Kiribati New Version Bible Launched

More than 200 people gathered at the Kiribati Uniting Church’s maneaba (meeting place) in Antebuka Tarawa on the 17th September, 2016 to celebrate the launch of their new Bible version in today’s Kiribati language. The Bible Society of the South Pacific in partnership with the Churches in Kiribati started this project in 1988. The New Testament was translated by the former Moderator of the Kiribati Uniting Church, the late Rev Baiteke Nabetari who passed away in 2005. The Old Testament was translated by the late Rev Raubane Naikara who passed away in 2006.

The other two translators who helped finish the project and who were so happy to be present at the launch service are Pastor Teakamatang Eritai of the Assemblies of God Church and Rev Iote Tebaio from the Kiribati Uniting Church. After the launch, everyone received a copy of the new bible and started reading straight away. These bible gifts were sponsored by the Dayspring Ministry through the Bible Society of New Zealand.
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Bible Distribution and Leadership Training on Tanna and Luganville, Santo

Bible Distribution and Leadership Training on Tanna and Luganville, Santo in 2016
Report by Pastor Graeme and Sally Jackel.
Pastors and Leaders at the Leadership Seminar.

This is a brief report from Pastor Graem Jackel and his wife Sally who have been coming to Vanuatu for the last 4 years distributing more than 2,000 copies of Bislama Bibles to the people of Tanna. This year 2016 they have extended their trip to Santo running short leadership seminar for pastors and leaders and distributing Bibles to the needy people in the remote villages.

Pastor Graem and Sally Jackel came from a Baptist church in Melbourne Australia. They have plans to return to Luganville, Santo in August for another leadership training seminar for pastors and leaders in August this year 2016. They are currently raising funds to purchase another 500 copies of Bislama Bibles for free distribution to the people of Santo Bush mission villages in Santo.

Bible Society of the South Pacific – Vanuatu branch partnered with pastor Graem and Sally Jackel by giving them special mission discount to purchase Bibles for free distribution to remote villages. We also encourage other churches and Christians to come forward and get involved great Bible mission work putting Bibles God’s Word into hands of the poor people in the remote and rural villages of Vanuatu like what Pastor Graeme & Sally are doing.
Sally and I visited Tanna and Santo in April. Previously 400 Bibles had been sent to Chief Tom Numake and these were distributed to Pastors during our stay there. Another 100 Bibles and other Christian materials were forwarded after our visit there We held a seminar for 18 Pastors for 4 days and taught on End Times as outlined in the book of Daniel and Revelation. All were very hungry to receive the Word of God.
Following this we went to Luganville and met up with Wilson Kali (Christian Policeman) and Pastor Bruno of the Praise and Worship Church there. We went to a church about one hour trip away and ministered there. It was a great joy to be able to distribute Bibles to the people from the 100 Bibles that had been sent there previously. So in all we saw 600 Bibles sent out to these two places in both English and Bislama. Praise the Lord.
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VANUATU CHRISTIAN COUCIL LAUNCH CHURCH APPEAL

Last Sunday on the 6 of March at 2pm VCC launched church appeal to support cyclone Winston victims in Fiji. The appeal will closed on the 3 of April with an ecumenical church service to dedicate offerings and donations from the churches at PMC church to send the appropriate relief agencies in Fiji to distribute to areas of need in Fiji. VCC member churches expressed their deepest regret and sympathy to families who are affected and who have lost their loved ones during the disaster. The churches in Vanuatu stand in unity with the government of Vanuatu and prayer for the churches and the government of Fiji for recovery of the lives of the people of Fiji.
Dedication of Bislama Bibles for people who have damaged Bislama Bibles and Good News Bibles to Vanuatu Secondary schools who have lost Good News Bibles

Father Dustan who preached the word of God emphasized duty of the churches in times of disaster like cyclone Winston and Pam to stand in Unity in (1) Prayer (2) Give to Support (3) Witness to support our Christian brothers sisters who are in great need now in Fiji. The church is a body of believers who live in unity in supporting each other in times of great challenge of disaster.

During cyclone Pam Vanuatu had received enormous support from a lot governments and relief agencies around the world in terms of food and housing materials physically. The churches expressed their appreciation and thank the United Bible Societies for making this possible to launch Vanuatu’s appeal for Cyclone Pam Bible Replacement project last year 2015 and the response by the Bible Society of New Zealand to provide funding for this project which came to almost US$40,000.00.

The new arrival stock of 3,000 Bislama Bibles and 4,000 Good News Bible have arrived kindly sponsored by the Bible Society of New Zealand as part of Bible Society response to cyclone pam rehabilitation program to help those lost and damaged Bibles can get a new copy to continue to read God Word.

The churches the Bible Society wishes to express our thanks and appreciation to the government of Vanuatu granting Vat and tax exemption to allow free distribution to cyclone Pam affected areas in Vanuatu.

VCC Leaders launched church appeal to support victims of cyclone Winston
We look forward to working with churches to carry out fair distribution to cyclone Pam affected areas. Please contact and liaise with Bible Society office in Port Vila to get full information about the distribution of these Bibles on Telephone 23286.The churches appeal to churches and business houses take note of this special appeal to support cyclone Winston in Fiji and make all effort to announce this appeal to all churches and members to contribute funds and clothes and cooking utensils, plates, glass, cups, spoons and forks to support those families who lost everything in the disaster.
Please bring all support and join with all the churches combine service at PMC on Sunday 3 April 2016 at 2pm in the afternoon.
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Become a Volunteer

Distribution of Bibles and Materials in Maumi, Tailevu

The Bible Society of the South Pacific are looking for volunteers who can:

• buy and distribute Scriptures,

• helping to raise money in church, school, community, etc.

