The Bible Society of India had the privilege to observe the “International Literacy Day” throughout our offices in India.
Imagine how different our life would be if we had never learned to read or write or understand any writing. For millions of people in the developing world, this is the reality. The lack of education significantly impacts their ability to step out of poverty. Literacy unlocks human potential and is the cornerstone of development. It leads to better health, better employment opportunities, safer and more stable societies.
The Bible Society of India observed the International Literacy Day on September 8, 2021. We are committed to pray especially for children that they may gain wisdom, and discernment through education to experience the fullness of life God intends for each of them.
World wide, an estimated 250 million children, adolescents and youth weren’t in school and more than 100 million youth are not learned (Global Education Monitoring Report 2020). Despite progress over the recent decades, many children in school do not achieve functional literacy and numeracy skills due to overcrowded classes, lack of supplies of books and materials, unskilled teachers, who need more training, or disruption due to disasters and prolonged crisis like the Corona virus pandemic as in the pass two years.
The choice to intentionally engage in literacy activities is integral to the Bible Society’s mission. The ability to read the Bible for oneself, find meaning from it, and digest it as God’s message for one’s life, family, community, and society is a vital resource the value of which cannot be overstated.
Literacy is a prerequisite to the majority of current Bible translation and engagement programmes, which aim for transformation at the personal, familial, and societal levels.
Although an audio or visual experience may be the initial way a non-literate person experiences the Bible, the ultimate goal of Bible engagement is to be able to navigate through the Bible oneself.
Concerns for intercession were:
Pray for an end to the generational cycle of illiteracy and poverty.
Pray for parents to support their children’s education.
Pray for children’s safety at school.
Pray for protection of children who aren’t attending school.
Pray for girls growing up in cultures that do not value their education.
The United Nations General Assembly had declared 21st September as International Day of Peace. It is observed to be a day of global ceasefire and non-violence. Currently, we see political turmoil, violence and war in Afghanistan and between Israel and Palestine and conflicts in different parts of the world. The Bible Society of India came together as a community of Bible workers to pray for International Peace and to seek God to restore peace on this earth.
Our three North Eastern Auxiliaries namely, Aizawl, Dimapur and Shillong prepared the order of service for the day. We sought God for his forgiveness for all humankind as we have not always acted for peace. We ignore God’s calling to be peacemakers to our neighbours, communities, states and nations. We as a community might have caused divisions among ourselves and to people around us. We sought God to make us a channel of peace to others.
Intercessory prayer was offered for the peace in Israel and Palestine, where violence and war continue to injure, kill innocent people and destroy properties. We asked God to take control of the situation and speak to the leaders of Israel, Hamas and Palestinian so that they come to negotiation table to resolve differences and restore peace in their land.
We also offered prayer for peace in Afghanistan as the Afghans are living under threat; especially the women are curtailed from their freedom of movement and education under the new Taliban rule. We pray that the Lord would grant the political leaders to rule their country with justice and equality, and peace may be restored in their land.
Language is a means of communication. The International Translation Day is a special day in the history of translation of the Bibles. It is a day to pay our tribute to the translation work done by our language professionals, and the translators. The task of translation plays an important role in bringing nations together, facilitating dialogue, understanding and cooperation, contributing to development and strengthening world peace and security. On 24th May 2017, the resolution approved by the General Assembly of the United Nations was to commemorate the role of language professionals and the translators. Thus, the United Nations declared 30th September as the International Translation Day.
Generally, on 30th September the United Nations celebrates the feast of St. Jerome, one of the pioneers of the Bible translators, who is considered the patron saint of translators. St. Jerome was a priest from North-eastern Italy, who is known mostly for his endeavor of translating most of the Bible into Latin from the Greek manuscripts of the New Testament. He also translated parts of the Hebrew Gospel into Greek. Jerome died near Bethlehem on 30th September AD 420. Thus, to remember this great saint Jerome and his contributions towards the translations, we, the members of the Bible Society of India are gathered together to celebrate this special day dedicating our present language professionals and the team of translator into God’s hand for the extension of God’s reign.
The Bible Society of India in all its offices observed the International Translation Day during our morning prayer. A special order of service prepared by the BSI Translations Department was followed.
