Website
to Bring UBS Expansion Program to Global Audience
READING, England — The United Bible Societies (UBS) has launched its Opportunity 21 (O-21) website, providing a global audience with information about the most extensive Scripture distribution program in its history.
O-21, with the theme ‘God’s Word: Light for the 21st Century,’ is a Scripture mission initiative of UBS comprising more than 375 projects in over 75 countries. Initially the website provides information about more than 200 O-21 projects, with more to follow. The new website can be accessed at either www.O-21.org or www.opportunity21.org.
Through the website, people can not only learn about the projects
but actually make direct donations to the many areas of need.
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Each year, UBS receives requests for millions of Scriptures beyond what it is able to supply. In 1999 alone the gap stood at 67 million, and similar figures are projected for 2000.
The site opens with dramatic animated graphics portraying some of the world’s most pressing spiritual and physical needs. From there, the visitor is welcomed to the site and invited to explore and participate in the many projects being funded through O-21.
Pledged
The funding goal for Opportunity 21 is US$90 million, and all projects and programs are to be carried out by 2004. To date more than $14 million has been pledged for the program, including major support from the American Bible Society and the Maclellan Foundation. The two US-based organisations have pledged another $10 million for this year.
“The goal of Opportunity 21 is to bring the power and promise of God’s Word to an increasingly post-modern, post-literate, spiritually-searching and needy world,” said UBS Executive Committee Chairman Dr Eugene Habecker.
The O-21 Global Co-ordinator, the Rev William Jefferson, explained that the new website “will allow people throughout the world to discover what Opportunity 21 represents, and at the same time allow them to connect with the mission of the United Bible Societies on a national, regional or global level.
“The projects of O-21 originate from the ‘ground-up’,” he noted, “and are designed by national Bible Societies in partnership with churches and other ministries. These entities best understand the immediate needs of the people in their respective areas.”
UBS General Secretary the Rev Fergus Macdonald described Opportunity 21 as the most exciting and ambitious co-operative venture ever undertaken by the United Bible Societies.
Quantum leap
“Our hope is that Opportunity 21 will enable the United Bible Societies to take a quantum leap forward in the distribution of Scriptures and help close the growing gap between those who want Scriptures and what is actually available,” he said.
“The vision for Opportunity 21 came out of a desire to seize the opportunity that a new millennium offers UBS: an opportunity to impact the world with the Word,” said the Rev Miller Milloy, UBS Regional Secretary for Europe-Middle East. Some 140 diverse O-21 projects are in the Europe and the Middle East Region. This includes everything from outreach efforts in Siberia to supplying multilingual Gospels to pilgrims visiting Rome during the Jubilee Year 2000.
Mr Jefferson said Opportunity 21 represents broad diversity both in the way Scriptures are provided and in terms of the people who will benefit from them.
Technology
“Millions of printed Bibles and New Testaments will be provided in countries like India, including special Youth Bibles in 14 languages,” he explained. “At the same time these Bibles will be provided on CD-ROM. This technology is also being used in a number of other countries, including China, where a computer-literate generation will be given unique access to Scriptures.”
Engaging
It is estimated that some 50 per cent of the world’s population is now either unable or unwilling to read. Therefore a major emphasis is also being put on the distribution of Scriptures on audio cassette to help meet this massive need.
In many areas the major thrust is to provide Scriptures which will be attractive and engaging, especially for young people.
“The four Bible Societies in our region participating in O-21 (Haiti, Netherlands Antilles, Suriname and West Indies) are focusing their efforts towards children and youth, because over 60 per cent of the population in this area are under the age of 25,” noted Mr Marco Herrera, Regional Secretary for the Caribbean and North America Region.
Dynamo
“We are very thankful for what God is providing through O-21. I view O-21 as a dynamo that is thrusting Bible Societies to a higher level of service.” (WR 353/1 - 9.00)
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NOTE TO BIBLE SOCIETIES ON O-21 WEB GIFTS Dear Bible Society Fund Manager: As indicated in the adjoining story, through the Opportunity 21 website, individuals from around the world will now be able to make gifts directly to O-21 projects. There are implications of this arrangement, even for Bible Societies that are not receiving O-21 funds. Let me explain: When individuals wish to make a gift through the website, the only way they may do it is by using a credit card. Along with the card number, of course, they must also enter their name and complete address. When their gift is processed, a series of events are put into place: 1. The donor receives an immediate acknowledgement e-mail thanking her or him for the gift. This e-mail will also tell the donor that he will be thanked in writing by his nearest national Bible Society. 2. The gift is immediately credited to the project selected, or, if no specific project is chosen by the donor, the gift goes into a ‘where most needed’ category. 3. The amount of the gift is recorded as an O-21 ‘extra’ to the donor’s ‘home’ national Bible Society as determined by the credit card billing address. For instance, if the credit card is registered in Peru, the Peruvian Bible Society receives credit for the O-21 gift. 4. The ‘home’ Bible Society (‘Peru’ in this instance) will be notified of the gift, and of the name and address of the donor. 5. At this point, the national Bible Society should write to the donor, thanking him or her for the gift, and offering more information about the Bible Society. Opportunity 21 offers an exciting opportunity to raise the level of Bible work to a permanently new level. One of the ways it can help do this is by involving new people in the life of the Bible Societies. I pray that as the opportunity presents itself, you will welcome these newcomers into our Fellowship, and challenge them with the vision of how they can become ongoing supporters of your Bible Society. May God continue to bless you in His work,
Larry R Jerden |
Sports Ministry Breakthrough
Makes Olympic History
SYDNEY,
Australia — In a significant breakthrough for sports ministry, the official
Olympic organising committee has worked directly with the Christian community
for the first time, allocating a stand in a major Olympic venue to an umbrella
Christian organisation called Quest
Australia: More Than Gold.
