Bible study revival goes
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| n Bible Society staff member Wengelawit Glmeskel, whose first name means 'evangel', leads one of the Protestant home Bible studies for the Mekanissa Congregation of the Mekane Yesus Evangelical Church in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Photo: UBS/Larry Jerden (ETH02DJ-117) |
“Bible Studies are very strong now in Protestant, Roman Catholic, and even Orthodox churches,” agrees Dr Loren Bliese, a UBS Translation Consultant based in Ethiopia.
Priests
“Protestants have home Bible studies, usually one each week. They have a training session on Sunday, then teach people in their homes during the week. The Orthodox are taught the Bible text by the priests.”
Bible Society staff member Wengelawit Glmeskel (her first name means ‘evangel’) leads one of the Protestant home Bible studies for the Mekanissa Congregation of the Mekane Yesus Evangelical Church (see World Report 354/7, October 2000). Ms Glmeskel, who has been at the Bible Society for eight years, has led the study for the past four.
“They asked for volunteers and I was willing to do it. In fact, I have wanted to lead a Bible study since I was a child,” she explains. “The Bible study is improving my own life and I see the change in the lives of others, as well.”
The curriculum she follows is prepared by church leaders and her group has about 10 members.
“Last year I taught a mixed group, with families,” Ms Glmeskel explains. “This year I am working with young people in their 20s.”
Interestingly, however, not all the participants think Bible study in small groups is best.
“Most of the people in my group like to study the Bible, but some like preaching more than Bible study,” she explains. “They say preaching touches their lives more. In our country, it is not the custom to read the Bible, but to listen to the priest. Also, when the elderly teach us something, we feel they know what they are talking about. So for me as a young person – I’m only 28 – teaching is not so easy.”
Being a woman teacher, on the other hand, is not a problem. For one thing, more women come to the Bible studies than men – although she finds this somewhat surprising, she says, because young men have more spare time to prepare for the studies.
“Women have more to do in the home – prepare the meals, mind the children… So women are given more privileges in society. For instance, in university entrance exams men must score 3.2 to get a place, but the women only need 2.8 because of their extra responsibilities.”
But for both men and women, whether it
is preached or studied, God’s Word is having a powerful effect
within Ethiopia’s Evangelical community.
Surprisingly, not everyone is completely happy when the Scriptures are
translated into their own language!
“One of the problems we face with new translations is that the pastors are the ones who don’t want to use them,” remarks Mr Mamo. “They were trained in Amharic and know the Bible in Amharic, so even when a new translation comes out in their own language, they keep preaching in Amharic.
“When new translations are introduced, the people eagerly buy the Portions and Gospels, but after the first printing of New Testaments, sales drop off. Why? Because the pastors aren’t using them in church. So the people, while in one sense proud of having the Bible in their own language, end up using Amharic because that is what their pastor is using.
“So our challenge is to educate the pastors. One pastor told me, ‘I don’t want to use the new translation, because I am afraid my people will know more about it than I do!’ He was comfortable with the knowledge he had in the old translation.”
Regardless of the reluctance of some pastors to use new translations, the ‘powerful biblical influence’ in the churches continues to grow – even being enhanced by another form of ‘Bible engagement’ – the Protestant church choirs.
“All the Protestant churches have robed choirs, and they visit other churches, even other denominations,” Dr Bliese says. “Each choir composes its own songs, most filled with biblical messages.” (WR 373/23 - 12.02/01.03) [PHOTOS]