We had video presentations on the following topics:
Bible for everyone
Bible translation in Braille Script
Jesus and the deaf man from Mark 7:31-37 (Sign language)
Greetings from the United Nations officials
Please continue to pray for:
Sustenance and wisdom for all Bible Translators
Protection over their family members
More Bible Translators to be trained and raised up
The Bible Society of India joins the deaf community around the world in celebrating the International Sign Language Day representing more than 70 million people on October 4th, 2021.
The theme for this year is “We Sign for Human Rights.” It is a celebration and voicing with collective efforts of the deaf communities. Civil society agencies and organizations, Churches and governments to recognize the sign languages as the heart language of the deaf and to promote the sign languages.
The deaf children from Deaf Biblical Ministry, Dimapur, Nagaland brought greetings, offered a special song and read the Bible portion from St. Mark 7:31-37 in sign language.
Rev. Dr. Along Jamir, Associate Director, BSI Translations gave reflection on this special day.
What is Sign Language?
Sign language is not just a tool for communication. It is a natural language and it has its own components such as shapes, facial expression, location, movement and orientation. Language always comes from the heart, to express feelings, imagination and ideas.
They hear with their eyes!
They speak with their hands!
Sign languages exhibit the same linguistic universals and written/spoken languages. The phonemes, morphemes, and syntax can be analysed in sign languages, as genre, function, sequence, narration and meta narration too.
It is their identity, consciously assumed it is life! Each deaf community in every country of the world speak a different sign language.
Deaf Culture and Sign Language
Their identity as deaf, deafness, deafhood is what defines their culture, their culture is a way of feeling and seeing the World from a minority culture and language that is oppressed by the dominant language and culture of the hearing. They are people lost in the midst of a world of hearing, such identities that deserve to be taken into account by the hearing community, not through pity but giving due respect and upholding their values, cultures and language.
Just deaf (Never deaf and Dumb)
Sign Language is not universal
They have proper grammar
Intercessory prayer was offered for the deaf community as this is the largest unreached people group to acquire the Bible in their language. Please join us in praying for the deaf community in our country and continue to journey with us, as Bible Societies across the continents take new initiatives to bring God’s Word in sign languages.
The Publishing and Marketing Department of the Bible Society of India conducted the Annual Planning Workshop 2021 for all the Auxiliaries and Central office for planning and reviewing the Scripture publishing, printing and distribution. The Annual Planning workshop was conducted from 20-24 September 2021 and UBS Publishers Institute was held on 28 & 29 September 2021 virtually under the theme ‘MEET THE MOMENT AND BUILD THE FUTURE’
The Auxiliary Secretaries and Marketing staff of 17 Auxiliaries participated in these events. The key note address was delivered by The General Secretary Rev. Dr. M. Mani Chacko.
The following is the brief summary of the address.
Planning for the future, while living in the present, is a challenge. How do you simultaneously plan ahead and be in the moment? If you don’t have a deliberate plan, you are not likely to move in the right direction, or to create the life you want to live.
You need to live in the present, because that is what brings you peace, gratitude, and happiness. If you’re constantly depressed about the past, or anxious about the future, you’ll miss your life happening right in front of you.
How do you plan for the future while living in the present?
While different approaches will work for different people, there are some best practices to follow that can help you be present in the moment and working towards a bigger, brighter future.
AWARENESS OF SELF
Being self-aware is a key to creating any change in your life, and it can help immensely when you are trying to balance the future with the present.
Psychologists point out that there are two selves in human. They talk about a “future-self” and a “present-self,” almost as if they were two different people, and about how important it was to give both of those “selves” a voice.
SETTING SMART GOALS
One of the best actions you can take is to set SMART goals. Goal-setting is very much a plan-for-the-future activity, but making sure your goals are SMART allows you to balance that future plan with your present life.
A SMART goal is a goal that is designed to maximize your chances of success. SMART goals are:
Specific: clearly defines the goal and your desired outcomes
Measurable: allows you to track your progress and know when you’ve succeeded
Achievable: realistic; something you can actually do
Relevant: falls in-line with your overall vision for your life
Time-based: includes a deadline to help you stay on track
Why does following the SMART framework allow you to live in the present while planning for the future?