The Bible Society in Australia (BSA) is one of many church and parachurch organisations that will be represented by Quest Australia at the Olympic Expo in Homebush Bay – the largest of the Olympic venues. According to Davyd Hepburn, UBS Sports Outreach Consultant, this is a major step forward for Christian outreach at international sports events.
Relationship
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“In the past, the Christian community did their own thing at the Olympics and other major sporting events,” he explained. “But this time, the Sydney Olympic Committee Organising the Games (SOCOG) has worked openly and directly with Christian organisations through Quest. And this is not just a one-off thing – we are trying to build a relationship with the committee as they plan future Olympic events.”
Quest Australia is co-ordinating the activities of the Australian Christian community as it shares the Word of God with the millions of tourists, spectators, athletes and sports officials who will flood into Sydney this month. Graeme Cole, BSA Public Relations Director, described Quest’s achievements in the run-up to the Olympic Games as “something of a coup.”
“While corporations have had to pay thousands of dollars for their position in the Expo, the New South Wales government made the special concession to the Christian community to allow representation in the area, and neither Quest nor the Bible Society will be charged for the stand,” he said.
Olympic officials estimate that 250,000 people will visit the Expo every day during the Olympic and Paralympic Games, which run from September 15 - October 1, and October 18 - 29 respectively. The BSA has provided almost half a million sports-related Scripture resources, which will be distributed through the Quest stand at the Olympic Expo, as well as through three other Quest stalls in Sydney Square and at Olympic festivals throughout the country.
Demand
The Games CD-ROM, containing the testimonies of leading
athletes and Olympians such as American footballer Michelle Akers, British
long-jumper Jonathon Edwards and American basketballer David Robinson, is
being manufactured in the USA. Mission groups have already ordered nearly
9,000 copies, but the demand for the CD-ROM is expected to increase significantly
as it becomes known in the marketplace.
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Further resources provided by the Bible Society are the Games Edition of the sports New Testament, Towards the Goal, and a sports Gospel of Mark. The sports edition of Mark’s Gospel has been produced in Chinese as well as English. The Chinese edition features the testimony of Michael Chang. In addition, the BSA is providing 20,000 Arabic and 20,000 Chinese New Testaments.
David Willson, Chief Executive Officer of Quest Australia, has supported and encouraged the BSA and other Christian organisations in their development of sports-related Scripture materials in the run-up to the Olympics.
“We need Christian resources that ‘speak the same language’ as your average weekend sports participant or armchair supporter, and can be used to present the Gospel in a relevant manner,” said Mr Willson.
He describes the Olympic and Paralympic Games as “an unprecedented opportunity for the Australian Christian community to provide service and ministry to the athletes, their families, to officials and organisers, the millions of visitors who will attend the events and to millions of Australians who will watch the activities.
“What we do with this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity is limited only by the imagination of those who sit in the local church pew,” he added. (WR 353/2 - 9.00)
Bible Society a ‘Key Player’ in Olympic Outreach
SYDNEY, Australia — As millions of people gather in the Olympic Host City for the start of the 2000 Olympic Games this month, the local and international Christian community will embark on a massive outreach effort. As well as providing Scriptures, the Bible Society in Australia (BSA) is playing a key role in helping other Christian organisations maximise Scripture-sharing activity, according to Davyd Hepburn, UBS Sports Outreach Consultant.
“There will be a truly impressive Christian outreach during the Olympics in Sydney,” said Mr Hepburn. “It is linked to the Olympic creed, which states: ‘The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph, but the struggle. The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well.’
“The BSA is one of the major partners in this outreach, producing half a million sports Scriptures,” continued Mr Hepburn (see preceding story).
Kingdom building
“More than that, however, the BSA has been a key player in supporting other Christian organisations, such as The Pocket Testament League, as they prepared materials for the Games.
“The Bible Society has also agreed to warehouse and ship all the materials published by members of the Major Sports Events Partnership (MSEP).
