World Report 354, October 2000 -- Africa

LESOTHO — A mother who desperately wanted a Bible of her own for the first time in her life, broke down in tears when she realised she could not afford a copy of the new Sesotho Bible translation.

There were already many demands on the small amount of money she had earned from selling home-made bread from a street stall. Her son needed medical treatment for a broken hand, the whole family needed food, and there were debts to pay. Her husband had turned away from his family, leaving her to cope alone.

Representatives of the Bible Society of Lesotho met Mrs Nthabiseng Ts’ilo while distributing Scriptures in the mountain district of Qacha’s Nek. A faithful member of the Catholic Church, she knew the power of the Bible and, with the help of a fellow Christian, had just learned to read the Scriptures for herself.

The Bible Society decided to give Mrs Nthabiseng the new translation of the Sesotho Bible that was clearly so important to her.

“I do not have the words I need to give my son advice, so I will read him the Bible to show how God wants him to behave at all times,” said Mrs Nthabiseng.

As she received the Bible, her son opened it and read a few verses, then closed his eyes and bowed his head. He is doing very well at school, but no-one knows if his mother will be able to finance his studies with her few resources.

The Bible Society of Lesotho asks for prayer for the souls of the Basotho people in remote areas, and for the success of the Society’s aim of reaching people with the Scriptures in different formats. Special prayers are asked for herdboys who cannot read or write even their own names. (WR 354/1 - 10.00) [PHOTOS]

Agricultural Show Proves a Winner
for Bible Society

MASERU, Lesotho — The Bible Society of Lesotho has said it will take part in the National Agricultural Show every year from now on after receiving a wealth of favourable publicity from its participation at this year’s event.

On the day the prime minister, Pakalitha Mosisili, inspected the displays at the show, he took time to stop at the Society’s stand and talk to Peter Potjo, the Media and Marketing Officer, about its work.

Mr Mosisili offered his congratulations and encouraged the Society to start producing its own Bibles – this is currently done in South Africa – as well as translating them.

It was the first time the Society had ventured to exhibit at the Agricultural Show and all the Sesotho versions of the Bible were on display. The five-day event was officially opened on June 12 by Vova Bulane, the minister of agriculture. Like the prime minister later, Mr Bulane stopped at the Bible Society stand. He said he was happy that the Word of God had come to Lesotho’s farmers. In a comment made later on television, he added, “It is good that the Bible Society considered coming because they are relevant in almost every situation.”

Inahaneng Tsekana, General Secretary of the Society, was delighted with the results of its presence at the show. “The Society got the greatest publicity,” he said, “taking into consideration the fact that some people who took part at the show were from the remote areas and do not even have a little interest in the Bible Society.” (WR 354/2 - 10.00)

Ga Audio Scripture Program Launched

ACCRA, Ghana — The indigenous people of Ghana’s Greater Accra Region are the latest group in the country to receive the New Testament on audio cassette in their own language.

Cassettes of the dramatised New Testament in Ga were launched at a service in Accra in June. There are about two million speakers in the region.

In his address at the launch service at La Bethel Presbyterian Church, Kofi Owusu, General Secretary of the Bible Society of Ghana, reiterated the commitment of the Society, the UBS and US-based agency Hosanna, to their joint program Faith Comes By Hearing (FCBH). He said the partners would continue to develop and produce audio Scriptures for the benefit of Ga speakers, a majority of whom are non-literate or habitual non-readers.

The production, distribution and promotion of audio Scriptures had been given a boost, he said, by a consultation on non-print media held in Ghana in 1991, known as the ‘Kokrobite Consultation’.

“Ever since the Bible Society started promoting the Dagbani, Akuapem, Éwé and Asante audio tapes among the language communities,” he added, “we have received encouraging testimonies and reports to the effect that the program has led to changes in lifestyles and revival of many churches in Ghana.”

Among other speakers at the service was the Rev Dr Martin Robinson, Director of the BFBS’s Mission and Theology Department. He urged churches to give priority to FCBH because it had proved to be an effective means of communicating the Scriptures to people across the globe.

Sam Okudzeto, President of the Bible Society of Ghana, said that the numerous socio-economic problems that besieged the country could be surmounted “if we take the Word of God seriously and give it the rightful place it deserves both in our lives and in our society”.

The Society has organised a series of FCBH training workshops for pastors and elders of churches from the Ga Rural District who had expressed the desire to participate in the FCBH listening program.

