Bibles for the Middle East

They call it the Arab Spring. The wave of revolutionary uprisings and protests that have swept across North Africa and the Middle East beginning in December 2010.

Some are calling this a pivotal moment in the history of this region.

Image courtesy of TRANZ/Reuters.

• Countries affected by the Arab Spring
• Rebuilding Egypt for God and the Bible
• Funds for Egypt urgently required
• Finding faith and security in Israel
• "Returnees" finding Christ upon arrival
• Bible still relevant in conflict striken land
• Gulf focus on Arab Spring
• Tuning in across the Middle East

Following the launch of its Mega Voice audio Scripture unit in February 2010, the Interconfessional Bible Society in Romania has been inundated with so many requests it can hardly keep up.

Audio versions of the Scriptures in both Mega Voice and on DVD have been immensely popular in Romania, where many people have visual disabilities.

“I call the booklet Where is the Good Samaritan Today?  the Fifth Gospel,” says Sister Clementine Ngong, a nun living in Bangang, northwest Cameroon.

Sister Clementine with a copy of Where is the Good Samaritan Today?

Sergej used to be a violent man. He was a heavy drinker and his wife used to suffer at home from his violent temper. Then one day he was injured in an accident at work. He realised that he wasn’t invincible, and so when someone gave him a Bible he began to read it.

Sergej and his wife. Sergej’s life has been completely transformed through the Bible.

Once withdrawn and fearful, eight year old Xiao Daifa, who was born blind and abandoned by her parents, is now a confident and smiling child.

Opened in 2005, the Naenae Boxing Academy, situated in Lower Hutt, is the dream child of Naenae-born Billy Graham (no, he’s not the American evangelist, although like his namesake, Billy, too, has a strong Christian faith).

2011 New Zealander of the Year Local Hero winner and owner of the Naenae Boxing Academy, Billy Graham, centre, in the ring with Bible Society staff members, Stephen Opie, bottom, and Bruce Peterson, right.

Bible Society Regional Representative, Peter Dean, attended the dedication of a Habitat for Humanity home in Tauranga recently. He took the opportunity to present the new owners of the home, the Feao family with Bibles.

Pictured from left are Aho, Euphoria (6), Agnes (2), Lesley (11) and Diana. They look delighted with their new Scriptures.

Once again this year Bible Society is offering a nationwide Bible reading programme to churches, home groups and individuals.

Following on from last year’s highly successful E100 programme, Essential Jesus again takes the reader on a journey of 100 Bible readings, this time focusing on the person of Jesus.

In the midst of the violence that is taking place in Libya hundreds of thousands of migrant workers situated in the country are fleeing towards the borders with Egypt and Tunisia. They are amongst some of the poorest people in the region.

Scriptures such as Comfort and Hope will be made available to people in Libya.

Bible Society General Secretaries from across the Middle East respond to the events of the Arab Spring.

Ramez Atallah, Bible Society of Egypt.

"We are standing on a precipice of opportunity. We cannot fail to seize this opportunity to share God's Word during this momentous time in Egypt's history."