Global News

Mission Adventurers get set to sail

Mon, 16 Aug 2010 07:10:05 GMT

Were you at Parachute? You may have seen Bible Society staff in bright orange Hawaiian shirts next to a 25-foot sailing boat. Bible Society attended the 20th Parachute Festival at Mystery creek at the end of January to raise awareness of Bible mission and the urgent need to get Bibles to those who don’t have access to God’s Word.

With this year’s focus on the South Pacific, they were also there searching for someone to send on a life-changing sailing mission to deliver Bibles to remote Fijian islands.

Congratulations go to Bridgette Moffat from Hamilton and Heather Penman from Auckland, (pictured above) on being selected from over 500 people who signed up for the possibility of being chosen. They’ll be joining the yacht Seahawk in Fiji for what will no doubt be a unique mission experience to see Bible delivery first hand.

Bridgette, 20, who is studying Science at Waikato University, dedicates time to helping young people, especially teens, and supporting them on their spiritual journeys.

Heather, 25, currently temping, enjoys working with disabled children and loves her role as a youth leader.

Both girls play active parts in their churches and communities and have a real heart for mission. It’s clear that God is at the centre of how they live their lives and all they do.

They’ll be flying to Fiji on 18 August where they’ll be hosted by Bible Society South Pacific’s General Secretary in Suva before joining the Seahawk in Levuka on Ovalau Island. They’ll visit villages to help deliver Bibles and have the chance to experience village life and culture as well as see firsthand the life changing effects of sharing God’s Word with those who don’t have it. The yacht will also visit Gau Island before returning to Suva.

Heather and Bridgette are excited about the opportunity to help change the lives of those they meet and know their lives will also be changed as they step out of their comfort zones to go on this mission adventure.

Follow the girls' trip online or www.facebook.com/ChangeLivesToday where you can also leave messages of support and prayers for the girls.

Read more about Bridgette and Heather’s Mission Adventure and share your messages of support for them on Facebook.

Samoan New Testament received with joy

Thu, 05 Aug 2010 00:43:21 GMT

Bible Society in the South Pacific General Secretary Solomone Duru was among those who attended the dedication of the Samoan Contemporary New Testament held at the National Council of Churches premises in Apia, Samoa’s capital, on 2 July.

Women eagerly read the Samoan Contemporary New Testament at its launch.

The new diglot publication uses the newly translated contemporary Samoan text alongside the English Good News New Testament. Its dedication was organised by the National Council of Churches and attracted a large number of Church leaders. Also present was Roger Bolam from Dayspring Yacht Ministry, supported by Bible Society New Zealand. He sails the yacht Seahawk across the South Pacific to bring God’s Word to remote island communities.

“This was a momentous day for Samoan Christians and for Bible Society,” he says. “The first Good News version of the Samoan Bible has been launched after 40 years in the translation process, giving Samoans at last a modern parallel translation of the Word of God which the young people here can relate to."

“We have also seen some difficult differences between various parties involved in this work being graciously settled. The joy on their faces as these old hurts were resolved was a delight to witness."

Rebuilding spiritual lives
“Dayspring Ministries was warmly acknowledged for its work in bringing Christian books to Samoa as gifts for the tsunami-affected villages. And in true Island fashion there were exchanges of gifts, much speech-making and a spectacular meal!”
“As well as providing comfort to those affected by the tsunami,” Bible Society adds, “the new translation will help to improve biblical literacy levels, as it is easier for people to read. Our prayer is that their spiritual lives will be rebuilt.”

Bible translation work around the world

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 01:18:04 GMT

A first-time translation of a full Bible into a language takes about 12 years to complete. The average cost of the entire project is $300,000.

New Zealand A Tokelauan choir helps to mark the occasion of the launch of the New Testament.

Translation projects on schedule
Last year saw two significant events for New Zealand Bible translation projects.
In May, the Tokelauan people received the New Testament for the first time in their own language. Work on the Old Testament is continuing with seven books due for completion by the end of this year. The full Bible translation will be finished in 2015.
A few months earlier key Maori denominational leaders met at Bible House where they agreed that it is time to begin work on a new Maori Bible translation.

Although the Paipera Tapu (Maori Bible) was first published in 1952 and is regarded as a taonga, its language is now somewhat out of date, especially for second language speakers.
Bible Society has begun the search for a kaituitui (project coordinator) to co-ordinate phase one of this project, which will establish the framework for the new translation.

Papua New Guinea Bible Society is working to bring the Word of God to communities such as this one.
Bible Society Translation Consultant, Dr Stephen Pattemore, and leader of the Magi translation team, Ian Onaga, with the Magi Bible Portion.

Translation ‘no easy road’
It’s not easy being a Bible translator in Papua New Guinea.
Primitive conditions such as no electricity or phones and long distances over poor roads mean that many translators work in near isolation with only an occasional visit from a Bible Society Translation Consultant.
Take the case of the Magi Old Testament, for example. First begun in 1999, the translators have only recently published the first 20 chapters of Exodus and 8 other Old Testament books.

Their progress would be better if they had access to a solar-powered computer.
The Koita people are making some progress on their translation of the New Testament, partly because they have 13 teams of 5 people working on it. Their sense of urgency stems from the fact that they see it as an opportunity to preserve their language. As well, they have seen the improvements in the behaviour of their young people after they have received Bible teaching.
There are 12 Bible translation projects in which Bible Society is involved in Papua New Guinea as part of its vision of seeing people equipped with Bibles in their heart languages.

Africa “Please bring us the Word of God in our own language”, say these Christian Konakuma girls.

“God’s Word is quite foreign to us.”
On the border of the African countries of Mali and Burkina Faso live the Konakuma people.
At church and at school they worship and learn in up to four languages, none of which is their heart language of Konabere. “In church, the Word of God is taught in a language which is quite foreign to us,” says Rokia, a young Christian woman.
“Both Christians and non-Christians here feel that Christianity is a religion which is not of their culture,” says Jacques Dembele, Executive Secretary of the Bible Society of Mali. “That’s why we are working to bring the Konakuma people the Word of God in their own language.”
The Konabere New Testament translation project was established in May by the Bible Society of Mali in partnership with the Bible Society of Burkina Faso, and the local Churches.

Azerbaijan One who received a Bible is Azeri Christian, Fergana

From fear to faith!

In 1990, the Soviet regime fell in Azerbaijan.
By 1994, Bible Society had begun the translation of the Bible into Azeri. It became available to Azeri Christians in 2009, replacing the Old and New Testaments, which were written in Arabic and no longer understood by most Azeris. One who received a Bible is Azeri Christian, Fergana (pictured above).
“Before I became a Christian I lived in fear,” says Fergana. “I was searching for hope. I read religious books but they did not speak to my soul. Until one day my husband and I met an evangelist, who gave us a New Testament in Azeri, my heart language. “After reading it I moved from knowing great fear to knowing great hope. “Now that I have the full Azeri Bible, I am very happy and grateful to God.”

Sudan Dr Edward Kajivora

A task dogged by death

Undertaking a Bible translation is always a challenging task. But in a country in the throes of civil war it can become deadly.
The Moru Old Testament translation in southern Sudan began in 1960. It ran into trouble early on when the first translator died, and all his work was lost. The baton was passed to Canon Ezra Baya, who made slow progress after being forced to go into exile in Uganda.
In 1983, the second civil war broke out and Canon Ezra, who had returned to Sudan in 1972, decided that the manuscript would be safer at Bible House in Juba, the capital of the south.
But the area was controlled by rebels who would behead anyone trying to enter the city.
Local people agreed to help and piece by piece the translation was smuggled in.
One man was caught. The rebels spared his life but they tore up the Epistles of St Paul and used them as cigarette papers. In 1991, increased fighting saw Canon Ezra and his daughter try to escape to Juba. They were both killed in crossfire.
The church selected two translators to continue the project but they were haunted by the fate of their two predecessors and quit. Bible Society was close to suspending the work until the war was over. Then it heard about Rev Kajivora, a Moru Christian, who was finishing his MA in England. He agreed to take up the project, but his wife begged him not to.
But eventually they returned to Nairobi and the project was completed in 1997. After 37 years, the Moru people finally had the Old Testament in their heart language.

Eight languages get first-time Bible in 2009

Last year the eight language groups that received a full Bible for the first time were:
• Bassa: Liberia (Liberia)
• Dagbani (Ghana)
• Gangte (India)
• Ifugao:Antipolo (Philippines)
• Miao:Hwa (China)
• Naga:Tangkhul (India)
• Pokoot (Kenya)
• ruHaya (Tanzania)
The countries whose 21 language groups received the New Testament for the first time in 2009 were Papua New Guinea (5 language groups), Indonesia (2 language groups), Mexico (2 language groups), Guatemala, India, Togo, Bostwana, Iran, Brazil, Kenya, Cameroon, Vanuatu, Sudan, Myanmar and the Tokelau Islands.
Forty seven other language groups received at least one book of the Bible for the first time in 2009.
A total of 2,508 language groups around the world have at least a portion of Christian Scripture available to them. It is estimated that there remain over 4,000 language groups in the world without any Scripture at all.

Will you please help progress Bible translation work around the world?

Please click here to give your gift online.

You can also send your gift today to:

Bible Society, Private Bag 27901, Marion Square, Wellington 6141

Thank you and God bless you!

Sons of Korah - NZ Tour Schedule 2010

Tue, 27 Jul 2010 03:48:16 GMT

With their unique acoustic, multi-ethnic sound, Sons of Korah have achieved an intriguing re-creation of the musical drama of the psalms. Sons of Korah have put the Word of God and music together in a dynamic and captivating way in order to bring an impacting encounter with the heart of the Bible. From lamentation to song of jubilant praise, from battle cry to benediction, from exclamation of awe and wonder to reflection of tranquillity and perfect wisdom, Sons of Korah provide a compelling portrait of the world and experience of the psalms.

FRIDAY 27TH AUGUST
8pm, Hornby Presbyterian, 27 Amyes Rd, Hornby, Christchurch

SATURDAY 28TH AUGUST
8pm: Elim International Church, 22 Tennyson St, Wellington

MONDAY 30TH AUGUST
8pm, St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, 42 Glasgow Street, Wanganui

TUESDAY 31ST AUGUST
8pm, Northpoint Baptist Church, 116 Mangati Road, Bell Block, New Plymouth

THURSDAY 2ND SEPTEMBER
8pm, Otumoetai Baptist Church, Corner of Otumoetai Rd & Claremont Tce, Tauranga

FRIDAY 3RD SEPTEMBER
8pm Hamilton Central Baptist Church, 33 Charlemont Street, Whitiora

SATURDAY 4TH SEPTEMBER
8pm, St Pauls Anglican Church, 25 Symonds Street, Auckland

http://www.sonsofkorah.com

The Word Went Out in 2009

Thu, 22 Jul 2010 04:29:14 GMT

Bible Society worldwide distributed more than 29 million Bibles during 2009. This is three percent more than the previous year. As well, over 11 million New Testaments were distributed.

