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New Amity Press Means More Bibles for China

Jun 17, 2008

Amity Press China The new Amity Bible Press in Nanjing which opened in May this year has the capacity to more than double the amount of Bibles printed in China for the Chinese Christian community.

Although the old Press printed more than 42 million Bibles for China, it could not cope with the increasing demands for Bibles but the new 37,000 square meter facility can produce 2,900 full Bibles an hour or 12 million Bibles a year.

Mark Brown, Chief Executive of the Bible Society in New Zealand, who was present at the opening of the Press on May 18, and said he was awe-struck by its size and more especially its potential to bring many more Bibles to the Chinese people.

“This new Press is not only amazing evidence of a continuing miracle of God in China but also a God-given opportunity for us, a challenge of immense proportions and potential that we cannot ignore.

“I was very privileged to represent so many of the New Zealand Christian community who have so faithfully and generously given in years past to ensure that Chinese Christians can have Bibles.

“This new opportunity doesn’t lessen that responsibility – it increases it and we will be doing all we can to help bring even more Bibles to the fast-growing church in China,” he said.

Another guest at the opening, Archbishop John Chew who heads the Anglican Church in South East Asia, also referred to the Press as “truly a miracle of God.”

“With hindsight, it is my personal conviction that the establishment of the Amity Press is one of the most significant decisions made in the history of modern China,” he said.

Emphasising the partnership that the United Bible Societies has with the Chinese church, Elder Fu Xianwei of the church in China said, “printing the Bible and spreading the Good News is not only the goal of the United Bible Societies, it is also the responsibility of the Chinese church.”

The United Bible Societies has been involved with the Amity Press since its inception in 1987 and the Bible Society in New Zealand has had a personal connection with the Press for the last 15 years. The Special Adviser to the General Manager of the Press is Tauranga-born Peter Dean. He has been directly responsible for many of the advances made in technology at the Press in recent years.