Bible Society ministry actively supports Christian community in the Gulf

Migrant Filipino workers with Scriptures received from the Bible Society in the Gulf. Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Photo: BS Gulf (GUL04DJ-18.JPG)

GULF — Underpinning the rapid economic expansion of the Gulf region over recent years has been a massive influx of migrant workers. Arriving from countries including China, the Philippines, India and Sri Lanka, they have mainly found employment on construction sites and in the households of wealthy families. With them have come new challenges for the Bible Society in the Gulf.

Across the seven countries for which this Bible Society in responsible, new congregations of speakers of languages such as Telegu, Malayalam, Sinhala and Tamil have been established. Most of these people are labourers, many of whom are unable to read or write. All earn a very modest wage, and some are badly treated by their employers. Meeting their needs requires the Bible Society to be flexible and innovative, sourcing a range of biblical materials in a number of different formats and often distributing them at a considerable discount or even free of charge.

Establishing a network of Bible Centres across the region has proved a particularly effective way of making contact with migrant workers. Some of these Centres are modest buildings, while some, like the one that opened in Jebel Ali, Dubai, United Arab Emirates in October 2003 (see Latest News # 263), are on a much larger scale. In every case they actively serve the local community, offering somewhere where individuals can come to view and buy biblical materials (see Dinesh’s story) and providing a source of support for the churches. Often, the Bible Centres are one of the few places where Christians of different denominations can come together in a relaxed atmosphere. Through this ministry, then, the churches have come to see the Bible Society “not just as a bookshop but as a ministry that is involved in the community and here to support them,” reflects Executive Secretary Hrayr Jebejian.

Within its ministry to the expatriate community, the Bible Society is keen to work with children, recognising that encouraging them to engage with the Bible is a vital tool in helping them to cope with the social and economic pressures they face. Here, creative elements such as drama and music are being used to great effect to overcome barriers of language and culture, as witnessed by the joy shining on the faces of the children who attended the Just for Kids performances in the United Arab Emirates in October (see Latest News #290).

Same goal

The Christian community in the Gulf has its own special characteristics, but the Bible Society which serves it has the same goal as Bible Societies around the world: making God’s Word available in a language that people can understand, in formats they can use and at affordable prices.

Based partly on an interview with Hrayr Jebejian by John Binnington, Information Officer, Scottish Bible Society. (WR 390/19 - 02.05)

An earlier report about the Bible Society in the Gulf’s ministry to migrant workers in Bahrain can be found in World Report 367/31. Detailed information about the Bible Society in the Gulf’s projects relating to migrant workers can be found in the Program Book.