390.5 million other Scriptures – including individual books of the Bible and selected Bible passages – were also distributed last year.

The country with the greatest distribution was Brazil who sent out a staggering 221 million items of Scriptures. There were also large overall increases in Scriptures distributed in the Philippines, Honduras and Panama.

New Zealand distributed 77,500 Bibles in 2009, a 16 percent increase on the previous year. New Testaments and individual books of the Bible and selected Bible passages distributed here totalled 761,996, up from 531,646 in 2008.

Foreign-Language Bibles in Timaru Libraries

Wed, 14 Jul 2010 22:39:41 GMT

Members of the Timaru Bible Society Action Group presented Bibles in Maori, Samoan, Korean and Chinese languages to the Timaru District Library on June 10 2010. Alison Linscott and Margaret Hughes represented the Action Group in presenting the Bibles to District Librarian Nigel Brown.

And on Thursday 1 July, Margaret Hughes presented Bibles in Pidgin, Maori, Samoan, Korean and Chinese to the Aoraki Polytechnic Library.

The Timaru Action Group donated the Bibles so that members of Timaru’s multi-cultural community and overseas students at the Polytechnic would be able to read the Bible in their own language. The gift was the result of an idea that took many months to realise. The Action Group raised the money to purchase the Bibles by selling Christmas cards and by holding coffee & dessert evenings and a sponsored walkathon.

The staff at Aoraki Polytechnic have realised the importance of providing pastoral care for their overseas students and were very grateful to receive the Bibles, as was Pukari Gerald, a student from Papua New Guinea.

L to R: Felicity MacFarlane, Angela Spence, Margaret Hughes, Pukari Gerald. L to R: Alison Linscott, Margaret Hughes, Nigel Brown

Photos: Timaru Courier

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/ED1007/S00013.htm/

Bible Society Partnership with Prison Chaplaincy

Tue, 06 Jul 2010 02:08:13 GMT

Bible Society Partnership with Prison Chaplaincy Going from Strength to Strength

At Prison Chaplaincy’s recent staff conference, Bible Society’s Engagement Advocate, Stephen Opie, reaffirmed Bible Society’s ongoing commitment to serving prison chaplains throughout the country through the provision of free scriptures. For many years, Bible Society has been resourcing chaplains by providing much need Bibles, Testaments and other resources for prisoners, thanks to the generosity of Bible Society’s supporters. “Resourcing chaplains in this way is a key part of Bible Society’s mission in New Zealand,” Stephen said.

Prison Chaplaincy National Director David Major stated that the partnership with Bible Society remains one of Prison Chaplaincy’s most important as they minister in New Zealand’s 20 prisons.

At the conference Stephen announced two new projects that the two organisations would be partnering in.

The E100 Bible Reading Challenge, with more than 325 churches and 23,000 people involved, will be made available to prisoners by the three organisations that developed the resource (Bible Society New Zealand, Scripture Union and Wycliffe Bible Translators New Zealand). This will be a great resource for prison chaplains as they encourage prisoners to read the Word of God.

Bible Society also announced that a special edition prison Bible will be produced in 2011, in partnership with Prison Chaplaincy. The cover of this Bible will feature the winning artwork from the 2010 Prison Chaplaincy art competition.

East Coast Bays Action Group Dinner

Tue, 06 Jul 2010 00:15:14 GMT

The East Coast Bays Action Group held a dinner on the 19th June 2010, with the aim of raising enough money to fill a van with Bibles for distribution in Pakistan. Several churches from the East Coast Bays were represented amongst the 160 people who gathered together for fellowship and dinner at the Northcross Community Church in Brown’s Bay.

The guest speaker at the dinner was Francis Burdett, attending his first action group event as CEO of Bible Society New Zealand.

In an interview with, Don Bycroft, the Chairperson of the Action Group, Francis highlighted the long tradition of Bible Society in “getting Bibles into people’s hands and hearts”, and the need to embrace new communication technologies to continue this mission in today’s society as we move into the future.

Later in the evening Francis spoke on the challenges facing the Christians in Pakistan, who account for just 1.5% of the 177 million population, and where 70% of the people are considered to be living in poverty.

A DVD was shown in which the General Secretary of Bible Society Pakistan, Anthony Lamuel, expressed that “the distribution of Bibles is a challenging task for the Bible Society staff. We are thankful to the Lord that still we are distributing Bibles more than before. We believe that God’s hand always protects us and new distribution doors open to continue our ministry.”

Francis also relayed a recent conversation he had with Anthony, who expressed “how appreciative and blessed all at Bible Society Pakistan feel because of the support (both prayer and financial) provided to the mission by Bible Society supporters in New Zealand.”

Musical items from members of the Sandeep Jeewan Church (a Pakistani Church in Auckland), and from soloist Oneal Mendosa, provided much appreciated entertainment.

A big thank you goes out to all who made this wonderful event possible with a special note of thanks to our caterers, Cely & Jim Milmine and their team.

In the closing words of Francis Burdett: “Thank you for your interest in, your partnership with and your prayers for Bible Society in New Zealand and Pakistan, and may the Lord richly bless you for your generosity as you assist in making sure His Word, the Bible, gets into the hands and hearts of needy people.”

The Action Group is pleased to report that the dinner raised a total of $4,000 for Bibles for Pakistan.

Mr Anthony A. Lamuel, General Secretary Pakistan Bible Society The Bibles are loading in the Van Scriptures being delivered to the Salvation Army in Lahore, Pakistan Mobile Christian bookshop, Lahore, Pakistan

Bible Society lists second coolest job!

Thu, 24 Jun 2010 00:45:51 GMT

Bible Society lists second coolest job!
Trademe recently ranked an advertised Bible Society position on its coolest job list!

Our advertised position for a Maori Bible Translation coordinator came in at number two coolest job for the month of June. Bible Society staff agree with the ranking and believe any job here would rank just as high, if not at number one spot.

One staff member says “I love working at Bible Society. It’s not often you get to work in a place where you know all your colleagues have the same faith as you. And it’s rewarding knowing that we’re helping do God’s work and build His kingdom. It’s a real blessing and a privilege to be a part of.”

Applications for the position have now closed and the selection process is underway.

Check out the job they’re referring to.

Scriptures for World Cup

Thu, 24 Jun 2010 00:45:18 GMT

The Bible Society of South Africa is among agencies working to ensure that God’s Word is present among the excitements and disappointments of the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Under the auspices of The Ultimate Goal (TUG), 20,000 Bibles are being distributed free of charge and the Bible Society is also supplying Bibles in various languages to churches and missionary organisations involved in further Scripture distribution relating to the World Cup.

And if you have watched any of the World Cup games, you will have heard the vuvuzela, which is bringing a unique and almost deafening sound to the World Cup venues. It is also used as an instrument of worship in church services in Botswana. One church attendee refers to the vuvuzela as ‘a biblical instrument’.

Share Jesus through football!

Fri, 21 May 2010 04:04:35 GMT

The Prize – Chasing the Dream
Limited release DVD - 2010 World Cup football stars share their testimonies.
Share it with family, friends or show it at youth group.

Share Jesus through football!

The Prize – Chasing the Dream is the story of how six football heroes have followed the ball to the ultimate prize – and new life.

Football. It’s the game that gives birth to dreams worldwide. Follow Lucio, Kaka, Oscar Ewolo, Nicola Legrottaglie, Marcos Senna and Cyrille Domoraud as they follow the ball to the highest levels — and discover that the real prize is not found so much in a ball, or a match, or even the sport itself ... it’s found in a person.

Watch the preview online at http://www.theprize.com/

We have a limited number of The Prize DVDs available for all you football fans.

This is a great chance to share your love of football and your love of Jesus with your friends and family.

Only $5 including postage – while stocks last

Order yours now

Only 100 available – order quick

Phone 0800 424 253 to place your order or email us at orders@biblesociety.org.nz

Please include your name and a contact phone number.

UBS Prayer Day 2010

Tue, 11 May 2010 21:24:54 GMT

On Sunday 9 May, Bible Society staff, supporters and volunteers from around the world will observe the official United Bible Societies Day of Prayer for 2010. It’s a special day dedicated to prayer for the great work God is doing through more than 140 Bible Societies around the world.

Staff at Bible Society New Zealand began with prayer for global Bible Society work on Thursday morning, 5 May. Staff gathered around a floor-size map of the globe with prayer points for different countries located around the outside.

“It was a moving experience to stop and pray together in silence as a team for Bible Society staff and supporters in various countries. I am in awe of this global organisation God has established and all that it’s doing to share the love of God to the people of the world,” Stephen Opie, Bible Engagement Advocate said.

Churches are invited to join us to observe this special day. An official Day of Prayer service sheet issued by Bible Society New Zealand is available for download here.

http://biblesociety.org.nz/mediafiles/ubs-prayer-sheet.pdf

It includes specific prayers for Bible Society New Zealand and its’ partner organisations.

New Regional Representative for East and South Auckland

Tue, 11 May 2010 20:52:55 GMT

Bible Society is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr Steve McRobie as regional representative for East and South Auckland. Steve will be the ‘human face of Bible Society’ among churches, Christian leaders and Bible Society volunteers in the region.

Steve has most recently been the senior minister of The Sanctuary Church in Auckland. He has prior involvement with a number of South Auckland ministries including working with the Papatoetoe Adolescent Christian Trust (P.A.C.T) of which he remains a trustee, Heartbeat City Ministries and Prison Fellowship New Zealand.

Steve has a Bachelor of Applied Theology and a Diploma in Missions (Community and Chaplaincy) from Carey Baptist College.

Steve is also a keen sportsman and particularly enjoys tag and rugby league. He was a member of the team that won the over 35s national Tag championship in 2009 and was also a member of the 2006 - 2008 New Zealand Tag team (over 40s) which played against Australia.

Steve lives in Papatoetoe with his wife Sarah and their two sons. Steve is of Ngapuhi and Irish descent.

