O-21 Momentum
Grows Worldwide

READING, England — Nearly US$15 million has been designated to special projects around the world under the UBS Opportunity 21 expansion program, and these projects are already beginning to have an impact on people in dozens of countries, according to O-21 Global Coordinator the Rev Bill Jefferson.

“O-21 is well under way,” Mr Jefferson said, explaining that “O-21 comprises more than 375 projects in some 65 countries, with the aim of providing God’s Word to people of all walks of life.”

Funding

All projects have now been approved for funding by the UBS Executive Committee, he noted, and an additional $10 million in funding from the American Bible Society and the Maclellan Foundation is expected to be forthcoming this summer.

Pledges from other national Bible Societies continue to be received, with total gifts from the UBS Fellowship outside of ABS now topping $3 million. The Fellowship is raising $15 million toward the $90 million goal, with ABS committed to raising and providing the rest in partnership with Maclellan.

“But the exciting thing,” Mr Jefferson emphasised, “is that these gifts are already being translated into programs that are touching people’s lives.“Over the past year,” he explained, “the bulk of O-21 program activity has taken place in the Europe and Middle East, but as O-21 progresses the initiative will achieve a greater international balance.

“As for Europe and the Middle East, programs have been approved in 19 countries, with Bible Societies expecting to benefit from $21 million in support. All projects have clear target audiences, objectives and expected outcomes. As of May, 76 of the 140 projects in the region had already received at least partial funding.”

Europe-Middle East projects range from the newly-opened Bible History display in Jerusalem to outreach efforts in the remotest regions of Siberia. Once funded and completed, they will represent a 50 per cent increase in UBS support for work in the region.

Scriptures for pilgrims

As the Roman Catholic Church has declared 2000 a year of Jubilee, much attention has been focused on Italy and Rome, and the Bible Society of Italy is translating O-21 gifts into Scriptures for hundreds of thousands of pilgrims.

These include providing 230,000 multilingual Gospels of Luke in seven languages that are being placed in hotels. One spin-off of this project is that it has inspired similar publications in Poland, Germany and several other European countries.

In addition to other special Scriptures, the Bible Society in Italy is also sponsoring a public reading of the Gospel of Mark in 11 languages at the location of Trajan’s Market, near the Colosseum. The reading was scheduled to begin on June 9.

Exhibitions

Opportunity 21 is also making possible special Bible exhibitions in Rome, Bethlehem, Jerusalem and other locations around the world, placing the Bible before the public in new and dramatic fashion.

Among several O-21 projects in Egypt is a special “millennium package” being distributed in large quantities that includes a cassette tape with readings from the Gospel of Matthew.

“These packs have made a great impact across the country and are laying the groundwork for the future," noted Bible Society of Egypt General Secretary Ramez Atallah.

But O-21 is already sharing God’s Word far beyond the Middle East. In Cuba, some 39,000 contemporary Bibles are reaching the hands of a youthful target audience. With colour supplements designed to help establish them in their faith, ‘do-it-yourself’ sections, and a thematic Bible reading plan, these Scriptures are proving to be useful tools for churches in their ministries with young people.

In the nearby Dominican Republic, O-21 is funding a project to help reach children who have emigrated from Haiti. So far some 6,000 Haitian Creole Bibles and 1,000 New Testaments have been bought, and O-21 is funding a part-time Haitian promoter in the Republic to lead the outreach.

Sudan

Work continues in Sudan, where O-21 funds are helping train evangelists and provide Scriptures being used in conjunction with the Jesus film. Response in this huge African nation has been extremely positive, as the church there continues to grow despite difficulties.

The Argentine Bible Society recently concluded its O-21-funded ‘Bible and Ethics’ program, which helped unite those involved in politics and business. More than 50,000 New Testaments and 150,000 Scripture Portions were distributed through church leaders and Christian organizations. Direct contact was made with political and government leaders in the national Congress and Senate and state legislatures.

One of the largest O-21 projects is India’s ‘Jubilee 2000’ program. New Testaments are being prepared in 16 major Indian languages as just one aspect of this US$504,000 project.

“These are just some of the highlights from the projects that have begun this past year,” Mr Jefferson said, adding that “O-21 is being enthusiastically embraced throughout the UBS Fellowship.”

Impetus

One of the most important aspects of O-21, Mr Jefferson noted, was that it has been the impetus for cooperative efforts with other major Christian ministries. One of these is the Millennium Tribute to Jesus project jointly sponsored with Campus Crusade for Christ.

“At the end of 1999 the Millennium Tribute to Jesus (MTJ), a special showing of the Jesus film, was aired in some 129 countries,” Mr Jefferson said. “In many parts of the world this was a very positive experience.

“One of the more productive areas was South America. In Bolivia, the Bible Society distributed 200,000 Gospels of Luke as part of this joint effort, while in Argentina, the city of Buenos Aires alone received 700,500 Gospels as a result of the telecast.”

In India, 650,000 Gospels of Luke were printed in 12 languages, and thus far 42,847 people have made requests. These numbers are expected to rise as a result of telecasts during the Easter season.

Numbers increase

An analyst at the UBS World Service Center suggests that “not counting India, some 100 million people may have seen the MTJ, with the numbers continuing to increase through subsequent video screenings.” Numbers for India were large, but difficult to estimate.

