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JAKARTA, Indonesia — By concentrating its efforts on one fundraising program, the Indonesian Bible Society (LAI) has involved its town-dwelling supporters in a special scheme.
They aim to provide Scriptures for their poorer rural Christian brothers and sisters. Not only do they give money to pay for the production and shipment of the Bibles, but they go with the shipment and take part in handing it over. On their return they can report back to their congregations with exciting 'live feed' information.
LAI is in an interesting if not unique position. Serving the minority Christian population in what has been called “the world's most scattered and diverse nation” it also has to contend with many of the 712 languages spoken throughout the archipelago.
Indonesia is largely Muslim – almost 90 per cent of the population follow Islam. Figures put the Christian community at some 19.2 million, roughly 9.6 per cent of the population, but the peaceful co-existence of Christians and Muslims, where the two groups share the same community, seems to have taken severe punishment in the last three years.
Violence and destruction have caused much displacement and in some cases people have fled their home islands, becoming refugees elsewhere in the archipelago. In some areas there are suggestions of political motivation, and the Indonesian armed forces have been accused of involvement.
In this context, LAI has managed to achieve an amazing step over the last three years. It no longer depends upon the UBS World Service Program to fund its distribution projects, and has actually started to contribute to the worldwide Bible cause.
One of the key elements in this transformation has been the Society’s main fundraising program, which has been going for 11 years and is called ‘One in Love’. The idea behind it is simple: to persuade Christians who have enough for themselves to spare a little to help supply the Scriptures to those less fortunate. This especially involves the many rural communities where the Scriptures are needed in a language other than Bahasa Indonesia.
“There is a phenomenal yearning for God’s Word among the church congregations in isolated areas,” said Drs Supardan, LAI General Secretary. “We went to those living in the cities, in the centres of commerce and told them about the cry for help from their sister congregations in the outer islands.”
A vigorous committee in each of the different regions served by LAI prepares a fundraising program every year. This could include concerts, shows, sponsored activities, presentations, parades, and any Bible-related activities the committee and the churches can practically achieve.
Throughout 2000, LAI is organising fundraising meetings in each of its different branches, and these will culminate with a major fundraising event held in Jakarta.
“We hope to raise the awareness of people in the provinces to the work of LAI and the needs of our poorer communities,” said Drs Supardan. “Through the ‘One in Love’ program, they can actively support the growth and development of remote Christian communities where some people would otherwise never have the opportunity to read the Bible.”
One of the areas to benefit from this program last year was the Fak-fak regency in Irian Jaya. In September, a group of Christians representing a cross-section of Jakarta churches left for Kaimana, Irian Jaya.
The journey east across three time zones had to be broken into stages. The group, which included three LAI staff members, stopped first at Ujung Pandang and then at Sorong where they spent the night. On the second day of their journey they arrived in Fak-fak.
They had to overcome some major obstacles along their way such as a brush with a hurricane, and several rainstorms while travelling at sea in speedboats and long boats.
They also faced the threat of mudslides on land while being ferried in ancient taxis or using doubtful public transport vehicles. But none of their experiences dimmed the group's desire to bring the gift of the Scriptures to their fellow Christians.
Once in Kaimana everybody helped to distribute Bibles and Scripture materials to 11 churches across the city. Then, time running out for the visitors, there was a symbolic distribution in which the Scriptures were handed over to church officials for distribution on the island of Edna.
The dream of many Christians in churches in the Fak-fak regency of Irian Jaya became a reality. Those who longed for a Bible now had the opportunity to read it and to learn from it in their own time.
Although in some areas literacy is lower than the average, overall, throughout Indonesia, between 70 and 85 per cent of the population can read. However, this mostly applies to the more widespread trade languages and Bahasa Indonesia – the national language. In many of the smaller language groups few can read or write their own language. Even the better-educated can have difficulty reading the Scriptures in their own mother-tongue.(WR 350/34 - 4/5.00) [PHOTOS]
CAPE TOWN, South Africa — “The challenge facing the Bible Society in 2000 is formidable and needs an extraordinary solution - Bibliathon 2000 could not have come at a better time.”
The Rev Gerrit Kritzinger, General Secretary of the Bible Society of South Africa (BSSA) was addressing the 700-strong crowd gathered on the Victoria and Albert Waterfront on February 18 to celebrate the official launch of a year-long fundraising project called Bibliathon 2000.
The project aims to raise US $2.5 million to provide Scriptures in specific formats for South Africans with special needs; this money is over and above the US $3.3 million spent every year to sustain the BSSA's regular work. (Please see World Report 348, page 35, for a full report about Bibliathon 2000.)
Mr Kritzinger told the gathering that the BSSA “simply does not have the resources to keep pace with the ongoing demand for Bibles.” He described how people all over the country, in towns, informal settlements and in remote areas, often wait in vain for Bibles to arrive from the Bible Society.
“Research has revealed that the situation is getting worse, with some 20 million people in South Africa not having access to the printed Bible,” said Mr Kritzinger.
Guests of honour at the launch – the Rev Fergus Macdonald, General Secretary of the United Bible Societies, and the Rev Hawu Mbatha, Group Chief Executive of the South African Broadcasting Corporation – encouraged the BSSA in its task, emphasising the importance of the Bible in the world today. Mr Mbatha pointed out that the Bible has an important role to play in the African Renaissance.
Mr Macdonald told the gathering that the Church is growing at an unprecedented rate worldwide and that the Bible is needed to make the world a better place. He urged the church in South Africa to take note of the different Bible needs of its people, but also to live out the Bible's message so that even non-Christians would be inspired.
A programme of praise, music and song, led by the South African Police Services National Band and the Abaqondisi song group, followed the official speeches.
Representatives of the 11 official languages of South Africa were then presented with copies of the Millennium Bible – the first BSSA Bible edition to be published in all the official languages at the same time.
A total of US$13,600 was raised for Bibliathon 2000 during the launch event. This included the proceeds of a fun walk from Bible House to the Waterfront before the launch, and contributions from Bible Society supporters. (WR 350/35 - 4/5.00) [PHOTOS]