You can email Steve at Steve.McRobie@biblesociety.org.nz, or phone him on 0272400030.

Kiwi Christians join together to help change lives around New Zealand

Mon, 10 May 2010 20:51:37 GMT

Bible Society New Zealand is excited that over 1,000 Kiwi Christians have joined together on Facebook in an effort to help change lives around New Zealand. The ‘Change Lives Today’ page was created as a way to help young Kiwi Christians put God’s Word into action in their own communities.

Each week a new challenge is posted with a Bible reading and practical ways to apply it to daily life. Fans of the page are invited to share their experiences, thoughts and ideas to help inspire and encourage each other.

“We’re thrilled with the response and that so many are taking these challenges seriously,” says Silke Hendel, Bible Society’s Marketing Manager.

A wide range of topics has been covered so far, from learning about God's heart for the poor to celebrating God’s written word.

“Young people are finding the challenges really useful and it’s great to see them interacting with and encouraging each other” says Silke. “They’re providing genuine support to each other as they seek to understand what the Bible has to say about issues they deal with every day. It’s such a privilege to be part of that.”

Bible Society invites young Christians to join the page and be part of a community that aims to help provoke life changing action all around New Zealand. The ‘Change Lives Today’ facebook group is a place where young Christians are encouraged to not only help changes lives around them but also share their experiences to help inspire and encourage others to do the same.

Sons of Korah - New Zealand Tour 2010

Thu, 06 May 2010 05:00:55 GMT

An Australian band of musicians who put Psalms to music is set to tour New Zealand, aiming to give gig-goers a fresh experience of the Bible.

Sons of Korah bring the Word of God and music together in a dynamic and captivating way, leading their listeners into an encounter with the heart of the Bible. The band is able to take audiences on a journey through the emotions found in the book of Psalms, from the depths of despair to the heights of praise. From lamentation to songs of jubilant praise, from battle cry to benediction, from exclamations of awe and wonder to reflection of tranquility and perfect wisdom, Sons of Korah provide a compelling experience of the Psalms.

For thousands of years believers have used the Psalms in worship. Sons of Korah bring a unique contemporary flavour to this tradition with their acoustic, multi-ethnic sound.

The members of the band believe the Psalms, which portray a rich, multifaceted and real spirituality, resonate with a postmodern world that is generally more interested in what the biblical faith looks like from the inside than in following a doctrinal creed. Sons of Korah invite their listeners to discover, through their music, the way in which the Psalms can impact our lives today.

“The spirituality of the Psalms is not romanticised. It’s real, written in the face of military threats and dangers” says Matt Jacoby, Sons of Korah founding member and lead vocalist.

Bible Society’s Events Manager, Bruce Peterson, who is helping organize the tour, says: “What better way to engage with the Bible than by experiencing the Psalms as they were intended to be used. The blend of music and Psalms produces a very powerful experience of worship that can add a new dimension to your faith.”

Below are the tour dates, yet to be confirmed, for the Sons of Korah New Zealand Tour 2010.

Friday 27 August – Christchurch

Saturday 28 August – Wellington

Sunday 29 August– Wellington

Sunday 29 August – Palmerston North

Monday 30 August – Wanganui

Tuesday 31 August – New Plymouth

Wednesday 1 September – Taupo

Thursday 2 September – Rotorua

Friday 3 September – Hamilton

Saturday 4 September – Auckland

Sunday 5 September – South Auckland/Howick

Sunday 5 September - North Shore

The Sons of Korah New Zealand tour is proudly presented by Bible Society New Zealand.

17,000 Kiwis reading the Bible together

Wed, 21 Apr 2010 23:47:13 GMT

More than 250 churches around New Zealand signed up to take The E100 Bible Reading Challenge which launched on Sunday 19 April, with 17,000 people set to take the challenge in the coming months. E100 is the essential 100 readings through the Bible, designed to help people gain a better understanding of the Bible Story.

The goal of the Challenge is to help Kiwi Christians build a regular habit of meeting with God through His Word and prayer, with the ultimate goal being transformed lives.

“This initiative has been designed to encourage churches to take the challenge together,” says Stephen Opie, Bible Society’s Bible Engagement Advocate. “By taking the challenge together in a community, participants are more motivated and encouraged by those around them to keep going.”

One church, in Porirua, shared their enthusiasm following a strong message from their preacher on the importance of God’s Word in our daily lives and how it is inspired by God.

They launched the challenge within their church following the sermon and included an introduction to their small group leaders. They also handed out the companion books, planners and a welcome letter to participants. “Based on an initial survey of our church members we, in faith, ordered more books than were needed. On Monday we had to order more books because those we had ran out!” said Lisa who is helping to run the challenge in her church.

“People seemed really keen to hang around, look through the book and 'compare notes' with each other.” says Chris, a challenge coordinator. He and his wife Lisa also reported that many who were not previously interested were challenged on the day to participate including a young man who walked in off the street who has decided to sign up and commit to one of the E100 small groups.
Another person who attends very occasionally took the companion book commenting that this was something their family (Mum, Dad and two kids) needed to do together.

"It's exciting that so many in our church are taking part and all reading from God's Word at the same time. This is really easy to follow and easy to understand" say Mavis and Dora, who are taking the challenge.

A real spirit of excitement is generating around the country for the potential impact of having tens of thousands of people reading their Bibles together. Bible Society, Scripture Union and Wycliffe Bible Translators partnered to develop this initiative for New Zealand.

They’re thrilled with the positive response to this venture and are hoping it will really help New Zealanders make spending time with God through the Bible and prayer a priority in their lives.

If you’re not part of an E100 challenge, you can visit www.e100nz.org.nz to find out how you can participate as a church or an individual.

(L-R) Elizabeth, Mata, Emmanuel, Nikita, Marianne and Luke from Porirua Salvation Army are all geared up for their E100 journey. Bible Society Staff are also enjoying the E100 Challenge.

To download high resolution photos visit our media gallery page.

E100 Bible Reading Challenge launches across New Zealand

Fri, 16 Apr 2010 00:12:40 GMT

The wait is over! The E100 Bible Reading Challenge will be launched in churches all over New Zealand this Sunday 18 April. E100 is the essential 100 readings through the Bible, designed to help people gain a better understanding of the Bible story.

Stephen Opie, Bible Society’s Bible Engagement Advocate says: “It’s hugely exciting to see so many churches joining up to take the challenge. Doing it together as a church, including the children, enables greater accountability and encouragement for participants.”

More than 250 churches and nearly 17,000 people have signed up to take the Challenge. The campaign has been developed for New Zealand by a partnership of three Bible-focused organisations: Bible Society New Zealand, Scripture Union and Wycliffe Bible Translators New Zealand.

In addition to helping participants understand the Bible story, the ultimate goal is to help Kiwi Christians build a regular habit of meeting with God through His Word and prayer.

A recent study conducted by Bible Society, revealed that less than a quarter of Kiwi Christians read their Bible each week. This research confirms the growing Bible engagement crisis happening in New Zealand. Despite the ready availability of Bibles in many different English versions, most New Zealand Christians do not see engaging with God through Bible reading as a priority.

“E100 is a personal challenge that requires commitment from individuals. For many Christians, Bible reading is not a priority. We’re hoping E100 will help people make it a priority in their lives,” Stephen says.

“For some time we've been spreading this Bible engagement crisis message as far and wide as we can, but were unsure if the wider church was actually hearing it or taking it seriously. We now know that they are, and 250 churches signing up to E100 is a great indicator that church leaders want to do something about it.”

Stephen also acknowledges God’s provision over this project. “With so many potential planning issues, it was evident in so many ways that God had a hand it making this happen, specifically when it came to receiving the materials on time from different parts of the world where they were being printed. Everything just fell into place.”

We also had volunteers turn up and offer their time and efforts with E100 which we’re very grateful for.”

At Bible Society, we hope and pray that when participants complete the 100 readings they’ll continue on their journey of reading the Word of God regularly and develop a closer understanding of the Bible.

Not part of an E100 Challenge yet? Click here to find out how you can be

Handy pocket size fold out brochure with all 100 reading references broken up into 20 weeks of five readings. Keep a track of your progress with the punch-out card. The E100 Companion Book contains useful introductions to each of the 20 weeks' readings. It has a dedicated page for each reading that includes a practical commentary on the passage to help you apply it to your life. Also includes daily prayers and thought provoking questions. This book contains two separate discussion guides. Journey in Community is more focused on examining the biblical text and drawing out it's meaning for us today. Signposts places more emphasis on life-application and helps groups apply what they've read and learned to everyday life. Use one or both guides together when leading a small group. Bring your family together around the E100 Bible Reading Challenge with this fun and activity filled devotional. God’s Amazing Plan features 20 devotions – one for each week of the challenge – that draw out the significant elements of the Bible story in a dynamic and exciting way. God’s Amazing Plan also features a short reading for each day of the week.

Not one, but two! Mission Adventure winners announced

Wed, 31 Mar 2010 01:07:48 GMT

Over the past few months Bible Society have been searching for someone to send with a mate on a life-changing sailing mission to deliver Bibles to remote South Pacific islands. For full details please check the mission adventure page.

Over 500 people signed up for the possibility of being chosen to join the yacht Seahawk in the South Pacific for what will no doubt be a unique mission experience to see Bible delivery first hand.

"We were overwhelmed by the number candidates filled with a passion to share God's Word" says Silke Hendel, Bible Society's Marketing Manager, "it's awesome to see so much enthusiasm about getting Bibles to those who need them and even more encouraging that the younger generation not only understand this urgent need but so enthusiastically support what we are doing".

After a long process and much prayerful consideration we're pleased to congratulate Bridgette Moffat on being chosen to go on the mission adventure. Bridgette has an incredible heart for mission and is already making a huge difference helping change lives in her church and community.

Bridgette is currently studying Science at the University of Waikato

Bridgette was able to choose one person to take with her on the trip. Rather than take someone she knows she has graciously chosen to take another candidate who was short listed. So we'd also like to congratulate Heather Penman who will be joining Bridgette on the mission adventure.

Heather is a youth leader from Auckland.

Both Bridgette and Heather have a strong passion to serve so we know they'll have a huge impact not only in the South Pacific but also in their own communities.
This year's sailing itinerary has yet to be finalised, so we'll be working with the girls to coordinate their trip once dates are set.
To find out more about Bridgette and Heather and to follow their journey when they're in the South Pacific, join us on Facebook

Find out more about Bridgette and follow her adventure

Find out more about Heather and follow her adventure

Change Lives Today

We still would have loved to have been able to send more people on this trip says Silke, but we always knew that wasn't possible, which is why we also created a 'Change Lives Today' page on Facebook that includes practical challenges on putting God's Word into action and encourages people to share their experiences and ideas to inspire others.