When you have a SMART specific goal, that you know you can reach, and that applies to your life, you have realistic expectations that help you be confident in your plans.
Basically, taking the time to frame your goals as SMART goals will not only get you where you want to go, but it will also allow you to live your life as you get there.
CREATE ACTION PLANS
Along these same lines, deliberately-designed, action plans can help merge your future and present selves. What action could you take today that will keep you in-the-moment while also satisfying your need to “create happiness” in your future?
If you know where you want to go, you can get there—no matter where you are currently. You will not simply be living for the moment: you will be proactively moving in the right direction. This is the balance we are all looking for.
TRACK YOUR LEARNING
Vernon Howard states “Always walk through life as if you have something new to learn, and you will. Life presents us with lessons every day. Some of these lessons are so profound that they bowl us over. Others are so nuanced that we can barely recognize them.”
When you look out for learning opportunities, you are balancing present awareness with future benefit. Recognizing and applying these lessons to the future helps you in simultaneously live in the present while planning for the future.
CONTROL YOUR THOUGHTS
Your thoughts shape your reality. Every thought you have manifests itself in some way. Thoughts can inspire goodness and positive change, or can end up leading us down unproductive or even harmful paths.
Thoughts are undoubtedly powerful, but there is something even more powerful, that is YOU. You have control over your thoughts. You will have to learn to think thoughts that lead you to actions that serve both your present and your future selves. Your past and your future are not mutually exclusive when it comes to focus. Claim them both, live them both.
The General Secretary concluded his Key Note address saying “We need to ‘Meet the Present and Build the Future’. These reflections apply to an organization like Bible Society of India as we plan for the future. The present Moment has to be met and along with Meeting the Moment, we need to Build the Future.”
There were sessions from the Publishing & Marketing department, CRRM department and Media & Special Audience Department highlighting the performances, plans and strategies.
17 Auxiliaries presented their 2020-21 performance and their future plans of distribution.
The UBS Publishers Institute was conducted by Dr. Barine Kirimi and Rev Arun Sok Knop. The participants were benefited by the inputs shared by these experts on various aspects of Bible Publishing and Distribution.
Reformation: A Challenge to Break Boundaries and Barriers
Friends, as we celebrate the Reformation Day again this year on the 31st October 2021, I want to suggest that we of all people are in need of reformation.
In Acts 10, we read a beautiful story of Reformation. Apostle Peter receives a vision from God. In that vision, God showed him a sheet, and inside that sheet were all kinds of unclean animals.
Now Peter was a faithful, Bible obeying Jew. He knew what the Scriptures taught. He knew what the consequences were for disobeying the word of God. He could not eat these unclean animals. They were forbidden by God. They would defile him. They would separate him from God.
Psalm 28:7 tells us that “the Lord is our strength and shield and that our hearts must trust in Him.” And this past year the above verse has been of particular importance to the Bible Society of India in three ways:
Grace — The Bible Society of India experienced immeasurable grace from God
Grief — The God of all comforts sustained us as we grieved the difficult moments of our ministry and loss of our BSI staff, family members, volunteers, donors and prayer partners during this Pandemic
Growth — God faithfully worked in our hearts to grow and strengthen the Bible Society to love and serve the Church and nation with joy and hope. We have been so encouraged to see God strengthen and protect us over and over again and lovingly move us forward.
We’re so grateful for how God has sustained our staff and our Auxiliaries to cater to the Scriptural needs of our nation. We are thankful to our donors, Churches, volunteers and BSI branches for giving generously of their time, space, talents, and finances for the Bible Cause.
The Bible Society of India observed the “World Mental Health Day” by following the special order of service prepared by the BSI Media and Special Audience Department on October 10th, 2021.
It was started as an annual activity of the World Federation for Mental Health. World Mental Health Day is now observed on 10th October every year, to raise awareness of mental health issues around the world and mobilize efforts in support of mental health.
Mental health is one of the most neglected areas of public health. About 1 billion people are living with mental disorders; 3 million people die every year from the harmful use of alcohol, and one person dies every 40 seconds by suicide. Social stigma, discrimination, and human rights abuses of people with mental health conditions further precipitate the situation of mental health disorders.