Work Begins on New Nairobi Bible House

NAIROBI, Kenya — A ‘ground breaking’ ceremony held recently by the Bible Society of Kenya (BSK) marked the start of work on a new Bible House in Nairobi. The insecurity of the area around the present Bible House has long been of concern to BSK staff and visitors. The new premises are to be built on Lang’ata Road, on the Madaraka Estate. Four kilometres (two-and-a-half miles) from the city centre, this is altogether quieter, safer and more salubrious than the present offices on Mfangano Street. The building project has been made possible through a loan of US$385,000 from UBS. A further $131,000 will come in the form of grants from national Bible Societies, while the balance, $370,000, will be raised locally. (WR 354/4 - 10.00) e-103 [PHOTOS]

Malawi Greets Sena New Testament

NSANJE, Malawi — A new translation of the New Testament into Sena was warmly welcomed in Nsanje, Malawi, last month. Fittingly, Sena, which is spoken by about 1.5 million of Malawi’s 9.8 million people, was the language of most of the prayers, songs and addresses during the three-hour service. The translation work has been carried out by the South Africa-based organisation Word for the World, in collaboration with local translators and churches. Byson Nakutho, Executive Director of the Bible Society of Malawi (BSM), commended the translation team for completing their work in just five years. It was, he said, “a record time by UBS standards”. (WR 354/5 - 10.00) e-112 [PHOTOS]

Scriptures Despatched to Mozambique

CAPE TOWN, South Africa — The Bible Society of South Africa (BSSA) has confirmed that the last consignment of Scriptures printed by the BSSA for flood victims in Mozambique was being despatched this month.

The floods which devastated the country in the early part of the year destroyed the Bible Society of Mozambique’s warehouse in Beira and its entire stock of more than 5,000 Scriptures. Flooding at Bible House, Maputo, destroyed a further 600 Bibles, New Testaments, and Scripture Portions.

In an appeal for Mozambique in March, UBS General Secretary the Rev Fergus Macdonald proposed a US$200,000 Scripture-printing program. He said the UBS was planning to make available 12,000 Bibles in Ndau, Tsonga, Tswa, and Portuguese, 10,000 New Testaments in Tsonga, Tswa and Portuguese, and at least 10,000 Portions in Tsonga, as well as 300,000 New Reader Portions in Portuguese and Tsonga.

Johan Coetzee, the BSSA’s Production Manager, said last month his records showed that all the Scriptures listed had been delivered to Mozambique in July, with the exception of 5,000 Tsonga Bibles. He also confirmed that the Tsonga Bibles had been delivered to the BSSA warehouse in Cape Town in August and were being sent on to Mozambique. “Delivery from the BSSA to the Bible Society in Mozambique in Maputo takes about 10 days,” he added. (WR 354/6 - 10.00) e-113

Bible Society of Ethiopia
Celebrates Milestone

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — In a country rich in Christian culture and history dating back almost 1,700 years, the Bible Society of Ethiopia (BSE) recently celebrated a milestone in its own history – Diamond Jubilee festivities were held to mark 75 years of achievement in Bible work.

Although Bible Society work first began in the country in 1812 through the British and Foreign Bible Society (BFBS), it was only in 1925 that Bible House was constructed. This gave a considerable boost to the work of the Sub-Agency, formed in 1920, increasing Scripture distribution from 644 in 1920 to almost 3,000 in 1926.

Since then, Bible work has developed rapidly, with the formation of the BSE in 1966, and the distribution of more than 33 million Scriptures in 21 languages over the past 45 years.

Media attention

To celebrate these achievements, church leaders and members from a variety of denominations, government ministers and other dignitaries joined the BSE at a special ceremony on June 25. The event attracted the attention of the nation’s media, and was broadcast across the country on television and radio.

Wobshet Dessalegn, BSE Board Chairman, spoke to the gathering about the important role of the Bible Society in mission outreach through Scripture distribution, and called on the churches to continue in their efforts to take the Word of God to the country’s unreached population.