• helping in _______________________

To contact us please fill in the form.

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WHY SHOULD I READ THE BIBLE?

Why should I read the Bible?

Because God’s written words have life. They have power.
The Bible tells us all about God, what He’s like, how He treats us, what He wants us to be like and how He wants us to live in the world. When you spend time reading the Bible and praying, you’re putting yourself before God and asking Him to change you and make you into the person He wants you to be.

It’s all about transformation.

The Bible is a book that God uses to speak to you. When you read the Bible with an open heart and mind, you’re putting yourself in a position for God to speak to you.

Bible reading and prayer are a crucial part of your journey with God. So, if you want the Bible to be an important part of your journey, it’s important to develop a regular reading habit. Some people find having a Bible reading plan helps keep them on track.

Do you understand the overall Bible story?
The Bible is not an easy read and some of us struggle to make sense of it. That’s partly because it’s hard to read such a big book in small chunks over time, and still understand the overall story. We’ve created some short summaries that capture the overall story of the Bible to help you understand how it all fits together.

How do I read the Bible?

The Bible is a complex and very detailed book. Its story is grand and compelling, yet also emotional and personal. This is a book that God uses to speak to us.

When you read the Bible, do these things:

1.Talk to God
Thank God for the Bible and ask God to help you understand what you’re about to read.
2.Read and Listen
Read the passage slowly and thoughtfully. Listen to what God might be saying to you through it. Read it again if you need to.
3.Think
Think about what you’ve read. Ask yourself these questions:
  • What is the main point of the passage?
  • What does the reading say about God? His character? His plans?
  • What insight is there for me to apply to my life situation?
  • Is there an example or a warning? Is God giving me a promise?
  • How does God want me to respond in my thoughts, words or actions?
4.Respond
Turn things you’ve read into prayers. Ask God for His help in applying what you’ve learned to your life. Pray for others.

Try these ways to read your Bible

If you find a way of reading that suits you, you’ll find it easier to read more regularly. Here’s some different things you could try…

QUIET TIME READING

Select a passage or chapter, read and reflect on it (see above).

CHUNK READING

Read several chapters or even a whole book in one sitting. This allows you to better grasp the outline of a book and eventually the whole Bible story.

VERSE MEMORISATION

Memorising scripture has many benefits. It helps us reflect on scripture even when we don’t have a Bible handy and it ensures that it is planted in our minds, shaping our thinking and our actions.

IN-DEPTH STUDY

This helps you understand the original meaning of scripture through the use of resources such as a Bible dictionary, comprehensive commentary or a study Bible.

BIBLE MEDITATION

This helps us get scripture deeply into our hearts. Read a passage slowly, out loud if possible. Imagine yourself in the story, a part of the scene. Re-read it and meditate on what you’ve read. Allow God to speak to you.

CHARACTER STUDY

This approach focuses on study of a particular individual in the Bible. Find all the passages that a character appears in (some may be in many, so choose some that reflect a certain period of the character’s life or event). Use a concordance or word search to do this. Focus on this character’s relationship with God. What can you learn about God through them?
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Prayer

PRAYERS

1. Please pray for the on going projects in the Pacific:

  • Fiji – Fijian New Version Mission Line, Maumi New Testament, Ba New Testament, Dawasamu New Testament and Fijian Reference Bible
  • Kiribati – Kiribati New Translation ready for Printing
  • Solomon Islands – Bible Comics
  • Tonga – Tongan Contemporary Old Testament
  • Tuvalu – Tuvalu Bible Revision
  • Vanuatu – Hano New Testament and Havakinau New Testament

2. We praise God for the Launch of the Gospel of Matthew and John in the Maumi Dialect.

3. WE THANK GOD FOR THE DONORS OR PARTNERS AS THEY CONTINUE TO SUPPORT THE BIBLE SOCIETY WORK AND IT’S MISSION.

4. WE THANK GOD FOR THE LIVES OF THE TRANSLATORS AND REVIEWERS IN THE PACIFIC AS THEY CONTINUE WITH THE WORK. WE PRAY FOR GOOD HEALTH AND STRENGTH.

5. WE PRAY FOR THE DISTRIBUTION OF GOD’S WORD IN THE URBAN AND RURAL AREAS IN THE PACIFIC.

6. WE THANK GOD FOR THE CUSTOMERS AS THEY COME INTO THE BOOKSHOP HERE IN FIJI AND VANUATU. WE THANK GOD FOR THE ORDERS OF BIBLES FROM THE PACIFIC TO BE PRINTED. WE ALSO THANK GOD FOR THE SUPPLIERS AS THEY CONTINUE TO WORK WITH OUR MISSION.

7. WE PRAY FOR THE STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS AS THEY CONTINUE TO WORK ON THE BIBLE SOCIETY MISSION. WE PRAY FOR GOOD HEALTH AND STRENGTH AS THEY PERSEVERE WITH THE EVENTS AND TARGETS.

8. WE PRAY FOR THE BOARD MEMBERS AS THEY LEAD THE HEADQUARTERS AND DIFFERENT BRANCHES. WE PRAY FOR WISDOM AND STRENGTH.

9. WE THANK GOD FOR THE OTHER PROJECTS THAT IS YET TO BE FUNDED.

10. WE PRAY AND THANK YOU LORD FOR OUR VIEWERS AS THEY VISIT OUR WEBSITE.

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