TOWARDS A THEOLOGY OF DEATH
In the recent past, we had to confront deaths of several of our loved ones, including nine of our own dear colleagues succumbing to the Covid Pandemic. All of them could be, without any shadow of doubt described as “persons who have lived a life of kenosis”, emptying their own lives for the development of the other. The departure of the above loved ones made me to ponder over the importance of developing and practicing a Theology of Death by the Church at large so that people do not become afraid of death but instead face death boldly viewing death as a natural and normal process of life. For this, Job 1:21 is taken as a tool from which a few pertinent observations are culled out to develop a Theology of Death.
The Bible Society of India had a privilege to observe the “International Literacy Day” throughout our offices in India.
Imagine how different our life would be if we had never learned to read or write or understand numbers. For millions of people in the developing world, this is the reality. The lack of education significantly impacts their ability to step out of poverty. Literacy unlocks human potential and is the cornerstone of development. It leads to better health, better employment opportunities, and safer and more stable societies
The United Nations General Assembly had declared 21st September as International Day of Peace. It is observed to be a day of global ceasefire and non-violence. Currently, we see political turmoil, violence and war in Afghanistan and between Israel and Palestine and conflicts in different parts of the world. The Bible Society of India came together as a community of Bible workers to pray for International Peace and to seek God to restore peace on this earth.
BIBLE SOCIETY OF INDIA – ANNUAL PLANNING WORKSHOP 2021
The Publishing and Marketing Department of the Bible Society of India conducted the Annual Planning Workshop 2021 for all the Auxiliaries and Central office for planning and reviewing the Scripture publishing, printing and distribution. The Annual Planning workshop was conducted from 20-24 September 2021 and UBS Publishers Institute was held on 28 & 29 September 2021 virtually under the theme ‘MEET THE MOMENT AND BUILD THE FUTURE’
Language is a means of communication. The International Translation Day is a special day in the history of translation of the Bibles. It is a day to pay our tribute to the translation work done by our language professionals, and the translators. The task of translation plays an important role in bringing nations together, facilitating dialogue, Understanding and cooperation, contributing to development and strengthening world peace and security. On 24thMay 2017, the resolution approved by the General Assembly of the United Nations was to commemorate the role of language professionals and the translators. Thus, the United Nations declared 30th September as the International Translation Day.
The Bible Society of India joins the deaf community around the world in celebrating the International Sign Language Day representing more than 70 million people on October 4th, 2021.
The theme for this year is “We Sign for Human Rights.” It is a celebration and voicing with collective efforts of the deaf communities. Civil society agencies and organisations, Churches and governments to Recognize the sign languages as the heart language of the deaf and to promote the sign languages.
The deaf children from Nagaland brought greetings, offered a special song and read the Bible portion from St. Mark 7:31-37 in sign language.
Rev. Dr. Along Jamir, Associate Director, BSI Translations gave reflection on this special day.
Reformation: A Challenge to Break Boundaries and Barriers
Friends, as we celebrate the Reformation Day again this year on the 31st October 2021, I want to suggest that we of all people are in need of reformation.
In Acts 10, we read a beautiful story of Reformation. Apostle Peter receives a vision from God. In that vision, God showed him a sheet, and inside that sheet were all kinds of unclean animals.
Now Peter was a faithful, Bible obeying Jew. He knew what the Scriptures taught. He knew what the consequences were for disobeying the word of God. He could not eat these unclean animals. They were forbidden by God. They would defile him. They would separate him from God.
Psalm 28:7 tells us that “the Lord is our strength and shield and that our hearts must trust in Him.” And this past year the above verse has been of particular importance to the Bible Society of India in three ways:
Grace — The Bible Society of India experienced immeasurable grace from God
Grief — The God of all comforts sustained us as we grieved the difficult moments of our ministry and loss of our BSI staff, family members, volunteers, donors and prayer partners during this Pandemic
Growth — God faithfully worked in our hearts to grow and strengthen the Bible Society to love and serve the Church and nation with joy and hope. We have been so encouraged to see God strengthen and protect us over and over again and lovingly move us forward.
We’re so grateful for how God has sustained our staff and our Auxiliaries to cater to the Scriptural needs of our nation. We are thankful to our donors, Churches, volunteers and BSI branches for giving generously of their time, space, talents, and finances for the Bible Cause.