Obviously we recognise that it's not just the South Pacific that needs our help to change lives, we can start right here at home in our own back yards. The page is a way for people to share their passion and help change lives every day with those around them. We hope the page will provoke life changing action in New Zealand and show young Christians how to put God's Word into action in their own back yards every day.

So many of those who entered the mission adventure really do want to make a difference and help change lives and we consider it a privilege to be able to give them a way to do that.

Change Lives Today on Facebook

Richmond Action Group Rides the Rainbow

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 04:02:10 GMT

Members of the Richmond Action Group and supporters tackled the Rainbow Ride on Saturday 27 February to raise funds for Bible work in Vietnam.
The ride, which begins near St Arnaud in Nelson Lakes National Park, takes riders 106 kilometers over New Zealand’s highest public road and finishes in the Canterbury town of Hanmer. The unsealed road, stream crossings, arduous climbs and fast descents all add to the challenge.

Twenty riders participated, most completing the full distance. Riders either made donations or raised sponsorship to support the printing and distribution of Bibles in Vietnam, where exciting opportunities are opening up for Bible Society work.

The unsealed road. The riders and the support crew. Rev Murray McCaskey, Chairman Richmond Action Group and Allan Davidson, Bible Society regional services manager at the summit of New Zealand’s highest public road. Getting to the top. The support car with a flat tyre!

Scripture in 43 Languages for the First Time

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 19:48:25 GMT

Speakers of 43 languages had translations of the Christian Scriptures available to them for the first time in 2009.

The full Bible was translated in eight of these languages and the New Testament into thirty-five, according to the 2009 Scripture Language Report published by the United Bible Societies. Christian Scriptures are now registered in 2,508 different languages and dialects but this still leaves more than 4,000 languages without even one book of Scripture.

Among the Scriptures to be launched last year was the New Testament in Tokelau. It was dedicated in a service in Porirua last May. Work on translating the Old Testament into Tokelau is continuing.

It takes on average 12 years to complete a translation of the entire Bible and Bible Society is currently working on more than 530 translations of the Bible.

Yes, I’d like to support Bible translation.

Bible Still Top-seller in NZ

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 23:50:39 GMT

Bible Society distributed 77,500 full Bibles within New Zealand in 2009 which is over 10,000 more Bibles than were distributed in the previous year. More than 12,000 of these Bibles were in languages other than English.

Reporting to the annual general meeting of Bible Society last month, chief executive Rev Mark Brown also said that Bible Society had given away 11,966 Bibles for use in prisons, hospitals, rehabilitation centres and among young people.

While Bible Society is New Zealand’s main Bible distributor, when their total is added to other Bible distribution outlets the number of Bibles distributed in New Zealand last year almost certainly exceeds 100,000 which, yet again puts the Bible at the top of the best-seller list.

Bibles in China Top 50 Million Mark

Fri, 19 Feb 2010 19:59:51 GMT

Following a record 4 million Bibles printed at the Amity Press in China last year, the total number of Bibles printed there since the Press was established in 1987 topped the 50 million mark last December.

All 50 million Bibles have been distributed within mainland China, mainly to Christians but they are also freely available to anyone who wants a Bible.

The Amity Press was a Bible Society initiative and supporters of Bible Society in New Zealand have contributed generously both to the original building of the Press and the printing of the Bibles. Gifts pay for the paper which costs about $2.00 a Bible. This subsidy makes the selling price of a hardcover full Bible about $2.00 making it very affordable to most Chinese.

“The Amity Bible Press has been called ‘a modern miracle of God’”, said Bible Society CEO Rev Mark Brown.

“How else can you explain record numbers of Bibles being printed to help nurture the faith of record numbers of new Christians in what is essentially an atheistic state?

“That said, Bible Society and the Chinese church work closely with the government there in the production and distribution of Bibles. And we intend to do so for as long as there is a need for Bibles in China,” added Mr Brown.

BIBLE SOCIETY SETS SAIL FOR PARACHUTE

Mon, 25 Jan 2010 02:13:20 GMT

We’re excited to announce that we’ll again be supporting Parachute Festival as official sponsors.

Parachute Festival is the largest Christian music festival in the Southern Hemisphere with a mission to connect people to Jesus through music. Our presence gives us a tremendous opportunity to engage with the 28,000 new and existing young Christians expected to attend.

Over 100 local and international bands will fill Hamilton’s Mystery Creek Events Centre with everything from hardcore to hip hop, electronica to alt-country, and plenty in between. Held over Auckland anniversary weekend, the Festival features the heavyweights of Christian music across six stages. The drug and alcohol free four-day event offers a wide range of entertainment alongside the rock n’ roll – including amusement rides, seminars, water slide, skate park, and shopping.

Mission Adventure opportunity

This year at Parachute we’ll be raising awareness of Bible mission and the urgent need to get Bibles to those who don’t have access to God’s Word. We’ll be focusing particularly on the South Pacific and giving people a chance to be chosen to go on a mission adventure.

We’ll send one person and a mate on a life-changing sailing mission to deliver Bibles to remote South Pacific islands – and the trip’s on us. We’re looking for someone with a real heart for mission, someone passionate about making a difference in the lives of others. This is a chance for someone to make a real difference, to be part of something bigger and to see the direct effects of spreading God’s Word to those who don’t have it.

To promote the mission adventure we’re taking a 25 foot sailing boat to Parachute! The yacht, on loan from a generous supporter, will be in the festival village to attract people to come and sign up!

For full details please check the mission adventure page.

Change Lives Today Challenge

Last year we were overwhelmed by how eager young Christians were to share their passion for God with others. So many people shared words that encouraged and inspired others to reconnect with their Bibles. So we’re giving them a chance to do the same this year.

We’ll be encouraging people to share ideas on how they can change lives all around them every day by putting God’s Word into action. By sharing their experiences on the ‘Change Lives Today’ page on Facebook they’ll be able to inspire others to do the same. The page also includes specific challenges from the Bible designed to provoke action. It’s hoped the page will spur young Christians all over the country to not only change lives around them but also to share how they’re doing it to encourage others.

Change Lives Today on Facebook

The Lounge

Once again we will be the key sponsor of The Lounge, a safe place at Festival for people to seek guidance or talk about their spiritual journey with trained facilitators who offer counseling, support, prayer and advice. Approximately 2,000 people make a commitment to follow Christ at Festival each year. Many of these new followers will visit the Lounge to talk about their journey of faith and any other issues they may have. We will offer visitors to the Lounge a free New Testament along with other resources to help them read and engage with God through it.

Our support of Parachute and the Lounge is synergistic with our mission and will enable us to engage with and provide relevant resources to a younger audience. Together we will assist in helping thousands of young New Zealanders engage with God through his Word.

Thanks to our supporters

Our thanks to all those who provided their generous support to help make our presence at Parachute possible. Thanks especially to:

Bible Societies bring help to Haiti

Sun, 24 Jan 2010 02:43:56 GMT

UBS Americas Area Secretary Melvin Rivera describes the initial response the Bible Societies are making to the devastating earthquake that hit Haiti on January 12.

(Video filmed January 18.)

Direct Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJ9KRbf2EVQ

New Chief Executive for Bible Society

Thu, 17 Dec 2009 23:48:53 GMT

Francis Burdett has been appointed Chief Executive of Bible Society New Zealand. His appointment was announced last week by the chairman of the Bible Society Board, David Harrison.

Mr Burdett succeeds Rev Mark Brown who is returning to Australia to complete his business doctorate while undertaking consultancy work for Bible Society’s global board.

Mr Burdett has extensive international corporate management experience and he has also spent three years on Christian mission service in Brazil. As well, he has been active as a Bible teacher and church leader.

“I feel privileged being appointed to this position and I’m looking forward to working with the team at Bible Society and also with others in the Christian community in fulfilling Bible Society’s vision and mission,” said Mr Burdett.

He will take over from Mark Brown in March next year.

240,000 SCHOOL CHILDREN RECEIVE TARORE BOOK

Thu, 17 Dec 2009 02:36:22 GMT

In just ten weeks, more than 240,000 copies of Joy Cowley’s new book, Tarore and Her Book, have been distributed to primary school aged children in New Zealand.

Initially the book was distributed by Bible Society in partnership with Churches Education Commission to Christian Religious Education teachers, but recently there has been an enormous response from secular primary schools to an advertisement in the Education Gazette.

“The response has been overwhelmingly positive with most schools ordering enough copies to give to every single child,” said Bible Society spokesperson Stephen Opie. “We’ve received many thank you emails from schools really excited about the book. They’re especially impressed that it’s a true story and it’s one of ours – it happened here in New Zealand.”

“Our prayer is that this story will have an incredible impact on the lives of hundreds of thousands of Kiwi kids as they learn, many for the first time, about God and the power of his peace and forgiveness.”

The project has been made possible through the support of many Bible Society supporters. Beverley Hansen-Thorpe of Kingsway School said that teachers were “completely overwhelmed with the kind gesture.” Tania Morrison, Deputy Principal of Leamington School said, “The ability to give the children a free book was a wonderful thing and they were very excited and grateful to receive it.”

The book is also available to Homeschooling families. Sandra Dawson, Secretary of the Homeschool Auckland Sport and Cultural Association says, “It is fantastic to have such an amazing story available to so many, and to some families in the wider community who may not even own a book. What an amazing service!”

Mr. Opie said the original print-run of 300,000 copies in English and 30,000 copies in Maori consisted of more than 650 boxes weighing more than 12 tonnes.

“And they’re still going out the door at such a rate we believe our supplies will be exhausted early in the New Year,” said Mr. Opie

A thank you from Waipara

"I hope mine is one of many emails thanking you for the beautiful publication, Tarore, that was made available for distribution through CRE this year. It was such a joy to present a beautiful gift like that to each student.
It is a story that really touches hearts when we tell it in class.
We do appreciate the work of the Bible Society and the generosity of those who make such publications possible.
Every blessing and heart felt thanks"

John and Rae Graham
Waipara

E100 Bible Reading Challenge

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 02:25:06 GMT

With less than a quarter of Kiwi Christians reading their Bibles each week, Bible Society have launched into a strategic partnership with Scripture Union and Wycliffe Bible Translators New Zealand to develop the E100 Bible Reading Challenge. It launches across the country on 18 April 2010.

