Christian communities welcome new Bible Society distribution centres

UDON THANI, Thailand — Samakkee Tham Church is filled with the sweet smells of the colourful fruits and vegetables brought by the congregation for the annual thanksgiving service. The church members have much to thank God for this year – as well as being able to celebrate a good harvest, they are also grateful for the recent opening of the first Christian bookshop in the province.

The Christian Fellowship bookshop, built in the grounds of Samakkee Tham Church and dedicated last December, is the first of 20 planned distribution centres to be opened by the Thailand Bible Society (TBS) with funds from Opportunity 21.

Before the bookshop opened, many churches in this area, more than 500 km (313 miles) from the Bible Society’s headquarters in Bangkok, found it difficult to obtain regular supplies of Scriptures. The centre brings Scriptures within the reach of Christians and pastors operating in remote areas of northeast Thailand.

400 per cent

Through its distribution centres and Mobile Distribution Units (see story) the TBS hopes to make God’s Word more readily accessible to the country’s one million Christians, and thereby increase its Scripture distribution by 400 per cent by the end of 2002.

A second distribution centre also recently opened in Bangkok Christian Hospital, a 400-bed private institution owned by the Church of Christ of Thailand. Here, the Scriptures from the Bible Society’s bookshop are appreciated by staff and patients alike.

“Not only physical help, but spiritual help is needed,” says the Rev Samokn Ruangchan, Hospital Chaplain and a Bible Society board member. “Our aim is to present the Gospel to patients and staff. We do this through daily worship services, spiritual and ethical training for staff, and an internal Christian radio programme for the patients.”

A third distribution centre in the northeast province of Nakhon Ratchasima, also known as Khorat, was recently opened.

Halfway

Named the Christian Centre, the new facility lies exactly halfway between the bookshops in Bangkok and Udon Thani. Meanwhile, the Bible Society is making plans to open the next distribution centres in large churches in two cities in southern Thailand – Trang and Phun Phin (also known as Surat Thani). (WR 365/28 - 12.01) [PHOTOS]