can continue to practise the readings with recorded models when they get home.

In addition, for many Manjakos at least, these recordings will be the first ‘Scriptures’ they will encounter in their language. The next step is to get them onto the radio.

As well as reading in small groups, we had plenary sessions in which we demonstrated oral translation technique and sang choruses in various languages. These we printed so as to reinforce the reading lessons. We also presented material showing how similar the alphabets of the various languages are, and how to deal with the differences.

At the end of the first workshop, competitions were held to determine the best readers and oral translators. The competition was enthusiastic and the future looks bright for some good clear reading of the Scriptures in the Methodist Church!

Christians used to be called “people of the Book”, but many churches in Africa have allowed literacy teaching to slide to an alarming degree. We hope to reverse that trend in The Gambia. Working with Timothy Trust and the Bible Society, the Methodists are leading the way. And even where Christians do not become “people of the Book”, they may at least become “people of the cassette”! (WR 339/21 - 3.99)

BAMAKO, Mali — A ground-breaking gathering took place here late last year. This was the first Translation Workshop to be held in Mali. It was also the first meeting of its kind in Mali to be organised by the Bible Society.

Nineteen church leaders and biblical scholars – reviewers and translators – gathered to learn more about the principles of Bible translation and to enjoy fellowship together during the first week of November. It was an opportunity for Elkana Thera, who organised the event, to promote the work of the Bible Society and its links through UBS to the worldwide Bible movement. Mr Thera is the Bible Society in Mali Executive Secretary.

Mali is one of the poorest of African countries, through which the great River Niger passes. It suffers from some harsh conditions: excessive heat and dryness caused by its proximity to the Sahara Desert, and the air is frequently filled with a fine dust blown from the desert by the strong winds. In the north it becomes a desert country, inhabited by nomad groups, the Tuareg.

The UBS is involved in four Bible translation projects here, but it was for the new translation of the Bible into Bambara that people attended this workshop. Bambara is one of Mali’s key languages, with more than two million speakers. This major revision brings together representatives from different churches to produce a modern-language Bible that is acceptable to all confessions.

Two Protestant pastors and 17 Roman Catholics including one bishop, Monsignor Julien Sidibe from Ségou diocese, heard lectures by UBS Translation Consultant, Dr Joachim Somé, on such topics as the names and titles of God, poetry in the Old Testament and the role of the reviewer. Dominique N’Gbesso, Manuscript Examiner from the Translation Centre in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, spoke about the preparation and drafting of manuscripts.

Just as the workshop was coming to a close Monsignor Jean Zerbo, the new Archbishop of Bamako, came to visit the participants and express his own personal interest, as a biblical scholar, in the progress being made on the new Bambara Bible.

“We can anticipate a rosy future for translation work in Bambara, and for the growing collaboration between our churches,” he said. He also underlined the need for the churches to support the Bible Society.

Another late visitor was the Bible Society board chairman, lawyer Louis Auguste Traore, who had been unable to attend the workshop due to his having to attend the International Congress of Francophone Lawyers, running concurrently in Bamako.

“It is important that we help churches to address the problems of illiteracy among Bambara speakers,” he said. He also stressed the need for churches to be involved with the Society and to hold Bible Days once a year when they could encourage their members to become active Bible supporters.

Dr Somé felt that progress had been made at the workshop and was confident that the new translation project could now get under way.

“I would like another meeting to be organised for six months’ time so that we can review progress on the project,” he said.

“This workshop has brought Protestant and Catholics together to study and discuss the Bireta It was a wonderful opportunity to exchange ideas and to find a common bond through our shared faith,” he added.

One of the outcomes of the gathering was a suggestion to plan a Portion which could be published by the Bible Society for the new millennium.

“We need to find out what we can do together in celebration of this special jubilee of our Messiah,” said Monsignor Julien Sidibe. “I feel I have come back to school here and learnt much,” he said of the workshop.

And most participants felt that more time was needed – maybe a whole week in future – to take advantage of such a rare and precious gathering where the Bible, and its originator, were the main focus. (WR 339/22 - 3.99) [PHOTOS]

DALOA, Côte d’Ivoire — Often, a translation team’s work is not confined to translating and preparing the text of the New Testament and then the complete Bible. The translators readily take part in many activities that will encourage more people to read the published text, from literacy helps to public reading functions. Dr Lynell Zogbo writes about the activities of the Bété:Daloa translation team.

“The New Testament has been available in Bété:Daloa since 1997, and the translation committee is now working on all kinds of projects to encourage literacy and the reading of the Scriptures in this language.

During 1998, six Portions were published – five are easy-to-read Portions which should help new readers. Four of these are on New Testament stories, and the fifth, entitled God Created the World, is adapted from Genesis. The sixth is the Portion, Jesus, Who is He?, which is aimed at audiences that have not encountered Christianity, or people who may have heard or read something but have not had access to a Bible.

Two meetings were held throughout the year to encourage the reading of Bété:Daloa. The first, in Abidjan, attracted church leaders and public figures such as Jean Lohourou from the Ministry of Culture, and Trai Bi from the Autonomous Service for Literacy. With the help of Bété-speaking people who are able to read, the audience read together the first letter of John. There was the opportunity to purchase a Bété:Daloa New Testament.

Later in the year a similar meeting was held in Daloa. The aim of this meeting was not only to get people reading the Scriptures in Bété, but also to set up a group of honorary members to promote and support literacy projects in Daloa.

Public officials and church leaders attended the meeting which was addressed by the Mayor of Daloa. Guests then took part in a literacy class repeating sounds and words in Bété. From this meeting many people pledged their support to the literacy cause in the Daloa region. Some people offered to become teachers while others promised financial support.

2,212 of the World’s Languages Now Have Some Scriptures

**At least a part of the Bible has been translated into 2,212 of the world’s estimated 6,500 languages, according to the 1998 Scripture Language Report issued by the United Bible Societies (UBS).**

Prisoners Plant a Sycamore Tree
as a Symbol of Changed Lives

‘Earth Moved
Like a Giant Wave’

Colombian Bible Society Set to Offer Support to Earthquake Victims

Christians Go Shopping
for God’s Message!

*Bible Society Launches Major Distribution* *at Cairo Bookfair*
	CAIRO, Egypt — The Bible Society of Egypt (BSE) was involved in one of its largest distribution programs last month: participation at the 1999 Cairo International Bookfair. While the fair was on, Scriptures were made available at special discount rates through the network of Bible bookshops. Last year and the year before the BSE broke all previous records for Scripture distribution in this way.

2,212 of the World’s Languages Now Have Some Scriptures

At least a part of the Bible has been translated into 2,212 of the world’s estimated 6,500 languages, according to the 1998 Scripture Language Report issued by the United Bible Societies (UBS).

Prisoners Plant a Sycamore Tree as a Symbol of Changed Lives

‘Earth Moved Like a Giant Wave’

Colombian Bible Society Set to Offer Support to Earthquake Victims

Christians Go Shopping for God’s Message!

**At least a part of the Bible has been translated into 2,212 of the world’s estimated 6,500 languages, according to the 1998 Scripture Language Report issued by the United Bible Societies (UBS).**

Prisoners Plant a Sycamore Tree
as a Symbol of Changed Lives

‘Earth Moved
Like a Giant Wave’

Christians Go Shopping
for God’s Message!