E100 is the essential 100 readings through the Bible, 50 in the Old Testament and 50 in the New Testament. The 100 readings give participants a better understanding of the Bible story. The challenge is also designed to facilitate community reading of Scripture with small group resources available.

The challenge was trialled in five churches early in 2009 and feedback was used to further develop resources and promote the challenge nationwide. There will be a companion book with thoughtful commentary, a quick start pocket planner with little punch out holes so participants can track their progress, a fun activity-filled resource for children and families and also digital extras such as Facebook and Twitter resources. We’re also teaming up with Rhema Broadcasting to commission 20 prominent Christians to take the challenge and blog about their experiences. Their blog entries will be recorded and aired on Rhema and even podcasted.

This is a large undertaking with the aim of having tens of thousands of Kiwi Christians all over the nation reading the same Scriptures together.

Applications for CEO role now closed

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 21:48:50 GMT

The process of selecting our new Chief Executive has changed gear with the final date for applications having passed.

The selection committee has now begun the process of reviewing the large number of applications received and is looking forward to interviewing from the very strong field of people who have shown interest in the position.

Tarore and Her Book Launched in Matamata

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 00:42:59 GMT

“You’re the very first children in New Zealand to receive your own copy of Tarore and Her Book by Joy Cowley. Are you excited about that?” Stephen Opie, Bible Society Bible Engagement Advocate boisterously asks the 400 children gathered in the Matamata Primary school hall.

“Yeeeeeeeeeeaaaaah!” They scream back.

With excited faces looking on, more than 400 free copies of the book were distributed in class sets in special kete bags to the teachers. The children then followed their teacher back to their classroom where they were presented with the book.

This event at Matamata Primary School was part of a weekend of celebrations in Matamata, only a few minutes away from where Tarore once lived, and is now buried. The celebrations drew large crowds as the story is an integral part of the regions Christian heritage.

Although Bible Society has been working on this project for nearly a year, this moment at the primary school encapsulated the entire vision. As Joy presented one class with their books in person, the sight of 20 little pairs of eyes lighting up as students flicked through the pages was worth all the hard work.

The night before, 250 people gathered at Matamata Bible Church for the launch of the large format edition that will very soon be available in shops. Sales were frantic and Joy was busy throughout the evening signing as many books and meeting as many people as she could.

“Tonight we are launching not just a book, but a vision. A vision that hundreds of thousands of primary aged children will hear the story of Tarore and be inspired by this true Kiwi story of peace and forgiveness,” Stephen told the Bible Church gathering.

“This story has inspired many generations of Christians and others, but tonight we launch this vision to tell this story to the whole nation. In this story, the transformation the Bible brings manifests itself in the act of true forgiveness. And it’s this forgiveness that brings peace. A life-changing concept for Maori living in the 19th century. A life changing concept for Maori, Pakeha, Asian, Indian, Pacific Islanders, and everyone else in Aotearoa living in the 21st century,” he said.

With enough copies of the smaller format giveaway edition in English and Maori for nearly every single primary school child in the nation, the Tarore book project now enters its second phase, distribution.

The hope is that as many hundreds of thousands of children and families read about the forgiveness and peace brought to them through the words of the Gospel of Luke, that they too will become catalysts for change in their own communities through offering forgiveness and pursuing peace.

The giveaway books will be distributed to schools, including those with Christian Religious Education programmes from 1 October. It will offered to all primary schools in New Zealand.

Busking for Bibles

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 00:45:12 GMT

On the Northshore, a sermon delivered for National Bible Sunday about the shortage of Bible translations around the world had a profound impact on one young woman, Amanda.
She was so concerned when she heard about the number of languages that still do not have a Bible, that she became determined to do something about it.

So, with Hazel from the North Harbour Action Group in tow, she went busking in Browns Bay, singing hymns and playing the flute. She raised $70 for the translation cause. Amanda’s $70 ensures another 3 chapters are translated into another language.

Good on you, Amanda and bless you for your support!

If you’d like to support translation work and help get Bibles into hands and hearts around the world, please visit our online giving page or call us on 0800 42 42 53 to make a gift. We’re always grateful for your support.

Bible Society Looks for New Leader

Sun, 21 Jun 2009 21:47:08 GMT

With present Chief Executive Rev Mark Brown advising the Bible Society Board that he will not be taking up the option to renew his contract, the search has begun to find his successor.

“Mark Brown has had a major impact in the 30 months he has been Chief Executive of Bible Society. He has led us through a significant period of change and he has helped future-proof our organisation with a fresher, younger profile and approach,” said David Harrison, chairman of the Bible Society Board of Management.

“Mark remains fully in charge until March next year but we are starting the search now so as to give us the time to make sure we get the right person to follow on from Mark and then to appoint him or her in time to have a seamless transition.”

“Bible Society has been greatly blessed under Mark’s leadership and there is a real momentum to the mission, both domestically and internationally, that we want to build on.

“We anticipate naming Mark’s successor later this year,” said Mr Harrison.

Tokelau NT launch

Fri, 29 May 2009 23:09:01 GMT

Long Wait Ends in Joyous Celebration

“For the 160 years that Christianity has been in Tokelau we have had no Bible. But God has been very good and gracious and today we give heartfelt thanks that we have the New Testament in our heart language.

These emotion-charged words from Ioane Teao, the secretary of the Tokelau Bible Translation Committee (TBTC), at the dedication service of the New Testament translation in Porirua, near Wellington last Saturday.

Bible Society CEO, Mark Brown, told the 350-strong congregation that bringing God’s Word to a people in their own language “is at the very heart of Bible Society mission.”

After the clergy present had gathered to bless the new translation, Mark Brown made a special presentation of the first of the New Testaments to have come off the press to Ioane Teao in recognition of his many years work as the principal translator. Much to the delight of the congregation he then offered Ioane a berth on the yacht Seahawk when it delivers the first consignment of 500 New Testaments to the Tokelau Islands on July 11.

Dr Stephen Pattemore, United Bible Societies Translation Consultant, has worked closely with the project since its inception thirteen years ago. He told the congregation that the translation of the full Bible is now in draft form. “I hope that we will be dedicating the full Bible in Tokelau in about three years time,” he said.

Once the three hour church service of dedication and thanksgiving ended, the celebrations continued for another three hours in another part of the church with feasting, singing, dancing and praying.

And the enthusiasm for the New Testament was evidenced in the fact that over 1500 copies were sold or ordered during the day to those who attended the celebrations.

Photo: Denise Landau MPIA

The Tokelau Bible translation team (l to r): Ioane Teao (secretary of the Tokelau Society for the translation of the Bible and principal translator and project coordinator), Mrs Matafele Pereira (translator, OT), Dr Iuta Tinielu (translator OT), Mr Loimata Iupati (translator, NT and OT).

Photos: Denise Landau MPIA

Tokelau NT launch Translation Documentary - View the video clip below.

Photos available – please email:
epike@biblesociety.org.nz
or
scrawford@biblesociety.org.nz

Note to media: other photos are available on request.
Contact:   Stephen Opie
                (NZ Coordinator for Bible Society translations)
                FP: 0800 424 253 ext 837
                P: 04 5500 837
          M: 027 349 8088
                E: Stephen.Opie@biblesociety.org.nz

Joy Cowley Writing Tarore Story

Tue, 28 Apr 2009 22:48:57 GMT

Award winning author, Joy Cowley, has teamed up with Bible Society to write the remarkable story of Tarore.

In 1835, Bible Society published 100 copies of the Gospel of Luke in Maori. In 1836, missionaries gave one of these Gospels to a young Maori girl, Tarore, at a mission school near Matamata.

Tarore’s subsequent acceptance of the Christian faith and her murder at a young age had a great impact upon the Maori people with many coming to faith as a result.

The Tarore story will be published and distributed free to 110,000 children through Christian Religious Education (CRE), formerly known as Bible in Schools. It will also be distributed to up to 30,000 school children in Catholic primary schools.

The book will contain selected verses from the Gospel of Luke, and it will be illustrated using a series of eighteen paintings depicting the story created by Waipawa artist, Mary Glover Bibby, in the 1920s.

Bible Society CEO, Mark Brown, says, “Not only will the children learn something about the beginnings of Christianity in this country, but they will also have the same opportunity to experience the life changing message of the Gospel that Tarore did.”

Bible Society all a Twitter

Mon, 27 Apr 2009 04:11:46 GMT

Twitter is the latest internet sensation. In short it provides a way of communicating quickly to a group of people, termed ‘followers’. This is achieved through writing short messages (known as tweets) which once published are instantly received by your ‘followers’ on either their mobile phone or on their computer. The challenge is that you only have 140 characters for the message, so brevity is a must. Bible Society have recently set up a Twitter account called Bible4U which provides most days, a short Bible passage plus the occasional inspirational message.

Become a twitter follower and receive daily Bible tweets at: http://twitter.com/Bible4U

Scripture now in 2,479 Languages

Sun, 08 Mar 2009 20:15:15 GMT

Although it may mean having only one book of the Bible or, conversely, a full Bible, there are 2,479 languages which had access to Scripture as at 31 December 2008, according to Bible Society’s worldwide registration figures.

This is an increase over the previous year of 25 languages that now have some portion of Scripture.

This figure includes 451 languages which have a full Bible - 13 more than the previous year – and there are seventeen languages that received a New Testament for the first time in 2008.

Included in the New Testaments that will be registered for the first time this year, is the New Testament in Tokelau. The dedication of this New Testament will take place in May at Porirua near Wellington, where most of the translation work has been done.

According to SIL International (formerly known as the Summer Institute of Linguistics), there are 6,912 known living languages in the world which means that there are still 4,433 languages that have no Scripture whatsoever.

“Bible Society is currently working on more than 650 different translations worldwide,” says Mark Brown, CEO of Bible Society New Zealand, “but clearly there’s still a lot more work yet to be done to bring the Bible to people of all languages and nations.”

4 March 2009

Contacts:    Errol Pike
                  Bible Society New Zealand
                  Phone: 04. 5500843
                  Email: epike@biblesociety.org.nz

Or       Stephen Opie
           Bible Society New Zealand
           Phone: 04. 5500837
           Email: stephen.opie@biblesociety.org.nz

Two New V-Ps for Bible Society

Sun, 08 Mar 2009 20:12:43 GMT

Archbishop David Moxon and Bruce Murray QSO, were elected as the two new Vice- Presidents of Bible Society New Zealand at the National Council meeting in February. Peter McKenzie QC was re-elected to serve for another year as President.

