Helping Whole Families to Engage with Scripture
After reports from churches of low interaction with the Bible on a family level, the Bible Society saw a need for families as a whole to be studying the Bible together. Not only does this help individual believers read the Bible, but it helps children brought up in these families to grown in their faith and learn to read the Bible every day. This scenario was found to be worse in the rural areas of Malawi where people had fewer means to be able to afford a Bible.
After consulting with church leaders, it was decided that a resource for families would be developed and distributed throughout the country. The Bible Society has partnered with Scripture Union in Malawi to develop the pack. It contains a Bible, a Chichewa Children’s Bible and a Scripture Union Bible Reading Guide. They then worked to identify those who have limited access to the Bible and distribute the packs to these families.
The project has targeted 7 locations so far, with 7 volunteers acting as promoters for the packs. These volunteers coordinate with churches and take the packs to those who need them most, delivering them on bicycles.
There have been over 600 packs produced so far, reaching 600 families and an estimated 5,000 people. Feedback from this project has been remarkable. Those who receive these packs are full of praise, having been given their own Bible and the resources that help them to understand the text. They have found that it has helped them grown in their own faiths and devotional lives, as well as strengthened their families.
There are still many families who need a pack, which is why we have chosen to support this project this August. Over the rest of the year the Bible Society in Malawi plans to reach many more people and we trust that you will join us in praying for them as they continue to carry out this work.
"...for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.
As a result, many of them believed..."
Acts 17:11-12