Extra Insight June

Dear Prayer Partner,

Can you believe it's June already? At Bible Society NI we feel like the first 5 months of the year have flown by. There has been so much going on in Bible House, from launching resources, to new staff members, to the office getting a fresh lick of paint!

We are so grateful for supporters like you dear friend, and we thank God daily for you. We pray that you are encouraged through some of the stories we share with you in this Extra Insight, and hope that you will join us in praying for Bible work around the world.

LOCAL NEWS

Northern Ireland

As summer quickly approaches, our team at Bible Society NI remain as active as ever in our mission to reach everyone with God’s Word. Here is a snapshot of what our team will be doing over the course of June:

For the first time in over two years, our Board and Staff team will meet in-person on Monday 6^th June. Pray for us as we discuss business, share food, and pray for our work in NI and across the world.

We are excited to take more time this month to share more about our brand-new, five session small group resource, Daring to Hope: Experiencing the Grace of Lament. Keep an eye on our social media accounts @biblesocietyni to check out more of the resource, and to pray for those groups scheduled to start using this new resource. You can find out more about Daring to Hope and how you can order it here:

Find out more about Daring to Hope

Throughout each Thursday in June, we will continue to welcome our team of 20+ “Bibles for Babies” volunteers as they help us prepare birthday cards and age-appropriate Bibles to be sent to children on their first birthdays. As of the end of May, we have sent out over 700 Toddler Bibles to babies in NI.

June is also a big month with the Methodist Church in Ireland Conference (9^th-12^th June) and PCI’s General Assembly (22^nd-25^th June) taking place. Pray for Catherine as she presents a Bible to the new Methodist President, Rev. David Nixon and the new PCI Moderator, Rev. John Kirkpatrick. Remember Andrew as he shares at PCI General Assembly on some of our resources, particularly 52 on Friday 24^th June.

We are also thrilled to be collaborating with PCI on Tuesday 14^th June (10am-1pm) hosting an NI Bible Engagement Forum in Belfast. Please pray for us as we gather a small group of church leaders to discuss attitudes to Bible Engagement across our context, spend time prayerfully and practically discerning a path forward which might see more people coming to read the Scriptures and encounter Jesus for themselves.

Pray for the work in NI:

Pray for our various speaking engagements and forums this month, that we would be able to represent our work well and share stories of hope and encouragement,

Pray for our team as we continue to navigate practical changes. Pray for our new staff member Suyai as she settles in.

Praise God for the wonderful team of volunteers He has provided us with, for the important job they do helping us to pack 30-40 Toddler Bibles each week.

Pray with Us

Every month we host a virtual prayer meeting via Zoom.

This month our prayer meeting will be at 1-1.30pm on 29th June. We would love to join with you to pray for Bible work around the world.

Join our Prayer Zoom:

Meeting ID: 876 8270 2658

Passcode: 471494

Or click here for the link:

Join our Prayer Zoom

BIBLE-A-MONTH PROJECT:

Child of Bethlehem - Palestine

This month, we’re supporting the Child of Bethlehem project in Palestine. The “Child of Bethlehem” was created by the Bible Society to help children in Palestine to establish their faith and to teach them the Bible. This project reaches out to all Palestinian children and youth through a Bible based programme, providing them with a Biblical education and values. Activities include Bible events, trips, conferences, camps, school programmes and special events for Christmas, Easter and summer. Sunday School materials and resources are also provided to churches.

Child of Bethlehem is vital to help raise the next generation of the church as a Bible centred people. In recent years, the church in Palestine has noticed that young people are not regularly attending church. It is their prayer that this programme will help young people to foster the habit of attending regular meetings and studying the Bible.

Over the last year, COVID restrictions have made hosting this project difficult, but the Bible Society staff have been able to adapt and have even reached more children than usual. When COVID restrictions recently lifted, they were able to host special Easter events, which were attended by Christian and Muslim families. Over 800 children participated in these evens and heard the Easter message, and hundreds of Children’s Bibles were distributed.

Pray for this project:

Pray for the children who participate in this project, especially those who attended these Easter events and heard about the Easter story.

Pray for the families of these children, that they would want to understand more about the Bible stories their children are learning and come to know Christ as their Saviour.

Pray for the staff and volunteers of the Palestinian Bible Society as they seek to promote the Bible and the message of the Gospel in their context.

This project is our Bible-a-Month project for June. By becoming a Bible-a-Month partner you will help to provide Scripture to people all over the world every month. You will receive a free calendar with information about this and 11 other Bible Society projects. Commit to giving just £5 each month and you will ensure that the Word of God is shared across the world. Sign up here.

DISTRIBUTION IN SCHOOLS

Kenya

For many years we have supported the distribution of Bibles in schools in Kenya. The Bible Society here regularly visits schools in rural and disadvantaged areas to distribute Bibles to children whose families cannot afford to buy one. Many of these families earn less than $1 a day, and Scripture is a luxury they cannot afford.

The Bible distribution was done by the Bible Society of Kenya’s staff in seven schools with a combined population of 8,300 students! All these schools are located in slums and rural areas. The Bible Society staff pray that these Bibles will be a hope and encourage them to anchor their lives in God and not in their circumstances.

The Bible Society of Kenya passed on what some of these young people told them on receiving their new Bibles:

“I thank Bible Society of Kenya for giving us Good News Bibles. With These Bibles with us, we have God everywhere.” Harmony, Grade 5.

“Having this Bible in my hands is such a big blessing. I have never owned one and this will be a great tool for me as l study especially Christian Religious Education here in school.” Felicia, Grade 6.

“I will forever cherish this Bible. I am so much grateful for the thought of sharing God’s word with me.’’ Hellen, Grade 5.

“I sincerely appreciate Bible Society of Kenya for giving our leaners Good News Bibles. They are barely nurtured spiritually at home. Their parents rarely go to churches, so children have no guidance at home. With a Bible in a child’s hand, this is a change of a generation. It is a new dawn for these learners both at school and at home. We are very grateful!” Mrs Nkaduda, Headteacher.

Pray for this project:

Pray for those children who receive Bibles through this project. Pray that they will be encouraged by reading it and that they will come to faith through God's Word.

Pray for the families of those children who receive Bibles. Ask God to speak into their lives as they see the generosity shown to them.

Pray for the staff and volunteers who distribute these Bibles. Ask for safety and encouragements as they travel the country.