Archbishop Moxon is the Bishop of Waikato, Senior Bishop of the New Zealand Diocese and co-presiding Bishop in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia. Born in Palmerston North, he was educated at Massey and Canterbury Universities and also at Oxford University, England. He was ordained a priest in 1979 and ordained Bishop in 1993. He has been heavily involved in liturgical education and development and has been at the forefront of development in local shared ministry.

Bruce Murray has been an officer at the Tawa Baptist church since 1965 including as Bible Class Superintendent for 11 years and a member of the NZ Baptist Christian Education Committee for 7 years. His life-long career as a teacher culminated in his being awarded a QSO for services to education in 2002. He was for 13 years Principal of Tawa College, near Wellington. Bruce is also well-known as an opening batsman for the New Zealand cricket team and was a member of the first New Zealand team to ever win a test series (against Pakistan in Pakistan). He is currently President of Cricket Wellington.

4 March 2009

Contact:        Errol Pike
                    Bible Society New Zealand
                    Ph: (04) 5500843
              epike@biblesociety.org.nz

NZ Supports Martyr's Widow

Sun, 08 Mar 2009 20:08:15 GMT

In October 2007 the Bible Society bookshop manager in Gaza, Rami Ayyad, was abducted and murdered. It is believed his death was motivated by anti-Christian sentiment.

He left behind his wife Pauline, who was pregnant with their third child at the time, and two sons.

When Pauline eventually gave birth she named her daughter Sama which in Arabic means 'heaven'.

“Because that is where Rami is,” explained Pauline, “and I wanted his daughter to have that special link to him through her name.”

Bible Society New Zealand CEO, Rev Mark Brown was quick to act when he heard of the family's tragedy. He encouraged Bible Society staff to donate to a trust that had been set up for Pauline and the education of her three children. He also mentioned it in one of Bible Society's publications. This brought an immediate and generous response from the New Zealand Christian community.

The result so far is that New Zealand has contributed $21,000 to the trust fund.

“When I phoned Pauline a month or two ago to ask how she is getting on, she was so grateful for the support,” said Mark Brown.

‘It means so much to me’ she said in saying thank you to the New Zealand people. ‘Your support and your prayers have really lifted me up. Thank you so much’ she said.”

Mr Brown said that because Christians here and throughout the world had been moved to give to the trust fund, its total now stood at nearly $150,000.

4 March 2009

Contact:    Errol Pike
                Bible Society New Zealand
                P: (04) 5500843
                E: epike@biblesociety.org.nz (alternative: scrawford@biblesociety.or.gnz)

Photo of Pauline Ayyad available on request.

Sons of Korah bring acoustic Psalms to Auckland

Fri, 27 Feb 2009 02:29:00 GMT

Sons of Korah bring acoustic Psalms to Auckland

Internationally acclaimed Australian band - Sons of Korah are joining with Bible Society New Zealand for two exclusive concerts in Auckland on March 20 and 21. This will be the first NZ concert showcasing music from their new album, RAIN and also the first time the full band of all five members perform together in New Zealand.

Concerts take place Friday 20 March at Greenlane Christian Centre and Saturday 21 March at Windsor Park Baptist Church, Mairangi Bay.

Sons of Korah showcase a diverse and unique acoustic sound. Each show will take audiences on a timeless musical drama exploring the Biblical Psalms, which have influenced Christian and Gospel artists across the world.

“We believe the Psalms portray spiritual life in all facets and dynamics. Our music is not only intended for Christians, but is an honest and meaningful entry point into exploring the sometimes complicated world of faith” said Matthew Jacoby of Sons of Korah.

Sons of Korah put the Word of God and music together in a dynamic and captivating way in order to lead the listeners into an impacting encounter with the heart of the Bible. Their rich harmonies, along with a wide range of instrumental textures and contrast between light and dark will give audiences a once in a life time experience.

According to research undertaken by Bible Society New Zealand, 68% of all New Zealanders own a Bible, and yet only 23% of Bible owners pick it up and have a read at least once a month. Despite the ready availability of Bibles in many different English versions, most New Zealand Christians do not see engaging with God through Bible reading as a priority. Bible Society’s Bible Engagement Advocate, Stephen Opie, believes Sons of Korah offer a new and unique way to directly share the Word of God with those who might otherwise not connect with their Bibles.

“With music which has the ability to appeal to millions, Sons of Korah are destined to touch many lives” says Bruce Peterson, Bible Society Events Manager.

To ensure accessibility, tickets are priced at just $10 for adults and $5 for children and will be available from Manna Christian Stores in Greenlane, Manukau and Henderson as well as Windsor Park Baptist Church, Mairangi Bay. Door sales will also be available. Both concerts start at 7pm, so be early to avoid disappointment.

The Sons of Korah Auckland tour is proudly presented by Bible Society New Zealand.

Click here for more information

Bible Society encourages future Christian influencers at Parachute

Sun, 08 Feb 2009 22:35:33 GMT

Bible Society encourages future Christian influencers at Parachute

25,000 people, 2,500 new Christian packs, 500 kilometers, 30 degrees, 13 team members, four days, 1 mission: to encourage as many Parachuter’s as possible to get back into their Bibles. Late in January, the Bible Society team travelled the more than 500 Km from Bible House in Wellington to Mystery Creek near Hamilton to mix and mingle with more than 25,000 kids, youth leaders, mums and dads, and even grandmas. Parachute is the biggest annual event on the New Zealand Christian calendar, and the biggest gathering of Christian youth in New Zealand.

That’s why Bible Society had to be there. With Bible engagement rates at an appallingly low rate, particularly among youth, Bible Society wanted to spread its passion for God’s Word on the dusty makeshift streets of the Parachute music festival.

But just how to effectively spread the message of the transformative power of the Gospel into a youth culture not so keen on hearing it was the question. The solution was to get them to share the message with each other. So Bible Society took a miniature film studio to Parachute where more than 120 people from 7 years old to 60 shared their hearts and thoughts on the Bible and what it meant to them. The clips were then feed back onto the big screen in the Bible Society tent for others to see them.

God abundantly blessed our presence by making the film studio a huge success and the messages recorded greatly inspirational. Many shared how their journey with God had grown the more they devoured their Bible. Some shared that they didn’t know much about the Bible at all. Through rap, rhyme, drama and even sign language, when Parachuters got in front of the camera, all inhibitions seemed to fly out the canvas window.

The film concept, as well as the orange saturated lounge the team had created, birthed many fascinating discussions with people about their Bibles. Specific resources designed to encourage and help people get back into their Bibles were given out and received with enthusiasm. Many pointed out in the ‘Dusty Bible’ booklet (a resource aimed at encouraging people to dust of their Bibles and bring it back to the top of their list of daily priorities) their resonance with some of the main reasons why people have turned away from Bible reading.

Meanwhile, as hundreds came and enjoyed the new Bible Society experience, The Lounge, Parachute’s dedicated area for new Christians and those that just needed someone to talk to was in full swing. Bible Society’s sponsorship of The Lounge meant that conversations between the trained counsellors and young people at risk could take place in a comfortable environment, on couches rather than the wooden planks and concrete blocks of previous years. Bible Society donated 2,500 Bibles and resources for the many new Christians making commitments at the festival. The Lounge is now an integral part of the festival for Parachute who want to do more than just fill ears with good sounds. Their heart too is to share the love and truth of Jesus Christ, especially with the many thousands of non believers who attend the festival each year.

Parachute is fast becoming a key event for Bible Society. With so many opportunities to share and encourage tomorrow’s Christian influencers, it’s paramount Bible Society brings the message of the transformative effects of Bible engagement into the heat and dust of Mystery Creek each year.

Click here to view some of the most encouraging clips recorded at Parachute ’09.

Bible Society New Zealand appointed as co-distributor of Tyndale House Publisher

Mon, 19 Jan 2009 19:07:23 GMT

Bible Society New Zealand are pleased to announce that we have just been appointed co-distributor for the Bible range and Bible reference books published by Tyndale House Publishers, Illinois ,USA. We are delighted to now be able offer to New Zealand one of the world’s most popular Bible translations, the NLT (New Living Translation).

The NLT Bible is famous for its readability and accessibility and is popular amongst readers new to the Bible as well as those who have been reading The Bible for many years. This is a great fit for Bible Society as our mission is not only to distribute Bibles as widely as possible within New Zealand, but to see lives transformed by God as they engage with God’s Word.

We will be ready to accept orders and enquiries for this new range very soon.

A Vision for a New Contemporary Maori Bible Translation

Wed, 17 Dec 2008 01:14:59 GMT

On Wednesday 17 December, Maori church and community leaders gathered at Poroporo Marae in Whakatane to celebrate the launching of Te Kawenata Hou, the newly reformatted edition of the Maori New Testament.

At the launch celebrations, Bible Society CEO Reverend Mark Brown shared Bible Society's thoughts on a vision for a new contemporary Maori Bible translation.

“For many years, Bible Society has been receiving requests for another Maori translation, a translation in contemporary, everyday Maori language that a modern Maori reader will identify with,” he said.

The current Maori Bible was last revised in 1952. While the 1952 edition will always be considered a Taonga, the language is far removed from everyday Maori language now spoken in homes, at places of work and in schools.

"The vision would not be to replace the 1952 edition, but to have a contemporary Maori translation that will sit alongside it. Something that a young Maori reader can open, and begin reading as if God was speaking to him or her in their own everyday heart language,” Reverend Brown said.

However, Reverend Brown said that it cannot be just Bible Society’s vision. He explained that the vision must also come from the Maori church and its leaders. He offered Bible Society’s full support, including project coordination as well as help with funding and translation expertise.

It is expected that the project would take 13 years to complete.

The first Maori New Testament was printed on William Colenso’s small press at Paihia in 1837 and the first ever edition of the full Maori Bible was published in 1868. Since then, there have been four revisions of the full Bible at intervals of 21 years, 36 years and finally 27 years up to the 1952 edition. Mark pointed out in his speech that it has now been 56 years since the last revision.

Watch the video of the launch celebrations.

You can download Reverend Mark Brown's full keynote address below.
Click on the green arrow and download the PDF version of the speech.

New Zealand Bible Society releases new Maori New Testament

Wed, 26 Nov 2008 21:30:26 GMT

On December 17, Bible Society will launch a brand new version of the Maori New Testament at a special event at Poroporo Marae in Whakatane.