The UBS O-21 partnership with the SAT-7 Christian television station in the Middle East continues to move forward.

Characters

“SAT-7 is breaking ground in Christian programming in the Middle East through its new series featuring the lives of Biblical characters like Abraham, Joseph and others, as well as dramas like the new 90-minute program portraying the story of The Prodigal Son," Mr Jefferson reported.

Other joint projects include work with SIL/Wycliffe, Hosanna/Faith Comes By Hearing, and the International Bible Society.

“What some have seen as simply a fundraising campaign has now moved to the stage where, because of this initiative, men, women, and children around the world are receiving God’s Word in a variety of ways,” Mr Jefferson declared. “At its essence, Opportunity 21 is an opportunity for people!

“And while we are encouraged by the initial funding efforts, there is still a long way to go in meeting the $90 million target. But with O-21 supplementing the regular UBS World Service Program, I truly believe we are entering a new era of effectiveness for the Kingdom of God.” (WR 352/1 - 7/8.00)

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UBS-SAT-7 Partnership to Bear Fruit

NICOSIA, Cyprus — The partnership between the UBS and satellite television company SAT-7 is set to present the Scriptures to a whole new audience in the Middle East and North Africa.

Under a program called Audio-Visual Scriptures for the Arab World, the UBS is working with the Christian channel to develop video material suitable for an Arab audience. The program is part of Opportunity 21 (O-21), a three-year drive by UBS to reach a larger global audience with the Gospel.

SAT-7 was set up in 1995 with the aim of strengthening the Church in Arab countries. In April it began broadcasting daily, which increased its need for high-quality Christian programmes. When funds allow, it aims to extend its transmissions to 24 hours a day.

According to Nadim Costa, SAT-7 Country Director for Lebanon, children form the most important section of the channel's audience.

Whole family

“If they are happy with a programme, they'll talk about it and eventually the whole family will sit down and watch… You capture the children's attention and you capture the family.”

Included in the broadcast and distribution programs planned under the terms of the SAT-7 partnership with UBS are the highly-acclaimed series Storykeepers, and Testament: the Bible in Animation.

Storykeepers is an animated series for children which retells the main incidents of the life of Jesus in the context of an adventure story set in Rome in AD64. The 13 films were commissioned by Independent Television in the UK where they are now being shown for the fourth time. So far the series has been sold in 105 countries and translated into 36 languages. The Bible Society of Egypt has been distributing a dubbed version of it for two years. The Testament series was made by S4C Films and shown on BBC television in 1996 to great acclaim.

Distribution

A 90-minute drama called The Prodigal Son, made in Egypt, drew a favourable response when it was broadcast on SAT-7. The O-21 funding will provide for further broadcasts and for its distribution on video cassettes.

Also included in forthcoming schedules will be new programmes for young people and other programmes tackling social issues such as AIDS and attitudes to disabled people, which are seldom covered on television in the region.

Television is the primary source of information and entertainment in the Arab world. Offering the prospect of uncensored broadcasts from overseas, satellite receivers found a large ready market in the Middle East from the end of the 1980s – particularly in countries such as Morocco and Algeria which do not enjoy a free press. While literacy rates are low, televisions are found in the homes of more than 95 per cent of the Arab population.

SAT-7 broadcasts on two satellites to ensure coverage of the entire Middle East, North Africa and much of Europe, where there are many Arab-speaking immigrant communities. (WR 352/2 - 7/8.00) [PHOTOS]

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UBS Chief Editor Moves On
After 10 Years

READING, England — Geoffrey Stamp, 50, Chief Editor in the UBS Communications Services Department for the past 10 years, has resigned to focus on international free-lance photojournalism.

Mr Stamp, who joined UBS from Thompson Newspapers in 1990, is credited with bringing the World Report from a typed news digest into a monthly publication featuring news, feature stories and photos, and serving a global UBS Fellowship that has mushroomed in size during his tenure.

He also instituted the UBS E-mail news service, which has continued to expand, and has made several international trips to gather material from the field first hand. These include a 1992 trip to East Africa, a visit to Cameroon, Mali and Tchad in 1995 and a trip to Ukraine in 1996.

Breadth

Asked to sum up what he has learned in the course of 10 years he refers to the breadth of the UBS operation and – although he dislikes the term – its interconfessional nature.

“We work with all denominations, all churches, all people of Christian faith,” he said, “because we gather around the one thing that is central. Of course, the Cross is central and the Saviour himself is central, but included in that would be the Word of God.”

All-embracing

“The broad interconfessional nature of the UBS work is the same as God’s love: it’s an all-embracing work.”

Mr Stamp will continue to work for UBS in a free-lance role, and he will also be available for work with national Bible Societies and other Christian ministries and missions.

“We will miss Geoffrey’s vast knowledge, experience, and skills in the office,” said Larry Jerden, UBS Head of Communications, “but I look forward to being able to use his writing and photos in the months ahead. His resignation is a loss for us but I am pleased his skills will still be available to the Fellowship.”

“I am excited about being able to focus on my first love – photojournalism,” Mr Stamp said. “I am also looking forward to being able – at last – to spend more time with my wife and family, as we are expecting a baby in December!” (WR 352/3 - 7/8.00) [PHOTOS]