School distribution warmly welcomed in Egypt

Children with Scriptures supplied by the Bible Society of Egypt as part of its schools distribution project. Photo: BS of Egypt (EGY06DJ-80.JPG)

Children with Bible Society Scriptures. Schoolteachers have welcomed the support from the Society and local churches. Photo: BS of Egypt (EGY06DJ-58.JPG)

EGYPT — Children from impoverished nominally Christian homes have been the target of a large-scale project undertaken by the Bible Society of Egypt this year. Thanks to the efforts of the Society and its partners, many families that could not afford to buy the Scriptures now have easy access to God’s Word through either a Children’s Bible Comic or a beautifully illustrated Children’s Bible.

In close co-operation with local churches, the Bible Society was able to undertake a free distribution in schools of 117,000 New Testaments in Bible Comic format to children aged 12 and 13 and 98,000 hardback Children’s Bibles to children aged nine and 10. And the impact of this initiative is spreading far beyond the classroom: with an average of six people in each household, these materials have reached well over a million people. Many lives have been changed as a result, Bible Society staff believe.

One 12-year-old boy had stopped going to school because his classmates teased him. He spent his days cleaning cars instead. When he heard that free Bibles were to be distributed at his school, though, he returned there so that he could get one. Once again the other children laughed at him and told him that he would not receive a Bible because he did not go to school any more. The driver who was helping to deliver the Bibles saw his distress and spent time talking and praying with him. He promised that he would make sure the boy received a Bible if he agreed to return to school. That night, the boy asked his father to re-enrol him. His mother contacted the Bible Society the next day to express her thanks. Later, the boy himself contacted the Bible Society to say that he had successfully completed the school year and had gone into the next grade.

Another story that Bible Society staff heard involved a family that was holding a funeral in its home. When the priest arrived to pray with them, he asked for a Bible. He was given the Bible Comic. He asked if there was another Bible available, and was told that, until their child received this one from the Bible Society, they had not had a Bible at all.

A lady in southern Egypt had been struggling to read the Bible. Eventually she became so discouraged that she prayed, “Lord, you made me and you know my mind. You know that I cannot understand the Bible. But you made me that way, so please don’t get angry with me because I’m not going to read the Bible any more.” Around four months later, her son received a Children’s Bible through the distribution project. Attracted by its illustrations and simple language, she began to read it to him. When her minister came to visit, she explained how she had given up reading the Bible and how God had responded to her need. She told him that she felt very loved to know that God cared enough to send her a Bible that she could understand.

A young girl with Bible Society Scriptures. Photo: BS of Egypt (EGY06DJ-79.JPG)

The impact of this project on teachers has been equally impressive. Religious Education is a compulsory subject in Egypt’s schools, but Christian children are in a minority in their classrooms, and many teachers are not sufficiently trained or motivated to teach Christianity effectively. They have welcomed the support they have received from the Bible Society and local churches and the fact that they now have access to a Bible written in a clear, simple style. As a result of the distribution, teaching supervisors have started to arrange support meetings and training for the teaching of Christianity. One supervisor was so impressed and grateful that she donated part of her annual bonus to the Bible Society. Another exciting development has been that the Bible Society has received permission to place Bibles and other Scripture resources in some school libraries, most of which did not contain any Christian literature at all.

Motivated by the success of this year’s school distribution project, the Bible Society is planning to undertake further similar initiatives. Using the contacts it has established, it will supply high school students (aged between 15 and 17) with a pocket-size Bible. In addition to the Old and New Testaments in double-column format, this edition will also contain features including notes and a glossary. The distribution will cover all types of high schools, including those where, because of their lower economic status and levels of education, students tend to get overlooked. The Society will also supply 150,000 Lion Children’s Bibles to children aged nine and 10 in 2007 and 2008.