More than Gold
“This is a wonderful example of a Bible Society doing an incredible job around a sports event as well as serving others in kingdom building.”
The BSA, through the UBS, is a member of the MSEP, which met in the UK late last year to discuss outreach at the Sydney Olympics. The members, which include Campus Crusade for Christ/Jesus Film Project, International Bible Society, Operation Mobilisation, and Scripture Union, will all be using the ‘More Than Gold’ theme, taken from 1 Peter 1:7, on their sports Scripture products.
Visions
“One of the visions of the MSEP is to broaden the distribution of Olympic sports-related materials published for the 2000 Games,” Mr Hepburn explained. “MSEP’s project for the 1996 Olympics resulted in more than 90,000 churches in 21 countries establishing sports outreach ministries.
“This year, Christian-related materials published for the Sydney Olympics will be distributed in more than 90 countries, some of them translated into 10 languages,” he added. (WR 353/3 - 9.00)
Colleagues Bid Farewell to Basil Rebera
READING,
England — United Bible Societies Translation Services Coordinator Dr
Basil Rebera retires at the end of October after 27 years in the Bible Society
movement.
In the months preceding his departure, Dr Rebera, who is 65 this month, will have been bade farewell on several occasions: one took place at the Triennial Translators’ Workshop, in Malaga, in June.
Tributes
In July the staff of the World Service Center in Reading, where Dr Rebera was attending a meeting of the Global Senior Management Team, paid their tributes, and the Rev Fergus Macdonald, General Secretary of the UBS, also made a presentation on behalf of the worldwide UBS fellowship.
Dr Rebera has held his present position in the Program Services Department of the UBS since January 1993 during which time he has been based in the USA.
He was born and educated in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) and his early career included working for a tea exporter and in the aviation refuelling division of Shell Oil.
Later, he attended United Theological College, Bangalore, India, where in 1971 he graduated as a Bachelor of Divinity, and, two years later, gained a Masters Degree in Theology.
In 1973 he became Translation Consultant to the Bible Society of India. The following year the UBS appointed him Translation Consultant for the Asia-Pacific Region and over the next 14 years he was based in India, Thailand and Singapore.
Responsibilities
In 1981 Macquarie University, in Sydney, Australia, awarded him a PhD for his thesis on the Book of Ruth.
In 1988 he added the title Director of the Translator and Text Division of the Bible Society in Australia to his responsibilities and became UBS Translation Services Coordinator five years later.
Somporn Sirikolkarn, Senior Coordinator of the UBS Program Services Department, said he valued Dr Rebera for his team leadership skills, for his forward-looking mind, and for the cross-cultural perspective which his background and varied experience gave him.
“In committee discussions he is a man of strong principle,” he added.
Mr Macdonald said Dr Rebera had made “an enormous contribution” to UBS translation work over many years.
“We will miss his warm personality, enthusiastic commitment to the Bible cause and his skills as a team member,” he added.
Delight
He spoke of general delight across the UBS at the prospect that Dr Rebera hoped to continue helping in translation work in the Indo-Pacific region on a part-time basis.
“We wish him and his wife Ranjini God’s rich blessing as they move back to Australia and enter a new phase in their lives,” said Mr Macdonald.
Dr Rebera’s wife, Ranjini, who was also born in Sri Lanka, is a theologian and consultant in communication and gender issues. She travels widely as a lecturer, workshop facilitator and public speaker. They have a son and a daughter. (WR 353/4 - 9.00) [PHOTOS]
New Translation Services Coordinator Appointed
READING, England — Following the retirement of Dr Basil Rebera as the UBS Translation Services Coordinator, Dr Philip Noss has been appointed to succeed him. Dr Noss, 60, officially takes up his new position in November and will be based at the UBS World Service Center in Reading, England.
Born in America of Norwegian ancestry, he grew up in Cameroon where his parents served as missionaries. He took a degree in Classical Languages and French and studied Classics and Indo-European Linguistics at postgraduate level.
Research
In 1969 he received a PhD in African Languages and Literature from the University of Wisconsin. On completing research on the Gbaya language of Cameroon, Dr Noss joined the Department of African Languages and Literature at the University of Wisconsin, teaching there from 1968 until 1971 and from 1973 to 1974.
Between those two periods of service, he returned to Cameroon to work in Bible translation with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Cameroon.
Gbaya
From 1974 he established and was Director of the Gbaya Translation Centre, while his wife Cecilia was director of the Gbaya Literacy Program.
After 11 years in Cameroon they moved to Nigeria, where Dr Noss was Professor of Linguistics at the University of Calabar. In 1984 he took his family back to Cameroon, this time as a UBS Translation Consultant-in-Training. Since 1994 he has been Regional Translation Coordinator of the UBS’s Africa Translation Services. Prior to his appointment as Translation Services Coordinator they lived in Nairobi. (WR 353/5 - 9.00)
Bible
Hailed as Bringer of Peace
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New
Scripture Portion for
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