Ethiopia’s Ancient Bible Culture

Ethiopia was one of the first countries in the world to adopt the Christian faith, and its rich biblical history and traditions, dating back nearly 17 centuries, have made it unique among African nations. The first Bible Portions in a language of Ethiopia – Ethiopic – were printed in 1513, but historians estimate that Ethiopia converted to Christianity as early as 330AD. Local tradition, however, holds that this conversion occurred much earlier, at the time of the Apostles. It was shortly after 330AD that the first Christian missionaries arrived in the country and set up monasteries. This marked the start of a religious-based system of education in which male children, mostly from privileged families, learnt the alphabet through studying the Psalms of David. They then progressed to more intense biblical studies, and some scholars could recite the entire Bible from memory. Scriptures are now available in 21 Ethiopian languages; work continues on translating God’s Word into seven more languages.

Kebede Mamo, BSE General Secretary, outlined the Society’s history, highlighting its growth over the years as it strove to meet the increasing demand for Scriptures. A representative of the Ethiopian Evangelical Church – Mekane Yesus – then presented a paper about the role played by this church in the growth of BSE work. The contributions by His Excellency Emmanuel Abraham, the founder of the church, and the BSE were mentioned. A presentation by a BSE board member followed, examining the prominence of the Bible in Ethiopia and the development of Bible Society work in this context.

Recognition

Awards of recognition were presented to churches, organisations and individuals, including representatives from the BFBS and the UBS Anglophone Africa Regional Service Center, for significant contributions to the Bible cause. An exhibition of Scriptures in various languages attracted much attention after the ceremony, and thousands of Scripture Selections were distributed. (WR354/7 - 10.00) e-113

Seychelles Welcome First Indian Ocean
Creole New Testament

VICTORIA, Seychelles — The first New Testament in Creole to be published on the islands of the Indian Ocean was given a joyful welcome by the Seychelles Christian community. The New Testament in Seselwa – a French-based Creole – was dedicated in January and hailed as an appropriate way for the country’s 60,000 Creole-speakers to begin the new millennium. The dedication took place during the national Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. As well as being a symbol of inter-church co-operation in the Seychelles, the publication is also an important milestone for the Creole language and culture. Creole was adopted as the official language in the 1980s and, with its increasing use in schools and churches, the need for Scriptures in that language became urgent. (WR 354/8 - 10.00) e-112

$25,000 Boost to Bible Distribution in Rural Zambia

LUSAKA, Zambia — In June the Bible Society of Zambia (BSZ) entered a partnership with World Vision Zambia, committing the latter to spend US$25,000 to help distribute Bibles and other Scriptures to rural communities. Dennis Mpundu Mutala, the General Secretary of the BSZ, said that the distribution of Bibles in Zambia stood at around 50,000 to 60,000 per year. He cited economic factors and a poor transport infrastructure among the obstacles to distribution. The new partnership will help Bible distribution because World Vision Zambia already has a well-developed infrastructure in rural areas, he added. (WR 354/9 - 10.00) e-103 [PHOTOS]

FCBH Growing in Madagascar

“The number of people coming to listen to the Word
is beyond our expectations”

ANTANANARIVO, Madagascar — A church in Madagascar has not only embarked on the Scripture cassette program Faith Comes By Hearing (FCBH) but has opened a dedicated listening room.

The Reformed church in the capital, Antananarivo, opened the listening room in March, with tapes supplied by the Bible Society and cassette players bought with financial contributions from church members.

The minister, Pastor Raymond Randrianarisoa, is very proud of the new facility. “The number of people coming to listen to the Word is beyond our expectations,” he said. “The Christians bring their friends and relatives all the time.”

The FCBH program is showing steady growth throughout Madagascar. In May the Malagasy Bible Society reported that the number of churches running the program had grown by 68 in the previous six months. It aims to have added 100 churches by the end of October.

The new churches welcomed into the program include 41 Reformed churches. The rest comprise 10 Lutheran churches, 9 Evangelical and Pentecostal churches, 6 Anglican and 3 Roman Catholic.

In addition, five more radio stations have begun broadcasting the New Testament. The Society hopes to have added another three by the end of October.

The growth is not the result of large investment. Lioka Ranarison is the sole person at the Bible Society responsible for both FCBH and audio production. He travels the country, mostly by bus and taxi, and has the support of just a handful of dedicated volunteers.

The Society reports that while tape sales of the interconfessional version of Scripture have been slow, there is a waiting list for the Protestant version. (WR 354/10 - 10.00)

Poor Soul Finally Rich

Agricultural Show Proves a Winner for Bible Society

Ga Audio Scripture Program Launched

Work Begins on New Nairobi Bible House

Malawi Greets Sena New Testament

Scriptures Despatched to Mozambique

Bible Society of Ethiopia Celebrates Milestone