UBS and Orthodox Churches Establish Common Ground (Cyprus)
Christians in Kuwait Have Home-Grown Pastor
Bible on Display in Turkey
“Now We Are Able to Read It!” (Ukraine)
Bible Society Launches Bible-Listening Program (Russia)

The UBS invited representatives from the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox Churches to meet with UBS leaders and national Bible Society staff to build on working relationships already established in many countries where Orthodoxy is the major Christian denomination.

A full range of subjects concerning Bible translation, production and distribution were presented, along with the issue of co-operation between the churches and their national Societies. Much discussion took place, and issues of differences as well as common ground were confronted.

“As is often the case, the real work of building relationships of trust and mutual understanding took place outside the formal sessions,” said Dr Simon Crisp, UBS Translation Consultant who reported on the consultation.

“It was obvious, however, that participants shared a lively commitment to the Holy Scriptures. This gives strong hope that the openness and friendship experienced here will continue to characterise the dialogue between Orthodox Churches and the UBS in the years ahead.” Officially opened by Bishop Chrysostomos of Kition – representing the Archbishop of Cyprus – the consultation was put on course by former UBS General Secretary, the Rev Dr Ulrich Fick – who served the UBS from 1973-1988. He spoke on the subject of ‘The Bible Societies – Servant and Partner to the Church’. This opened the way for much discussion that followed on the relationship between the churches and the Bible Society.
 

“It was obvious, however, that participants shared a lively commitment to the Holy Scriptures. This gives strong hope that the openness and friendship experienced here will continue to characterise the dialogue between Orthodox Churches and the UBS in the years ahead.”

“The sheer amount and variety of collaborative work already under way helped to make the consultation more of a consolidation exercise – building on an existing partnership rather than attempting to start something from scratch,” said Dr Crisp.

Some of the outstanding points discussed at the consultation concerned biblical translation and the church tradition, guidance for readers rediscovering the Word of God after many years of deprivation, and the Scriptures in alternative media in an Orthodox context.

There was also some discussion about the traditional perception of the Bible Society being a Protestant organisation. How could this be overcome, and in what ways could Orthodox Churches make better use of their national Bible Societies? 

“Each church can bring its own emphasis to the global attention,” he said. “We must also respect the differences of other churches.”

Metropolitan Philaret of Belarus spoke of the need for biblical helps for readers and used the example of the new Belarus translation of the Bible. Anatoly Rudenko, Director of the Bible Society in Russia (BSR), and Dr Michael Seleznev, BSR Editor in Chief, outlined the specific material being developed by the BSR to match the needs of the churches.

Each representative at the consultation was presented with a copy of the newly published ‘Icon Bible’ in Russian and church Slavonic – a BSR production. The Rev Lucien Accad, General Secretary of the Bible Society of Lebanon, presented material prepared specifically for an Arab and Middle East context.

‘What makes a good translator?’ was another discussion topic – was the quality of personal holiness preferred to technical competence?

“A memorable moment was provided by Father Elias Huurinainen, who gave a moving account of the reception of the recently published Udmurt New Testament in the Volga region of Russia,” said Dr Crisp. “Many people had reacted with joy when they discovered that the Scriptures were now available to read in their language.”

A set of six recommendations to the Bible Societies from the church delegates was presented to the UBS representatives. In his closing remarks, the Rev Miller Milloy, Europe-Middle East Regional Secretary, emphasised that the UBS would take these very seriously. The UBS and national Societies were committed to future discussions with the Orthodox Churches. High on the agenda would also be the development of translation work and alternative media for the Scriptures in nations where the Orthodox Church was the main church.

Partnership was a key word that featured again and again. It was also a key word in the closing statement issued by the consultation: “To further a sense of partnership in Bible work, the Consultation encourages the UBS to continue dialogue with representatives of the Orthodox Churches on the issues of Base Text and translation principles.”

“The spirit of co-operation and mutual respect which characterised the Larnaca Consultation owed much to the planning group in putting together a balanced and challenging program,” said Dr Crisp. Those who helped to organise the meeting and the hosts were also commended for their effective work in accommodating the consultation participants. (WR 340/2 - 4/5.99)

KUWAIT CITY, Kuwait — From petroleum oil to spiritual oil, the Rev Amanuel Ghareeb has made history: he is the first Kuwaiti to enter the full-time Christian ministry. And Mr Ghareeb is an active member and supporter of the Bible Society in the Gulf.

Mr Ghareeb, who was 25 years in the oil business, received his theological training from a Bible school in Cairo, Egypt, and was recently ordained as pastor of the National Evangelical church.

He is also on the Advisory Committee of the Book House Company, the centre of Bible distribution in Kuwait, and is its legal sponsor. Since it opened last year (please see World Report September 1998, 333/28) the Book House Company has been serving all the Christian churches in the peninsula with the Scriptures in the formats they require.

Mr Ghareeb is also a member of the Regional Advisory Committee of the main Bible Society in the Gulf.