The Bible Society of India observed the “World Mental Health Day” by following the special order of service prepared by the BSI Media and Special Audience Department on October 10th, 2021.
It was started as an annual activity of the World Federation for Mental Health. World Mental Health Day is now observed on 10th October every year, to raise awareness of mental health issues around the world and mobilize efforts in support of mental health.
Mental health is one of the most neglected areas of public health. About 1 billion people are living with mental disorders; 3 million people die every year from the harmful use of alcohol, and one person dies every 40 seconds by suicide. Social stigma, discrimination, and human rights abuses of people with mental health conditions further precipitate the situation of mental health disorders.
The Bible Society of India observed the “World Mental Health Day” by following the special order of service prepared by the BSI Media and Special Audience Department on October 10th, 2021.
It was started as an annual activity of the World Federation for Mental Health. World Mental Health Day is now observed on 10th October every year, to raise awareness of mental health issues around the world and mobilize efforts in support of mental health.
Mental health is one of the most neglected areas of public health. About 1 billion people are living with mental disorders; 3 million people die every year from the harmful use of alcohol, and one person dies every 40 seconds by suicide. Social stigma, discrimination, and human rights abuses of people with mental health conditions further precipitate the situation of mental health disorders.
Everyone everywhere needs to participate in support of our own mental health, and to support friends and all who are struggling with mental health issues.
The Covid-19 pandemic is having a major impact on people’s mental health. During the World Health Assembly in May 2021, governments from around the world recognized the need to scale up quality mental health services at all levels.
Scripture portion was chosen from Mathew 9: 9-13. It was a beautiful passage to reflect upon.
Pray that, we as the Bible Society of India will continue to share the message of Hope, Peace and Love to the people with mental illness. Let us journey together and be united in showing our love and care to those who are suffering with mental illness.
Psalm 28:7 tells us that “the Lord is our strength and shield and that our hearts must trust in Him.” And this past year the above verse has been of particular importance to the Bible Society of India in three ways:
Grace — The Bible Society of India experienced immeasurable grace from God
Grief — The God of all comforts sustained us as we grieved the difficult moments of our ministry and loss of our BSI staff, family members, volunteers, donors and prayer partners during this Pandemic
Growth — God faithfully worked in our hearts to grow and strengthen the Bible Society to love and serve the Church and nation with joy and hope. We have been so encouraged to see God strengthen and protect us over and over again and lovingly move us forward.
We’re so grateful for how God has sustained our staff and our Auxiliaries to cater to the Scriptural needs of our nation. We are thankful to our donors, Churches, volunteers and BSI branches for giving generously of their time, space, talents, and finances for the Bible Cause.
To surrender ourselves and our ministry, we began the Budget Workshop with combined prayer fellowship virtually on October 19th, 2021 at 9.00 am. The General Secretary Rev. Dr. M. Mani Chacko spoke from St. Mathew 25:14-30 – “The parable of the talents” on the title “The Principle of Stewardship.” He quoted C. S. Lewis “Every faculty you have, your power of thinking or of moving your limbs from moment to moment, is given you by God. If you devoted every moment of your whole life exclusively to His service you could not give Him anything that was not in a sense his own already …” He reiterated that we learn the art of stewardship. Here in the parable, one needs to understand the way the servants handled their responsibilities given to them based on their abilities. The General Secretary brought out four principles from the text:
The Principle of Ownership – God is the owner and we are only managers
The Principle of Responsibilities – to manage what belongs to God
The Principle of Accountability – We are responsible for what we do
The Principle of Reward – The faithful servants were given the joy of sharing the table of the Master.
The devotion was a meaningful and blessed start to the three days BSI National Budget Workshop. We are grateful to the entire BSI Finance Staff and all the Auxiliary Secretaries, and their finance personnel for the hard work in preparing for the budget.
Rev. Dr. M. Mani Chacko General Secretary, Bible Society of India
Friends, as we celebrate the Reformation Day again this year on the 31st October 2021, I want to suggest that we of all people are in need of reformation.
In Acts 10, we read a beautiful story of Reformation. Apostle Peter receives a vision from God. In that vision, God showed him a sheet, and inside that sheet were all kinds of unclean animals.
