Bible ‘Born’ on Christmas Day (Indonesia)
No Ordinary Day (China)

All the church congregations located in the Dombu and Pekava Districts were also gathering for what was seen as a unique event in the history of Christianity here, reports Alicia Chandradewi of the IBS Translation Centre.

As the guests approached the village entrance, they were surprised by a ‘mock ambush’. Two men in traditional costume holding swords and shields jumped out in front of them from concealment. They shouted at them in a frightening way. This was ‘meaju’ – a traditional Da’a ceremony for welcoming honourable guests.

Once at the entrance they were warmly welcomed by villagers and men from the local Salvation Army, while the beautiful mellow sounds of the bamboo pipes played in the background. The guests were presented with traditional necklaces and were then free to enter the church building.

This night would be a night to remember for the people attending the village church. Although it was a Christmas service, it would be a very different Christmas service this year. They had gathered to celebrate the birth of the Lord Jesus, as they had done on previous Christmases. But this year they were expecting something else that was new, something about to be ‘born’ in this small community of Central Sulawesi.

Anyone who was not aware was soon to be informed as Commissioner Victor Tondi, Territorial Commander of the Salvation Army for all of Indonesia, stepped up to give the sermon. He spoke of the place where Jesus was born.

“It is fortunate that he was born in a stable in Bethlehem,” he said. “Because if he had been born in a palace, I think only a few people would have been allowed to see him. But he was born in a stable. The shepherds came. The wise men came. Any person, everyone could come. Dombu people as well can come to worship the infant king!

“But even more amazing than that, brothers and sisters, is what John wrote in his Gospel: ‘The Word became a human being and, full of grace and truth, lived among us.’ In America, China and other places. In Dombu, Marawola, Kulawi, he is here, Alleluia!”

He explained that the service was also a gathering to celebrate the arrival of the Word of God in Da’a. Finally, the Da’a-speaking people could fulfil their desire to read the Christmas story for themselves in their own language in the completed Da’a New Testament.

In his word of greeting Andi Lasipi, the Dombu Village Chief, commented, “Today’s Christmas is different from the ones we have had before, because this year we celebrate not only the birth of Jesus in a stable in Bethlehem, but also the birth of the Bible in Da’a. The Bible was ‘born’ on Christmas day, here in Dombu Village.

Thanks to the translations team, who worked with the Da’a language for many years, and the help of local translators and text reviewers, the New Testament has now become a reality. The Bible Society printed the Da’a New Testament, and consultancy support and manuscript checking was provided through the IBS Translation Department.

Many copies of the Da’a New Testament were distributed at the service. It was like an additional present at Christmas time, one of those present said, and one that will continue to lead people to the truth and to the meaning of God’s perfect gift at Christmas in the years to come. (WR 341/17 - 6.99)

Editor of the Amity News Service, Ian Groves, put together the following article about the day of celebration – March 16, 1999 – when the 20-millionth copy of the Bible printed by the Amity Printing Company was dedicated.
  

The entrance to the Amity Printing Company (APC) has been decorated. New awnings are above the windows. The floors have been painted. A platform has been erected on the entry steps, and potted plants arranged on it in decoration. Chairs for a good crowd have been set out.

Everyone is going about their task with a sense of anticipation, which increases even more when buses arrive bringing guests from more than 20 countries. After they have each signed the guest scroll, they receive a miniature orchid.

More people arrive in buses and taxis: these are Chinese Christians representing the China Christian Council (CCC), the Amity Foundation, seminaries and Bible schools, the YMCA and the Three Self Patriotic Movement. There are also delegates from the Religious Affairs Bureau, along with board members of the APC.

A large red banner serves as a backdrop to the platform announcing in Chinese and English that this is to celebrate the completion of 20 million copies of the Bible. Then the service starts and we sing the hymn ‘Great Is Thy Faithfulness’.

Bishop K H Ting, honorary CCC President, rises to speak. He explains how initially there had been mistrust between the Chinese authorities and the UBS even though both sides knew of the great need for Bibles. “But in Jesus Christ we became good friends,” he says.

