Latest NewsSummaries of stories which have been e-mailed in the Latest News series since the publication of World Report 378:
BANGLADESH
— The New Testament in the Nurpur/Borali dialect of Sadri was launched
in Naogaon district, northwestern Bangladesh, on June 7. People of all
ages flooded in from the surrounding area to attend the launch, and
many were moved to sing, dance and shout for joy as they gave thanks
to God. Many came forward to buy a copy, and within minutes two whole
boxes had been emptied. e-252
July 24, 2003 (WR 379/22 - 9.03) SINGAPORE
and PHILIPPINES — The Bible Society
of Singapore and the Philippine Bible Society have produced Scripture
Selections in response to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (Sars).
In the Philippines, the Society has collaborated with the Department
of Health to produce 100,000 copies of a leaflet containing practical
information about Sars and selected passages from the Bible. The Bible
Society of Singapore is producing a Selection entitled Have Faith,
Not Fear. This will be distributed via churches, individual church
members and para-church organisations. e-247
June 12, 2003 (WR 379/23 - 9.03) PHILIPPINES — The Philippine Bible Society has announced the death of Honorary President Emmanuel Pelaez, “a staunch supporter, faithful friend and leader of the Bible cause”, at the age of 87. After a high-profile political career, Mr Pelaez decided to devote his life to sharing God’s Word. He was greatly committed to making a Bible available to every home, a vision which has now become the guiding principle of the Society’s Light to the Home program (see feature). e-253 July 31, 2003 (WR 379/24 – 9.03) PAKISTAN — Barkat Ullah Khokhar, a former General Secretary of the Pakistan Bible Society, was “a good soldier of the Lord”, according to Anthony Lamuel, the current General Secretary. Mr Khokhar died on February 27 at the age of 76. He became the first national General Secretary of the Pakistan Fellowship of Evangelical Students in 1971 and moved to the Bible Society in 1980. He held several positions within the United Bible Societies fellowship and served on the boards of a number of Christian organisations in Pakistan. e-250 July 2, 2003 (WR 379/25 - 9.03) NEW ZEALAND — New Zealand’s National Bible Sunday 2003 will take place on July 20, or Saturday July 19 for Seventh-day Adventist churches. The Bible Society in New Zealand, which has sponsored an annual National Bible Sunday since the 1980s, is seeking this year to show how the Bible can change people’s lives through bringing them to faith in Christ or strengthening their existing faith. The Society is making available a special resources kit which includes sermon and Bible study notes, testimonies and a drama entitled Changed! e-250 July 2, 2003 (WR 379/26 - 9.03) AUSTRALIA — The Aussie Bible (Well, bits of it anyway!), a re-telling of the best-known parts of the New Testament in Australian English, is to be published in August by the Bible Society in Australia (New South Wales). The author, Christian broadcaster and journalist Kel Richards, has taken familiar parables and the key events in Jesus’s life and re-written them using words and expressions unique to Australian English. His version is designed to appeal to “anyone who’s stopped reading the Bible because they think it’s dull.” e-248 June 20, 2003 (WR 379/27 - 9.03) MOZAMBIQUE — Distributors, or ‘motivators’, equipped with bicycles will take Faith Comes By Hearing (FCBH) audio cassettes to communities in northern Mozambique where Ilomwe (Lomwe) is spoken. The first FCBH New Testament cassettes in one of Mozambique’s indigenous languages were launched at a ceremony in Molocue on May 25. Just a few days before, cassettes in Portuguese were launched in Nampula, moving the FCBH program outside Maputo City for the first time. e-248 June 20, 2003 (WR 379/28 - 9.03) MADAGASCAR
— Two days of celebrations marked the launch of the Interconfessional
Common Language Malagasy Bible, the first new translation since the
original 1835 Malagasy Bible. The new Bible was presented to church
leaders at Bible House on June 21, and a thanksgiving service attended
by around 12,000 people was held at the national stadium in Antananarivo
the following day. Both events were covered by newspapers, radio and
television. e-253
July 31, 2003 (WR 379/29 - 9.03)
ZIMBABWE
— Injustice, growing poverty and the HIV/AIDS crisis are the three
major issues confronting Zimbabweans today, and many are losing hope
as they watch their once prosperous and peaceful country slip further
into chaos. This is how the Rev Dr Roy Musasiwa, Principal of Domboshawa
Theological College, portrayed the situation in Zimbabwe during the
Bible Society of Zimbabwe’s Annual General Meeting in May. Painting
a bleak picture of a country on the brink of total meltdown, Dr Musasiwa
emphasised the importance of rebuilding the nation on biblical principles.
“God starts by transforming us inside and then enables us to perform
outward works of righteousness,” he said. “We all believe
in human rights but without the fear of God we do not usually ‘walk
the talk’. The Bible, as the Word of God, has far-reaching ramifications
in terms of social transformation.” e-248
June 20, 2003 (WR 379/30 - 9.03) GHANA — The Bible Society of Ghana has announced the death of former board member Professor Ebenezer Aidoo on July 3. Professor Aidoo was one of the group of church representatives who laid the foundations for this Bible Society, and he later held various positions within the United Bible Societies (UBS) fellowship. At his death he was still a UBS Vice-President. David Bolade, Chairman of the UBS Africa Area Board, has paid tribute to his “untiring sacrifice and dedication”. e-251 July 17, 2003 (WR 379/31 - 9.03) USA — The American Bible Society (ABS) has paid tribute to Dr Harold Clark Bennett, who died on July 27 at the age of 78. The death of Dr Bennett, who was elected to the ABS Board of Trustees in 1980, has left a “profound sense of loss”, according to ABS President Dr Eugene Habecker. Dr Bennett served on several committees and sub-committees and was particularly influential in guiding the 10-year project to produce The Learning Bible. e-253 July 31, 2003 (WR 379/32 – 9.03) |
