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BUCHAREST, Romania — Thousands of young Christians from all over the country gathered together recently to write the Bible from memory in a gesture to show the youth of Romania that the Bible is relevant for this generation, reports the Interconfessional Bible Society in Romania (IBSR).
The streets of Bucharest were filled with the sounds of 4,600 young people as they made their way to Carol Park to take part in the Bible writing challenge on September 12. They were members of Seventh-Day Adventist youth organisations similar to the Scouting movement – the 11 to 15-year-olds belong to a group called the Pathfinders, while 15 to 17-year-olds are known as Companions.
They had travelled from 200 towns across the country with one purpose – to write, as quickly as possible, the portion of the Bible that they had each memorised. In addition to the verses they had been allocated, each participant had learnt a friend's portion in case they were unable to take part.
Organised by the Youth Department of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church, the event was in response to a call by the IBSR that churches run programs to promote the Bible.
“The Adventist Church is very involved in promoting the Bible, and associated this initiative with the IBSR’s Bible Week program, which took place from October 3-10,” explained Viorel Dima, IBSR Treasurer and Public Relations Director of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church.
The event began with Jan Paulsen, President of the General Conference of Seventh-Day Adventists, and Mark Finley, Director of It Is Written television, who joined participants in writing out the first and last verses of the Cornilescu Bible, mainly used by Protestants.
Twenty-eight minutes later the exercise was completed, with the whole Bible written out on 66 paper rolls, measuring in total 1.7 miles (2.8 kilometres). As some people had not turned up, organisers allowed 80 of the 31,102 verses to be copied straight out of the Bible. The manuscript is still being checked for accuracy, but it is estimated that the writing is 95 per cent correct.
Ioan Caraza, IBSR General Secretary, addressed the gathering and also participated in the event, writing a passage of the Bible on one of the paper scrolls.
The exercise was well publicised in the national media, making
it into the news as a top story on a popular television station. Journalists
from the print media also attended and gave the event good coverage.
According to Mr Dima, this sent out important signals to Romania’s youth:
“It highlighted the importance of knowing the Bible, and showed that there are many young people for whom the Bible is still very relevant. The message is that the Bible can offer the best solution for the moral and identity crisis that young people face,” he said. (WR 346/24 - 12.99)
WEST BANK — Preparations for the final Christmas this millennium are in full swing as thousands of pilgrims and tourists are expected to gather in Bethlehem to celebrate Christ's birth 2000 years ago.
The traditional Manger Square gathering on Christmas Eve will take place as normal, but with the new millennium just around the corner there will be an added excitement to this year’s festivities.
To mark this extra-special Christmas the Bible Society in the West Bank (BSWB) is preparing Scriptures, exhibitions and displays, all focusing on Jesus Christ, both as an historical figure and as the Messiah whose birth was prophesied in the Bible.
The first stage of the Bethlehem Bible Experience – an exhibition jointly organised by the BSWB and the Bible Society in Israel (BSI) – opens in the third week of December and aims to draw Christmas visitors into “a unique experience of how Jesus came to us”, according to BSWB Executive Secretary, Labib Madanat.
Combining biblical texts, history, contemporary art, Jewish faith and Palestinian culture, the exhibition is a multi-media portrayal of the story of the Old Testament and the birth of Jesus.
“Starting from Ruth and Boaz and continuing onward to David, the Bible Experience then leads visitors through a cloud of Messianic prophesies to the peak of the birth of our Lord,” explained Mr Madanat. The exhibition is housed in a 300-year-old building in close proximity to the Church of the Nativity. – Please see World Report 343, page 26 for a full report about the Bible Experience.
In Manger Square itself, Christmas crowds will be able to visit the Peace Center, where they will see another Christmas display by the Bible Society. A collection of Christmas icons representing different church interpretations of the birth of Jesus will be shown, along with posters explaining their significance. Many of the icons are very old, and the Bible Society is working on producing replicas for the display.
Visitors to the Peace Center will also receive a Bible Society package containing the book called Child of Bethlehem – a 24-page story about the birth of Jesus, a brochure about the Bethlehem Bible Experience and a leaflet from the Palestinian National Authority. The packages will be available in five languages - Arabic, English, Spanish, French and German – and will be distributed free of charge at Christmas and throughout next year.
“Our aim is to have people leave Bethlehem with impressions in their hearts and the Word of God in their hands,” explained Mr Madanat.
The Bible Society is also involved in the Christmas Eve festivities in Manger Square, and is sponsoring two choirs from Bethlehem and Nazareth. They will take part in a special international program co-ordinated by the Bethlehem 2000 committee.
“All of our activities are aimed at celebrating Jesus, and reaching the millions and millions of hearts that are now wide open for Him,” said Mr Madanat.
Looking beyond Christmas, the BSWB has some high-impact projects planned for next year. Figures indicate that 70 per cent of Christian homes in the region do not have a Bible. As a millennium project the BSWB is planning a distribution through local churches to ensure that each Christian family in Israel and Palestine has its own Bible.
Plans are also under way to launch a Peace Portion, containing stories of reconciliation from the Bible. This is a joint project with the Bible Society of Israel and 40,000 copies will be distributed to communities in the region.
The Bible Society also plans to take advantage of the massive influx of visitors expected in the region throughout next year. “During the year 2000 we hope to be able to distribute 250,000 Christmas packages, 15,000 Arabic Bibles and 1,000 children's packages,” said Mr Madanat. “Yet frankly, these numbers do not mean much. It is all about the joy, life and laughter that Jesus brought to us.” (WR 346/25 -12.99) [PHOTOS]