Dr Han Wenzao, President of the CCC, then gives a short history of how the APC was founded to print Bibles in China, despite the doubts of many. Thirteen years later, anyone who had questioned that intention now had their answer. With government approval, APC has printed more than 20 million Bibles.

Dr Chen Zemin, Professor at the Jin Ling Theological Seminary in Nanjing, rises to pose the question: “Do we need to print more Bibles in China?

“All I know is that when Bibles arrive at the distribution points they are taken. The number of Christians in China is growing very fast and the educational standard is rising. We need more Bibles, and yes, we will print more Bibles!” he says.
 

Photo: Celebrating the printing of the 20-millionth Bible at the Amity Press, Dr Jen-Li Tsai, former     UBS Asia-Pacific Regional Secretary (right), presents a Bible to dr Han Wenzao, President of the     China Christian Council

“There are many people outside the church who need the Bible. Teachers, students and other intelligentsia want to read the Bible. In the Bible there is a kind of truth they want to know about. The Bible is an important factor in Chinese culture.

“In 1981, when the Jin Ling Theological Seminary opened, there was not one copy of the Bible. We had to borrow Bibles from some of those Christians who had hidden their Bibles during the earlier years. It is hard to believe that we now have more than 20 million Bibles in China.”

The Bibles that roll off the APC presses are penetrating this vast nation. Anyone, believer or non-believer, whether churchgoer or not, is free to purchase a Bible without being questioned or having to register. The cost of a standard-size Bible is US $1.50.

“The sound of the presses working could be heard in the background. Bibles were being printed. Boxes were being packed and addressed. Lorries would be loaded up soon with their precious cargo. It was no ordinary day. It never is when God’s Word is being printed and distributed so effectively.”

Trucks loaded with Bibles frequently leave the grounds of the APC. The Scriptures are taken to train or bus stations from which they are sent to one of the 65 Bible distribution centres throughout the nation. These have been set up across China from the plains of Mongolia to the snow-covered fields of Heilongjian in the north, and as far south as the mountains of Yunnan Province.

You will find Scripture distribution points in the tourist city of Xi’an in Shaanxi Province, in the eastern port cities of Shandong Province, or as far west as the deserts of Xinjiang. And many of these distribution points and centres are open long hours to make the Bible available to all who want to obtain a copy. And some churches now open their Bible bookstore every day.

On March 15, the day before the dedication, the APC had printed a total of 20,398,145 Bibles and 18,065 Braille Bible Portions. Bibles have been printed in at least seven minority languages including Lisu, Miao, Yi, Bai, Dai, Ligu and Jingpo. In addition to Bibles, the press also produces Scripture calendars, devotional books, seminary textbooks, reference books and hymnals for the churches in China.

Dr Ho Yong Kim, General Secretary of the Korean Bible Society and Chairman of the UBS Asia-Pacific Regional Executive Committee, added his congratulatory remarks at the ceremony.

“It was in 1882 that the first Korean Scripture, the Gospel of Luke which had been translated in Shenyang, China, entered our land. Since then, over the last 117 years, a quarter of our Korean population has become Christian,” he said.

“The positive influence that Christianity has brought to Korean society has been remarkable. China has played a role in communicating the Gospel in Korea and her neighbouring countries.”

Dr Eugene Habecker, President of the American Bible Society and Chairman of the UBS Executive Committee, expressed his thanks to “those who dreamed”. “We celebrate what God has done and is doing because of those dreams,” he said.

The Rev Deng Fuchun, General Secretary of the Three Self Patriotic Movement, said that Chinese Christians thanked God for the willingness of the United Bible Societies to join with them in making this dream a reality.

As the meeting ended and the guests departed the grounds of the Amity press, the sound of the presses working could be heard in the background. Bibles were being printed. Boxes were being packed and addressed. Lorries would be loaded up soon with their precious cargo. It was no ordinary day. It never is when God’s Word is being printed and distributed so effectively.

China will be blessed and the Church in China will have an impact on the 21st century because of God’s living Word. Everyone knew that the power of the Bible was even now reaching across China. To God be the glory – great things he has done! (WR 341/18 - 6.99) [PHOTOS]