RUSSIA — Russian Orthodox Priest [and Bible Society board President] Alexander Borisov has been honoured by the Patriarchal authorities for his service to the Bible cause. In a letter personally signed and sealed from Alexei, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Father Borisov, Chief Priest of the Church of Saints Kosmas and Damien, was awarded the “right to bear the Golden Cross for his service over many years to the Church of God for his labours in spreading the Holy Scriptures”. Normally those who receive this honour are simply given the right to bear the Golden Cross, and have to provide it themselves, but in this case, the Patriarch bought the Cross and personally placed it on the honoured Borisov on April 15, 1998. (WR 332/IB1 - 7.98)

BENIN — Part of the Bible Society in Benin’s distribution is done through a highly-organised unit of Christian women who devote their time to visiting the sick, the disadvantaged, prisoners, orphans, and market traders, distributing Scriptures wherever they find a need. They also raise funds for the Bible Society, collect old clothes and even buy food to give to those to whom they minister, supporting this work out of their own pockets. While working in her capacity as a fundraiser, the President of this women’s organisation, Mrs Iradath Tamou, was involved in a very bad accident on the last day of December, 1997; people thought that she would not survive such an accident, but, thanks to the grace of God, she escaped with no more than a broken right foot. (WR 332/IB2 - 7.98)

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC (CAR) – In January Dr Phil Noss, UBS Regional Translations Co-ordinator (RETCO) for Africa, was able to return to the CAR to visit the Sango translation team. He previously had to meet the team in Cameroon because of security problems in the CAR, but this time found them in the relatively peaceful setting of Bangui. But the rural areas remain unsafe and the distribution of Scriptures and visits by translators to the churches outside the capital are difficult and often dangerous. According to Dr Noss, the new translation of the Sango Bible continues apace, but some churches and missions have indicated that they want to “revise” or “retranslate” the old Sango Bible because they believe its literalness makes it more useful for liturgical use and Bible study than the new common-language translation will be. “Whether the Protestant churches of the CAR will eventually have one, two, or three Sango Bibles is a question yet to be resolved,” said Dr Noss. (WR 332/IB3 - 7.98)

ABIDJAN — For last year’s National Day of Peace, the Bible Society in Côte d’Ivoire, with the support of the churches, organised a special service of celebration held in the congressional hall of the Ivoire Hotel, Abidjan, on November 16, 1997. Political figures, church leaders and many others joined together for a feast of Christian songs, dances and speeches, including an address by the Bible Society General Secretary about the worldwide work of the Bible Societies. The celebration came under the theme of ‘A thanksgiving and supplication to God for a lasting peace in Côte d’Ivoire’. Special gifts of audio Scriptures were presented to the President and his wife, political party leaders, and to the Presidents of the National Assembly and of the Economic and Social Council, with the hope that they will find the Scriptures a source of guidance, inspiration, wisdom and peace. The reaction was so positive that it is thought such an event will be repeated this year. (WR 332/IB4 - 7.98)

SOUTH KOREA — Returning from a visit to England, in February, senior representatives of the Korean Bible Society (KBS) organised a press conference in Seoul with church and secular press people to present to the public a copy of the first Gospel of Luke in Korean. Bible translator John Ross who, along with John Macintyre, produced the first translation in Korean of Luke’s and John’s Gospels, went on to translate the whole of the New Testament, which was printed by the British and Foreign Bible Society in England in 1887. The first Bible in Korean dates from 1911. Mr Ho Yong Kim, KBS General Secretary, and Dr Young-Jin Min, Member of the Committee on Scholarly Editions, explained the significance of this volume to the assembled journalists, and the event was broadcast by Christian Cable Television and on two Christian radio programmes. This resulted in widespread publicity for the KBS, which was able to promote both its present-day work and that of the Bible Societies worldwide through the media. (WR 332/IB5 - 7.98)

JAPAN — One of the selectors of passages for the Japan Bible Society’s successful series of Scripture Selections for business people was appointed President of the Bank of Japan on March 20 this year, and the mass media have been quick to report about the key role of his Christian faith. Leading corporate financier, Mr Masaru Hayami, chose biblical passages for the Bible Society Selection from those he had found the most helpful during his 50 or so working years in business. As a result of the news coverage, demand for this Selection has soared. Mr Hayami is a member of the Asagaya Church of Christ of which the pastor, the Rev Hiroshi Omiya, is also Board Chairman of the JBS. (WR 332/IB6 - 7.98)

GHANA — A biblical promotion initiative which began in Ghana has proved so popular and effective that its organisers are seeking to promote its adoption throughout the world. The ‘Bible Knowledge Competition’ (BKC) is a non-governmental, non-denominational effort which aims to raise funds – through its program of Bible-based quizzes – to assist Bible and theological colleges and missions engaged in evangelism worldwide. Over the past 15 years, a team of experts has already compiled no fewer than 7,000 questions and answers from the Bible, which BKC claims is enough to stage its twice-yearly competition for the next 75 years or so. (BKC can supply churches or other users with a set of 40 questions to be used in competitions at Christmas and Easter). In future, BKC hopes to be able to fund Christian building projects and other projects throughout the world. Further information available from: P O Box 8490, Accra-North, Ghana. (WR 332/IB7 - 7.98)

GERMANY — The German Bible Society (GBS) plans to participate in several displays at the Expo 2000 event in Hannover from June 1 until October 31, 2000. The GBS will be featured at the ecumenical pavilion of the German churches and also an area in the ‘Pavilion of Hope’ to be organised by the German Evangelical Alliance which features a gigantic whale, while the Bible Society branch in Hannover will also open a Bible Centre during Expo 2000 in the monastery at Marienwerder. The aim of the ‘Pavilion of Hope’ is to promote 80 ways of providing a better future, and visitors will be taken on a multimedia journey in the whale where they will be challenged by some of the answers suggested by exhibitors. (WR 332/IB8 - 7.98)

CHINA — According to reports earlier this year, distribution by the churches of the Bible in Today’s Chinese Version (TCV) has proved such a success that the initial print-run of 30,000 copies sold out within two months, and the China Christian Council had to place an order for another 30,000 copies. The CCC expects this edition to be particularly popular with young Christians, and although they are not sold in ordinary commercial bookshops, copies are available for sale to anyone through churches and distribution centres. (WR 332/IB9 - 7.98)

SOUTH AFRICA — The Bible used by the largest language group in South Africa, the Zulu, has been transcribed into a new orthography according to the latest rules approved by the Zulu Language Board. The Bible was published by the South African Bible Society (SABS) and, together with a large-print edition, was launched in KwaZulu-Natal in February this year. The task of transcribing this Bible – based on the 1959 text of the Zulu Bible – into the new orthography, took SABS staff about four years to complete. “It was an expensive, but a very necessary undertaking,” said the Rev Gerrit Kritzinger, SABS General Secretary. “In publishing the Bible in the new Zulu orthography, the Word of God is brought closer to young Zulu-speakers since the Bible is now in the written language taught to them and therefore more readable.” Some 80,000 copies of the standard edition and 10,000 copies of the large-print edition were printed. (WR 332/IB10 - 7.98)