Te Kawenata Hou (The New Testament) is a completely reformatted version of the existing 1952 Maori Bible text.

After considerable discussion and consultation with various groups in the Maori Christian community, Bible Society began work in 1999 to reformat the 1952 text. The aim of this undertaking was to present the text in a more readable format, opening it up to newer generations of Maori speakers who are more likely to encounter the printed Maori word in the context of paragraphs and macrons. Bible Society’s mission is to get the Bible into hands and hearts and feels strongly that Te Kawenata Hou will help more Maori people encounter God through the Bible.

The new version includes paragraphs (existing editions have each verse on a new line), speech marks, section headings, book introductions and most importantly, macrons on long vowels. While the 1952 text has not been changed, it is presented in a more familiar and contemporary way making it easier to read. It is a diglot (Maori in the centre columns with the English text of the Good News Bible in the outside columns).

The first Maori New Testament was published in 1837 with the full Bible coming 31 years later in 1868. Since then, the text has been revised three times, in 1889, 1925 and finally in 1952.

During the nine year project, the advice of Te Taura Whiri i Te Reo Maori (The Maori Language Commission) was sought and followed. Bible Society also worked with a commission set up by Te Pihopatanga o Aotearoa, the Maori Anglican communion.

Work continues on reformatting the Old Testament and the fully reformatted Bible may be available within the next two years.

6 NOVEMBER 2008
For more information or comment please contact:
Stephen Opie
Bible Society
Phone 384 4119 ext 9837
Email Stephen.opie@biblesociety.org.nz

Bible Society proudly supports Parachute

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 23:03:44 GMT

Bible Society proudly supports Parachute '09

We are very excited to announce that Bible Society will be an official sponsor of Parachute '09.

Parachute Music Festival is an icon on the Kiwi summer calendar. With attendance expected to be around 28,000, it has mainstream appeal and media coverage, but has never shifted from its focus: to connect people to Jesus through music.

Having more than 100 local and international bands over 4 days on 6 stages, with a tent city, seminars, speakers, amusement rides and crazy fun in the sun, Parachute ‘09 is a key opportunity for Bible Society to partner with Parachute Music, an organization that shares a similar mission and values. Our partnership with Parachute Music will help us reach new and existing Christians, aged between 18 and 40 who are seeking guidance and information. It will allow us to introduce young people to Bible Society’s ministry and mission as well as talk to them about the importance of connecting with God through their Bible and prayer.

Bible Society Lounge

Bible Society will be the key sponsor of The Lounge.

The Lounge is a safe place at the Festival for people to share their problems or talk about their spiritual journey with trained facilitators who offer counseling, guidance, support, prayer and advice. Approximately 2,000 people make a commitment to follow Christ at the Festival each year, with 2,500 making the commitment last year. Many of these new followers at some stage visit the lounge to talk about their journey of faith and any other issues they may have. We will offer visitors to The Lounge a free New Testament along with resources to help them read and engage with God through it.

Visit our Film Studio and win cool prizes

We’re setting up a ‘film studio’ in the Festival Village where we’re inviting people to record a short video testimony sharing their thoughts on why the Bible is important in their lives.

We’ll share these clips with other Festival goers with the aim of empowering young people to encourage each other in their faith. And once the Festival is over we’ll include the most encouraging clips on our website. Prizes will also be given to the most encouraging and outstanding clips throughout Festival weekend. Find out more

The studio will also be a base point for contact if people want to know more about us, the Bible or need help reading their Bible.

Getting more Bibles into young hands and hearts

Our support of Parachute and The Lounge is synergistic with our mission and our support of Parachute’s mission and will enable us to provide relevant resources to a younger audience who often struggle to read their Bible.

Together we will assist in helping thousands of young New Zealanders engage with God through his Word.

We hope this is the beginning of a long and blessed relationship with Parachute.

A New Look for Bible Society New Zealand

Tue, 21 Oct 2008 21:02:08 GMT

Like all successful organisations we seek to remain relevant and match the changing needs of all those whose lives we aim to connect with the Word of God. We are fulfilling an important mission, perhaps the most important there is - delivering the Christian message of hope! So we want to present Bible Society in a way that connects with all our audiences now and into the future.

We aim to present Bible Society to this and future generations in a way that communicates our purpose, and captures our and their passion. So we're redesigning all our materials, and how we offer them, to enable us to deliver God’s message by the most direct, resourceful and relevant means, in a language that people can understand and in a format that directly suits their lives.

Please watch the video below to see our new brand expressed

Our Logo

Our logo is the key building block of our brand, the primary visual element that identifies us.

Our logo represents:
• the turning pages of the Bible,
• a sunrise, communicating light and hope, and
• the transformation of hearts through the progression of colour and shape of the pages.

Better equipped to fulfil our mission
Our new brand will ensure Bible Society stays as relevant as possible to the lives of all who want to connect with the Word of God. Our new brand will help us reach more people and so better achieve our mission of getting Bibles into people’s hands and hearts.

Bible Society and Catholics Cooperate in Translation

Thu, 16 Oct 2008 22:27:03 GMT

Bible Societies worldwide and the Catholic Church have worked together over the past 40 years to complete 134 separate Bible translations.

Bible Society world head, Rev Dr Miller Milloy, thanked the Church for its help but emphasized the scale of the task yet to be done.

Speaking to the Synod of Bishops at the Vatican this month he said "it is surely to the shame of all churches and all Christians that, with 7,000 languages in the world, only in 438 of them is there a translation of the complete Bible."

Earlier in the Synod the UBS and the Catholic Biblical Federation signed a new Joint Partnership on Bible Ministry, which is further evidence of the growing collaboration between the two organisations.

Rev Dr Miller Milloy

Contact: Errol Pike, The Bible Society in New Zealand
Phone 0800 424 253 or epike@biblesociety.org.nz

Bible Society at Samstock 2008

Thu, 09 Oct 2008 02:38:52 GMT

Samstock is a Christian Music Festival held each year in Mosgiel, Otago and attended by around 750 young people from all over the South Island. It’s an event put together by young people for young people who come together to hear local, national and international bands and hear the gospel message expressed through the creative arts.
As a major sponsor of this great event, Bible Society was represented this year by Stephen Opie (Bible Engagement Advocate), Bruce Peterson (Projects and Events Manager), Silke Hendel (Marketing Manager) and our Otago/Southland Regional Services Representative Stephen White.
We were able to introduce young people to Bible Society’s ministry and mission as well as talk to them about the importance of reconnecting with their Bibles. We handed out over 350 Real Life New Testaments to teens who wanted one for themselves or wanted to share God’s Word with someone else.
We also held a text translation competition asking people to re-write 2 or 3 verses of the Bible into kiwi text language. Visit Stephen’s Blog to read more about it and see the amalgamation of the best entries.

Our overall competition winner, Sophie from Mosgiel, receiving her Audio Bible.

Sophie’s Samstock story

This year was my first time at Samstock, having just moved to Mosgiel, so I was really excited to check it out. I love the atmosphere of music festivals; everyone’s so relaxed and just keen to have a good time, and Samstock was certainly no different! Samstock was a chance for me to hang out with the sweet kids from my new youth group and get to know them a bit better, as well as listen to some incredible music. It’s always so inspiring to be able to hear what other musicians are doing, and the way they’re using their music to share what their faith means to them. I love it when a whole bunch of students who are passionate about God get together to just hang out. There’s something really special about that.
I was keen to enter the Bible Society’s Txt Translation competition, because I love the idea of translating the Bible into language that is easy to understand. Jesus is so relevant to our culture today, and it helps if the language of the Bible is too! I was so stoked to get the txt telling me that I’d won an audio bible. I had said to Mum just the week before that I really wanted to get one so I could put it on my iPod and go running while listening. It’s often hard to fit reading the Bible into my day, but with an audio bible, I can listen to it on the bus, in the car, and anywhere really. I’m so grateful to the Bible Society for their generosity, and for the way they’re reaching out to young people and helping us to understand the life-changing stuff in the Bible. I just hope now that my audio bible reveals more about God to me, and how the message of Jesus holds hope for the world. And I’m praying that I’ll be challenged, inspired, and changed.

Story reported by Sophie – Samstock supporter, Mosgiel

Pope Benedict Kicks Off Bible Readathon

Mon, 06 Oct 2008 19:58:54 GMT

The Pope kicked off a week long continuous reading of the Scriptures on Monday 5 October which will be broadcast in it’s entirety on television. More than 1,200 people including celebrities and people of all Christian confessions will read the Bible non-stop in Rome’s fourth century Basilica Santa Croce in Gerusalemme.

“The word of God will enter the homes and accompany the lives of families and individual people," Benedict said of the program following his traditional noontime blessing on Sunday. "If welcomed, this seed will not fail to bring abundant fruits."

The readathon coincides with the Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops running from October 5 to 26. The theme of the assembly is The Word of God in the Life and Mission of the Church. The assembly, which happens every three years, will examine the modern lack of interest in the Bible.

President of the Pontifical Council for Culture, Monsignor Giafranco Ravasi said the Pope’s participation in the readathon is “an appeal to the Catholic Church to go back to studying and deepening its knowledge of the Holy Scriptures.”

The entire text of the Bible will be read in five to eight minute sections, all in Italian with the exception of the first chapter of the Gospel of John, which will be read in Greek.

Click on the following link to watch the video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkdZaqGipEE

Rob Harley in China

Wed, 24 Sep 2008 03:49:15 GMT

Rob Harley

During May 2008 when the new Amity Press opened in China, Bible Society arranged for award winning TV documentary maker Rob Harley to be there to film his impressions of the event and Bible mission in China.

When we commissioned Rob we made it clear to him that we wanted his impressions of China to be paramount. Certainly we ‘opened doors’ and made sure he met as many people involved in Bible mission as possible but, in the end, this is Rob’s story of what he found and what he saw in China. We have made no edits – Rob has produced it from go-to-whoa.

We suggest then, that you take time to view this video at length and at leisure – perhaps more than once. And then, with us, give heartfelt thanks to God who is working miracles in China day-in, day-out, through his followers in that vast country that truly is ‘ripe unto harvest’.
And as you give thanks to God, be assured that Bible Society gives thanks to you, the people of God in New Zealand who so often, so willingly and generously, have continued to support Bible mission in China with your gifts and your prayers for at least the last 19 years. Thank you!

Rob Harley in China Video - (Quick Time Version)

To watch the Rob Harley in China Video you need QuickTime installed on your computer.