“We are delighted that Mr Ghareeb has been ordained as a full-time minister for the Kuwaiti church,” said a Bible Society spokesperson. “His commitment to the Bible Society cause is exemplary, and it is thanks to the support of people like Mr Ghareeb that the Scriptures can be made available throughout the Persian Gulf.”

Mr Ghareeb, who is married with three children, is one of 250 Kuwaiti Christians. Most of the Christians in Kuwait – there are some 150,000 – and in the Gulf are foreigners, either from Western countries and Europe, such as the USA and Britain, or from Asia, mainly the Philippines and India, working there on contract.

Despite the fact that the Christian church has existed in these desert lands since the early journeys of St Paul, it is unusual to find more than a handful of indigenous Christians, these lands having embraced Islam for about one and a half centuries.

In Kuwait there are now many different church groups ranging from Protestant to Roman Catholic, from Orthodox to Evangelical. Mr Ghareeb says he will use his position in the church leadership to continue promoting the Bible. The challenge of the new millennium is to provide the Scriptures in new and appropriate formats to reach everyone in their heart language. (WR 340/3 - 4/5.99) [PHOTOS]

ISTANBUL, Turkey — “Is this really the ‘Injil’ [the New Testament]? We were taught in school that the Bible has been changed. Is it true?”

Questions like these are commonplace to staff of the Bible Society in Turkey when they man the bookstall at one of the many book fairs held in several of the major cities throughout the year. In this instance, the book exhibition was the one held in Istanbul known as the Tüyap Book Fair. The Bible Society distributed 417 Bibles, 585 New Testaments, 1,055 Portions and 25,000 Scripture Calendars.

“This year [1998], the Tüyap fair was crowded and most of the visitors were students,” writes a Society representative in a report submitted on the fair which took place in November. The Prime Minister, Mesut Yilmaz, opened the fair, emphasising the importance of books in people’s lives and culture.

“For many people, it is the first time they will come across a Bible or New Testament,” says the report. “So they are naturally excited. We thank God for the opportunity to explain the Bible openly. We talked to many people and explained the way of salvation to those who asked about it.

“People are more willing to listen to information about Jesus and the Bible. We always pass on the addresses of local churches where the people can go to find out more.

“This year we distributed many Scripture Calendars we had specially prepared, and many people were impressed with them and thanked us.

“The more we attend these book fairs, the more we become a familiar sight and people recognise the Bible Society stand and know about the work we do. In this way we see the walls of ignorance and confusion between our two faiths being broken down. This year we did not experience any difficulties.

“People visit our stand not so much to argue as to listen and find out more about the Bible. They are also more ready to accept that what they have been taught about the Bible has been misguided.

“Many people who came to our stand this time said that they already had a New Testament and wanted to purchase the Old Testament. One customer wanted to purchase 50 Bibles as a gift to the church in Samsun.

“One young man came to enquire about Christianity. He had discovered that his grandparents were Christians, even though he himself was from a Muslim background. His home town was Adiyaman. We were able to supply him with an address of some believers who live there.”

The Bible Society participated in the Tüyap Book Fair as a joint venture with Life Agape and Karmel Mission. (WR 340/4 - 4/5.99)

KYIV, Ukraine — The following letter was received by the Ukrainian Bible Society (UkBS). It refers to the distribution of Braille Scriptures in 1997 and 1998. (Please see World Reports April/May 1998, 330/6 and June 1997, 321/2.) Maya Benediktovich, Fundraising Officer for the UkBS, who also works with the distribution of Braille Scriptures, sent in the letter:
 

The UkBS is currently raising funds locally for the ongoing program of producing books of the Bible in Braille. The UkBS makes these available throughout the country through libraries, through associations and schools for the visually-impaired and the blind, and to individuals who have expressed a desire to study the Scriptures. The Braille Scriptures are made available free of charge. (WR 340/5 - 4/5.99)

MOSCOW, Russia — With the new registration of the Bible Society now giving the organisation legal status in Russia, and the arrival of the audio material from Hosanna, the Faith Comes By Hearing (FCBH) program is now beginning in earnest.

“We have taken delivery of 4,000 sets of audio cassette tapes of the New Testament in Russian for churches that have agreed to participate in the FCBH scheme,” said Anatoly Rudenko, the Director of the Bible Society in Russia (BSR).

“We have collected more than 3,500 requests so far from churches – different congregations all over Russia – who are eager to participate in the program. And according to our estimate, this includes more than 70 per cent of all Russia’s Protestant churches,” he said.

With eight operators – five based in Moscow, one in St Petersburg, one in Novosibirsk and one in Vladivostok – the Bible Society has attempted to make contact with all church leaders of a given area to talk about the FCBH program. This has entailed much groundwork and travelling, attending church conferences, and sometimes even having to wait for transport opportunities to reach the furthest outpost churches. More than 600 requests for the program have come from churches in Siberia and the Far East of Russia. By the end of March it was hoped that the cassettes will all have been mailed to the participating churches.

“We intend to start an ongoing correspondence with the churches to find out how the program is working out,” said Mr Rudenko. “So far, we have had many good and appreciative comments on the quality of the recordings. Now we anticipate the impact this program is going to have upon the growth of the churches.” (WR 340/6 - 4/5.99)