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Dear friends,
As Christmas approaches rapidly, may I wish you all the very best for this wonderful festive season when we remember the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. As I write, I am currently attending the World Assembly of the United Bible Societies. It is very exciting to see our brothers and sisters whom we have been supporting from around the world. They are so thankful to God and to you for providing the spiritually hungry of this world with access to Gods life changing Word. During the Assembly we received an update on Opportunity 21, a US$54.8 million programme that ran for 5 years, commencing in 1998. Through this programme the worldwide fellowship has assisted 85 Bible Societies through 400 different projects. Eighty million printed Bibles and five million non-print Scriptures have been distributed. There is indeed much for which we thank God. We have also received news that more than 500,000 Bibles were distributed in China, in vans funded directly from NSW. Since the Amity Press commenced its work in China, 35 million Bibles have been printed and distributed there. Please continue to pray that God will open up more opportunities in this needy country. Over the 2003-4 financial year, NSW was able to contribute $2.25 million to support the work here in Australia and around the world. In such a demanding year, when we sold our old building and bought new premises, moved into new offices and continued to reshape the Society, this has been a great result. In this gift giving season, when we are able to thank God for taking on flesh and coming amongst us, we are also able to rejoice in the work of this great Society and thank God for the privilege of being part of such exciting work. I know the staff of NSW count it an enormous privilege to be your partners and we all pray that God will bless you and continue to enrich you as you celebrate and remember at this time of the year.
Bible Society NSW CEO, Daniel Willis .
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Bibles at Work in Papua New Guinea
The plan is to set up a Language Recording Centre in Papua New Guinea, where the Scriptures can be recorded in two new local languages each year. The text of either the Old or New Testament is recorded word for word in a dramatised format, using up to 25 voices with sound effects and music. These recordings are then played on radio, or in churches, schools, prisons, hospitals, villages and orphanages so that many who cant read the Bible can hear the great story of Gods salvation through Jesus.
The first project planned for PNG, in association with Summer Institute of Linguistics/Wycliffe, is to record the Scriptures in Pidgin. It will be especially helpful for many blind or sight impaired people or for the very large proportion of the population who cant read.
The New Testament will be offered on cassette to every church, literacy group, school, hospital or prison in a particular region. Before the tapes are distributed, group leaders have to agree to play the cassettes for the whole community at least once a week for 30 minutes, followed by a time of discussion. Tapes are distributed by a national worker who will visit each of the listening groups at least three times. They make sure the cassettes are being used and obtain a report on the number of listeners and the impact.
Wherever the Bible Societys Faith Comes by Hearing tapes are distributed in the world, they never fail to create a hunger for Bibles. People are fired up to learn to read because often, for the very first time, they have heard Gods Word in their own tongue. Schools are constantly reporting the benefits to their students, especially for literacy. Teachers say it is about the only tool where children and adults can have both the written text and an audio recording of the same material.
There is great potential here to change the lives of many people and communities in PNG, through the power of Gods Word.
This is a tremendously exciting development on Australias doorstep. Many thousands of people will be hearing the Scriptures for the first time. Imagine providing for the recording of Gods Word in two new languages each year in PNG!
Will you join with us in supporting this wonderful work?
Please send us your tax deductible donation online here.
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Outback Bible - for the Pitjantjatjara People
IIn 1940, school teacher Ron Trudinger arrived at Ernabella in the far northwest of South Australia. He began teaching young Aboriginal children in the local creek bed. Within six weeks he had translated the Lords Prayer into Pitjantjatjara.
Nine years later, thanks to Ron Trudingers ongoing work and with the help of the British and Foreign Bible Society, the Pitjantjatjara people had their own gospel of Mark.
Over the ensuing decades more and more of the Scriptures were translated into the Pitjantjatjara language, until last year, the Pitjantjatjara Shorter Bible was dedicated at Ernabella.
It contains the complete New Testament and 15% of the Old Testament.
The translation was grounded on the work of past Presbyterian missionaries and coordinated by Paul and Ann Eckert. It has taken 21 years to complete.
Now, Bible Society has funded a second print-run of 500 Bibles, so a total of more than 3,000 Pitjantjatjara people can dig deep into Gods Word. They are finding the good God who desires more than anything else to see the people he has created worship and live for Him. Across their vast dry land, people are gathering in small groups to worship, pray and study the Scriptures.
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