To download QuickTime please follow this link.

Call for prayers following threats to Bible Society in Gaza

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 00:35:03 GMT

The Palestinian Bible Society is asking for prayers after being threatened with a bomb attack on its Bible shop in Gaza and with the possibility of the withdrawal of all legal rights to a presence in the Palestinian Territories.

Last week the co-owner of the building where the shop is located demanded that the Bible Society vacate the premises. He claims to have received a threat from a militant Islamic group in Gaza to blow the building up if the shop remains. He is also taking the Society to court in an attempt to have both its ownership of the shop and its legal right to a presence in the Palestinian Territories withdrawn. The Bible Society is contesting this action.

Last Friday (25 July), an Islamic militant was killed while planting a bomb by the door of a Christian-owned internet café in Gaza City. In a statement, the Bible Society invited Christians around the world "to lift up their Christian family in Gaza before God in prayer so that they remain strong and faithful in the face of persecution."

Last week’s threats follow the tragic events of last October when the manager of the Bible Society bookshop in Gaza, Rami Ayyad, was kidnapped and killed; since that time the shop has been closed. In April 2007, the bookshop was one of three targets of bomb attacks in Gaza City.

Download High Resolution Image

Contact: Errol Pike, The Bible Society in New Zealand
Phone 0800 424 253 ext 9843 or epike@biblesociety.org.nz

Lower Hutt Youth Making a Difference in Fiji

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 02:00:10 GMT

Recently, youth from Lifeswitch Church in Lower Hutt approached Bible Society to help them give away some Bibles on their mission trip to Fiji. Gemma Donald writes about their experiences.

"We had an amazing time in Fiji over the holidays and it was incredible seeing God working with us and through us, helping us to make a difference. We spent the first week of our trip in Suva where we spent a day in Wailea, a homeless village. We did performances at about half a dozen schools, went to an orphanage, a kindergarten, the Deaf school, ran a couple of church services and also held a big concert at the end of the week. It was full on but so cool to spend time with the kids and have the opportunity to share God’s unfailing love. The big concert at the end of the week was definitely a highlight with around 1,200 people there and 60 coming to Christ! God definitely showed up that night!

We also spent a week in Nadi where we went to another six schools and finished with a big performance on the Friday night.

The whole trip was amazing. The Fijians were so receptive and friendly and we definitely made a lot of new friends. We have so many life changing stories and all of us are on fire and ready to spread the Good News of Christ with our own friends, family, classmates and workmates.

One of the best parts of the trip was the opportunity to hand out Bibles to those who came to Christ. It was a privilege being able to hand out Bibles and so good to have something to give people when they made such an awesome decision. So a big thank you to the Bible Society for your donation! 50 more households in Fiji now have a Bible and only God knows the difference that is going to make!

The work the Bible Society does is amazing and I know God is going to bless your organisation for it!"

Gemma Donald On Behalf of the 08 ‘Make a Difference’ Mission Team

China Bible Teacher now PhD

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 00:32:01 GMT

Dr Shi Wenhua, China’s first graduate in recent times from Durham University, England, with a PhD in theology was capped in June. The ceremony was held in Durham Cathedral whose Bishop Tom Wright, is President of Bible Society in England.

Dr Shi first attended theological college in China and then graduated with a Masters degree in Biblical exegesis and translation from the Trinity Theological College in Singapore. Her studies in Singapore and Durham have been supported by the United Bible Societies.

While she thanked those who had supported her financially and in prayer during her studies, she paid special tribute to her mother.

“My mother devoted me to God’s service from early childhood,” said Dr Shi. “I used to feel very inadequate, but gradually I allowed God to guide me and I overcame my fears and anything I have achieved so far is all through God’s grace.”

Dr Shi said her time at Durham University had helped her gain a clearer understanding of the future direction of her ministry.

“The opening of the new Amity Bible Press is very good news for Chinese Christians but there is still areas that need to be developed".

“The Church in China is growing but there is a great shortage with regard to Bible education. Meeting that need is now part of my calling,” added Dr Shi.

Download High Resolution Image

Contact: Errol Pike, The Bible Society in New Zealand
Phone 0800 424 253 ext 9843 or epike@biblesociety.org.nz

Bible - Unread Bestseller

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 00:41:02 GMT

According to research undertaken by The Bible Society in New Zealand, 68% of all New Zealanders own a Bible, and yet only 23% of Bible owners pick it up and have a read at least once a month.

The research shows that 7% of Bible owners read it daily while 9% read it weekly. The survey also revealed that 46% of New Zealanders describe themselves as Christian. Among Christians, only 11% read the Bible daily and 13% read it weekly.

Results also showed that the Bible’s influence on peoples’ lives is low. 47% of Christians said that the Bible does influence their life, while 39% said it only sometimes influenced their life. 60% of Christians rarely or never discuss the Bible’s teachings with others. In fact, only 26% of Christians regularly discuss the Bible’s teachings with others (weekly or more frequently).

This research confirms the growing Bible engagement crisis happening in New Zealand and many other western nations. Despite the ready availability of Bibles in many different English versions, most New Zealand Christians do not see engaging with God through Bible reading as a priority.

“This is a serious crisis within the New Zealand church. If Christians continue to move away from engaging with the Bible, what will the future of the church in this country look like?” Bible Society CEO Mark Brown says.

As part of a strategy to actively address this crisis, Bible Society has recently appointed Stephen Opie to the role of Bible Engagement Advocate. His task is to explore creative ways to help the post-modern generation turn back to their Bibles.

To download the full research report, click here.

Image: Just some of the large range of English Bibles available through Bible Society.

For more information, contact:

Stephen Opie
Bible Engagement Advocate
04 384 4119 ext 9837
stephen.opie@biblesociety.org.nz

Scriptures for Beijing Olympics

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 00:27:32 GMT

50,000 copies of a special edition of the four Gospels will be made available for distribution at the Beijing Olympics this year.

At the recent opening ceremony of the new Amity Press in Nanjing, a leader of the Chinese Christian Church, Fu Xianwei, said the diglot Gospels (in English and Chinese) will be available at the Olympic Village chapel, in churches in Beijing and in other venue cities.

“The Beijing Olympic Organising Committee has granted the church permission to use their official emblem, free of charge, on the Gospels. This is the first time the Organising Committee has done anything like this without charge,” he said.

The Gospels are being printed at the Amity Press with the support of the United Bible Societies and the China Christian Council.

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Contact: Errol Pike, The Bible Society in New Zealand
Phone 0800 424 253 ext 9843 or epike@biblesociety.org.nz

New Amity Press Means More Bibles for China

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 00:42:44 GMT

The new Amity Bible Press in Nanjing which opened in May this year has the capacity to more than double the amount of Bibles printed in China for the Chinese Christian community.

Although the old Press printed more than 42 million Bibles for China, it could not cope with the increasing demands for Bibles but the new 37,000 square meter facility can produce 2,900 full Bibles an hour or 12 million Bibles a year.

Mark Brown, Chief Executive of the Bible Society in New Zealand, who was present at the opening of the Press on May 18, and said he was awe-struck by its size and more especially its potential to bring many more Bibles to the Chinese people.

“This new Press is not only amazing evidence of a continuing miracle of God in China but also a God-given opportunity for us, a challenge of immense proportions and potential that we cannot ignore.

“I was very privileged to represent so many of the New Zealand Christian community who have so faithfully and generously given in years past to ensure that Chinese Christians can have Bibles.

“This new opportunity doesn’t lessen that responsibility – it increases it and we will be doing all we can to help bring even more Bibles to the fast-growing church in China,” he said.

Another guest at the opening, Archbishop John Chew who heads the Anglican Church in South East Asia, also referred to the Press as “truly a miracle of God.”

“With hindsight, it is my personal conviction that the establishment of the Amity Press is one of the most significant decisions made in the history of modern China,” he said.

Emphasising the partnership that the United Bible Societies has with the Chinese church, Elder Fu Xianwei of the church in China said, “printing the Bible and spreading the Good News is not only the goal of the United Bible Societies, it is also the responsibility of the Chinese church.”

The United Bible Societies has been involved with the Amity Press since its inception in 1987 and the Bible Society in New Zealand has had a personal connection with the Press for the last 15 years. The Special Adviser to the General Manager of the Press is Tauranga-born Peter Dean. He has been directly responsible for many of the advances made in technology at the Press in recent years.

Watch the video tour of the new Amity Press Download High Resolution Image

Contact: Errol Pike, The Bible Society in New Zealand
Phone 0800 424 253 ext 9843 or epike@biblesociety.org.nz

Bible in Nine More Languages

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 20:39:03 GMT

"Of the 270 tribes in our country we, the Vute people, are particularly blessed. For the first time ever, we have a New Testament in our own language. God will ask much of us as we have received much from him."

The challenging words of the Rev Pierre Songsare at the launching of the Vute New Testament in Cameroon, Africa, last December.

It was the last of thirty-four new translations of the New Testament to be launched in 2007.

Even more significantly, full Bibles were published for the first time in nine languages last year.

This means that 438 of the world’s estimated 6,900 languages now have the complete Bible and 1,168 have the New Testament.

“Although 95 percent of humanity now has access to the Bible in a language they can understand, many of these people are having to read the Bible in a language that is not their own,” said Mark Brown, Bible Society’s Chief Executive.

“With overwhelming evidence that Scripture speaks most powerfully to people when it is presented in their heart language, Bible Society is working ceaselessly towards the goal of giving everybody this unique access to the Scriptures.”

As evidence of this Mr Brown said that Bible Society around the world is currently engaged in 564 Bible translation projects and all of them are funded exclusively through voluntary gifts from the Christian community.

"One of those translation projects,” he added, “is the translation of the Tokelau New Testament being completed here in New Zealand. We hope to see it launched later this year."

Browse or Download the scripture translation booklet Download High Resoloution Image

Photos of clergy arriving at the launch of the Vute New Testament in Cameroon.

Contact: Errol Pike, The Bible Society in New Zealand
Phone 0800 424 253 ext 9843 or epike@biblesociety.org.nz

Prepaid by Jesus!

Wed, 05 Mar 2008 00:43:56 GMT

At Christmas we wrapped a banner around Bible House (the Bible Society office building) to demonstrate what Christmas is all about. We are doing the same for Easter with the intent of grabbing the attention of people passing by and already it is turning heads!

The banner says:
"Bible Society Easter Special
Free: Peace and Forgiveness Prepaid by Jesus"