God's Word for all

Working with Churches in Africa

An abiding legacy of over 200 years of the Bible Society movement is that the Bible Society is sometimes the only meeting place in a country where Churches can come together around one table.

In Congo (Republic), the Bible Society has a partnership agreement with the Ecumenical Council of Christian Churches. The member Churches represent around 80 per cent of the country’s Christians, the majority of whom are affiliated to the Catholic Church.
The Bible Society is developing close links with the Catholic Church in areas such as Bible translation and literacy training. “We are committed to working together for the Bible cause,” emphasised Archbishop Anatole Milandou of Brazzaville at a meeting with Bible Society General Secretary Etienne Diatha.

In Ghana, too, Church leaders are keen to support the Bible cause. “We have an obligation to support the production and distribution of the Scriptures,” declared the Most Rev Gabriel Charles Palmer-Buckle, Archbishop of Accra, on a visit to Bible House during which he encouraged Bible Society staff in their work. Presenting the Archbishop with a copy of the Good News Family Bible with Deuterocanon, Bible Society General Secretary the Rev Kofi Owusu expressed the hope that this historic visit would enhance the existing cordial relationship between the Catholic Church and the Bible Society. Since this event three years ago, thousands of these Bibles had been sold.

Churches working together in the Ukraine

As Bible Societies listen to the needs expressed by Church leaders from different backgrounds, new relationships can emerge. In Kherson, southern Ukraine, around 20 Church leaders meet each month at the Bible Society offices to debate openly and positively how they can work together and how they can help and be helped by the Bible Society. This collaborative approach is then taken out into the community at large: every year in the run-up to Easter, the Bible Society invites Church leaders and their congregations to participate in a procession and time of prayer. This gathering now attracts thousands of people and receives extensive media coverage.

The Bible at the heart of religious and secular life in Hungary

‘God will bless everyone who pays attention to the message of this book.’ The Hungarian Bible Society chose this verse from Revelation as the motto for a project which it describes as “the largest and most significant we have ever undertaken.” Taking its inspiration from a similar event in French- and German-speaking Europe in 2003 and linking with the Roman Catholic Church as its main partner, the Society has declared 2008 as the Year of the Bible.

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