JAKARTA, Indonesia — At the conclusion of a dynamic program ranging
from biblical dance presentations to seminars examining the cross-cultural
challenges of Bible translation, the Indonesian Bible
Society (LAI) has entered the new millennium with a fresh vision and a
renewed commitment to serving the Christian church with the Word of God.
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The program, Ushering in the 21st Century, which ran from February 1999 – September 2000, was designed to gauge and strengthen the profile of the Bible Society and its work, and to heighten Bible awareness throughout the country. Drs Supardan, LAI General Secretary, said that the Bible Society has been encouraged by the response to the program.
“The response to the activities has been very positive, and the churches and the Christian community as a whole have proved to care very much for the role played by LAI,” said Drs Supardan.
Launched at a thanksgiving service on February 9, 1999 as part of LAI’s 45th anniversary celebrations, one of the program’s main aims was for LAI to “socialise with Christian congregations,” according to Drs Supardan.
“The program was part of our efforts to solidify LAI’s position as part of the church. We wanted to use the program to convey our vision to the churches as well as to strengthen our understanding of their needs in order to better serve them,” he explained.
To facilitate this, LAI organised a series of ‘working meetings’ with its partners throughout the country, including churches, para-church organisations, professionals and businessmen.
“These meetings were a means for sharing burdens encountered in implementing the great mission – that of getting God’s Word read, heard and understood as well as applied to people’s lives on an even wider scale,” said Drs Supardan. “The result was an increasing awareness of the importance of solidarity within the Christian community.”
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As a sign of solidarity with LAI, hundreds of the 850 participants signed up as ‘Bible Friends’ (Bible Society supporters), while others committed themselves to helping with fundraising and co-ordinating the ‘Bible Friend’ groups.
After the meetings, LAI gathered suggestions and ideas from Bible users about how to improve the quality of the Bible Society’s products during a seminar entitled The Bible and Communication.
“The increasing willingness of Bible users to critically analyse our products is a positive sign because it shows a growing interest in the work of the Bible Society,” said Drs Supardan. “Through these discussions, we were able to sharpen and renew the common vision of LAI and Bible users to have a ‘communicative’ Bible.”
After an academic seminar focusing on the influence of Semitic language and culture on the Indonesian language and the implications for Bible translation, the program concluded on an energetic note, with 10 days of high profile public events. These included a national Psalm song-writing contest, a biblical dance-drama performance called Sabdamu (Your Word), a Bible quiz, and a Christian art and book exhibition. (WR 356/13 - 12.00)