Now Peter was a faithful, Bible obeying Jew. He knew what the Scriptures taught. He knew what the consequences were for disobeying the word of God. He could not eat these unclean animals. They were forbidden by God. They would defile him. They would separate him from God.
Yet in this vision, the most peculiar thing happens. Instead of God restating what was once written in the Bible, reminding Peter that these animals were unclean, God does exactly the opposite. God instead commands Peter to “Rise, kill, and eat”, in direct contradiction to what was written and believed by faithful Jews for centuries.
So Peter responds to God’s command by saying “No. I cannot touch these unclean animals because of what is written in your word.”
Peter resists this command from God because of his commitment to the Bible. He resists this command from God because in the world of religion, we always seem to think that the ways things have been are the way things should always be.
Two more times, God shows Peter this vision and commands him to eat these unclean animals, in direct contradiction to the Levitical law. And two more times Peter resists, on the basis of what was written in the word of God.
But the final time that Peter resists, God speaks another word to the Apostle. Instead of restating the command to rise up, kill, and eat, he says to Peter some of the most powerful and uncomfortable words in the entire Bible.
God says to Peter, “Do not call unclean that which I have made clean.”
These words are uncomfortable words because they are words of reformation. These words are uncomfortable because what they suggest is that God is on a journey of reformation and that God can call to us to transcend that which has always been accepted or practiced into a new way of believing and being in the world.
In this one statement, God tells the Apostle Peter that which was once considered unclean, based on the word of God, is now clean. That there has been a progression. A reformation. Things have evolved. Moved forward.
This story is one of reformation. It is a passage that tells us that God is still speaking. That his Spirit is still moving and evolving, calling us to move past our outdated religious traditions and narrow beliefs into a greater more expansive vision of what Jesus called the “Kingdom of God.”
The Christian tradition at it core is one of reformation. Reformation did not begin with Luther and his 95 theses in Wittenberg. It began with a renegade Jewish Rabbi named Jesus coming on to the scene and mucking up the religious tradition of his day.
He healed the sick on the Sabbath, in direct violation of the word of God. He touched the unclean and unworthy and extended forgiveness to violators of God’s law. He overturned tables and spoke truth to the religious powers of his day, which ultimately cost him his life.
Friends, when we say that we follow Christ, we are saying that we are followers of the greatest reformer that ever lived. And when we say we follow Jesus, we are committing ourselves to be a people that are always harkening to the new thing that Spirit of God is saying to us.
Jesus told us that when he left, he would send the Spirit to lead us forward into all truth. The implication, then, is that there is much truth left to be revealed. More tables to be overturned. More scriptures to be expanded. More traditions to be burst open.
We, as followers of Christ, are people of reformation. Always called to be listening for a fresh word from the Spirit, always being willing to break past our comfort zones and move in to the wild, uncharted territories that God is calling us to.
God is calling us to move forward. To change the way we think. The way we believe. But more than that, God is calling us to change the way we show up in the world.
We have forsaken the Gospel of Christ, a Gospel which is first and foremost good news to the poor, liberation to the oppressed, sight to the blind, and jubilee for all. Instead, we have embraced a consumeristic, capitalistic, materialistic Gospel. We have become so concerned with money and power.
We have forsaken the kenotic way of Jesus that calls us to humble ourselves, to take the form of a servant, and to sacrifice all that we are for the good of our neighbours and our enemies.
The God revealed in Jesus is a God who is altogether strange. A God who is unique and expansive. A God in whom every molecule of the Universe is held together and a God who is made manifest primarily, not in scriptures or temples made by human hands, but in the faces of our neighbours and our enemies. A God that is not so abstract that he becomes a mere philosophical concept, but a living and active God who in reality lives and speaks and works in the world through us.
Each of us needs to reform our lives. We need to reform our churches. We need to reform our communities. And it is not the job of religious leaders, or politicians, or activists to lead this theological, philosophical, social, and political renewal. The Spirit’s call is to us. To me. To be agents of reformation, of expansion, of inclusion, and of redemption.
May we always be reformed and always keep reforming, for the sake of the Gospel, for the sake of each other, and for the sake of our world, making the world a better place to live in breaking all boundaries and barriers.
