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Shining for Jesus!

Posted on November 16, 2020 by Biblica Europe

The Big House Ireland is a Christian charity that exists to help young people know God’s love, especially when they are dealing with difficult life situations. Katherine Dickson said

“We believe that young people are precious, valued and deeply loved by God, regardless of who they are, where they are from, or whatever difficulty they may be facing. We want young people to know that they are not alone in difficult situations and that there is no difficult day, no dark experience that God cannot bring hope and life into”.

The Big House provide counselling, camps & weekends, youth group sessions and training for leaders. The camps and weekends are designed around the needs of young people and seek to respond to their experience of difficult life situations. Whether it’s a long-term illness, a family difficulty, or a personal issue, Big House camps aim to help young people encounter Jesus in the midst of their difficulties and grow in their knowledge of God’s love and care.

Working on a collage

Biblica have been able to support The Big House by providing copies of The Accessible Bible: New Testaments for one particular camp called Shine. Shine camps are for young people with learning difficulties and the aim is to provide:

A safe, non stereotypical, welcoming residential setting for young people with additional needs (as well as their siblings and youth leaders) where they can connect with others, whilst hearing the message of the gospel in relevant, engaging and creative ways
Vibrant, and accessible spaces where young people are encouraged to spend time with their Heavenly Father, and have the opportunity to pray on their own or with the help of a mentor
A place of joy and fun, where young people are able to try new activities and discover independence in areas where they normally wouldn’t have the opportunity to do so
An opportunity to be away from home for the first time, pastorally and physically supported by an inter-generational team of volunteers (fully trained) who have a heart for sharing the joy of Christ with others; regardless of age, culture, illness or special educational need.

As you read this it will not surprise you that in 2020 the Shine camp was not able to go ahead due to COVID-19 restrictions. However, The Big House did stay connected with the campers by posting activity kits which included a bible-based activity, craft, links to worship songs and lots of sweets!

In December, the campers usually attend an annual reunion. This year they are planning to meet on Zoom, with the theme ‘The Greatest Gift’ and plans are underway to share copies of the Accessible Bible: New Testaments. Katherine said

“This Christmas, we are especially thankful to Biblica for their generous donation, allowing us to celebrate The Good News of the gospel. Through Biblica’s donation, each of our campers will literally receive the gift of good news this Christmas, AND have the opportunity to gift a copy of the Accessible Bible: New Testament to a friend or loved one”.

Some of the campers do not communicate verbally, so gifting a bible enables them to shine as they share the good news of Jesus with others.

At Biblica we are delighted, humbled and greatly blessed knowing that these special campers will be shining for Jesus!

Katherine said “Our SHINE campers will be beacons of hope as demonstrated in Romans 10:15 “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!””

A first in Ukrainian!

Posted on November 12, 2020 by Biblica Europe

Ukraine is a country that has a history of invasion, occupation, repression and revolution, and as one of the largest countries in Europe, with a population of 44 million, it does not have a contemporary translation of the Bible in the heart language of the people. Under the oppression of the Soviet Regime, Russian became the common language in Ukraine. In 1996 Ukrainian was once again confirmed as the official language in the country’s constitution.

In 2018 Biblica began the translation process for the contemporary Ukrainian translation.

Andrey & Tanya Shpygunov are the Directors of ServeNow in Ukraine. They can trace their journey to this point back to the 1990s when, after the collapse of the former Soviet Union, many missionaries came to Ukraine. It was during this time that they both made a decision to follow God and dedicated their lives to serve him.

Andrey and Tanya in Traditional Clothes

Previously, and for 10 years, they served in Crimea working in another ministry to children. Reflecting on this time Tanya said

“Everything seemed so stable, and we thought that it would be this way forever. No one could imagine that things might change. Yet, that is what happened in 2014. Russia occupied Crimea, and we had to leave the Hope Centre behind”.

It was a difficult time for Andrey and Tanya, but they can now see how God was working out his purposes for their family in what appeared to be a hopeless situation, leading them to ServeNow, and to becoming the Directors in Ukraine in 2014.

Partnering with Biblica, Andrey and Tanya obtained 1200 Survivors booklets – the first Biblica resource in Ukrainian for ServeNow! In Summer 2020, despite the COVID-19 pandemic, they were able to run two camps which were attended by 173 children. Each of these children got their own copy of the Survivors Booklet.

Kid with Survivor Booklet

Tanya said

“During our Bible study classes, we read this booklet and discussed it together. Most of the kids were not Christians, and so the accessible text with simple illustrations helped us to have meaningful conversations, as we talked about their fears and as we prayed together”.

What a great encouragement this is!

The contemporary Ukrainian translation is an opportunity to influence a nation. An opportunity to introduce people to the love of God. At Biblica we are excited to be working on this translation.

It costs just £1 to translate the next word – can you help?

www.biblicaeurope.com/givetotranslate/

You can download the Survivors booklet in Ukrainian here.

Living Breath Videos

Posted on November 6, 2020 by Biblica Europe

“Living Breath Videos” produce dramatised Bible readings, using the NIV translation, for churches and other ministries.

Last month we were delighted to partner with them on their virtual launch night which included the premiere of Living Breath’s first full book of the Bible, Ruth. Susie, an actor and performer, and Ben, director, writer and videographer, who together set up Living Breath, reflecting on the launch event, said:

“We are really grateful to everyone who came to see what we are doing! It was so exciting to engage with some new people, and see the positive impact of simple Bible readings. We are so passionate about sharing the Bible and exploring new creative ways of helping more and more people experience it in a fresh way”.

Many people joined us online, here is a selection of how they reacted:

“Wow absolutely enthralling and refreshing. Powerful tool for so many different environments. As a person with dyslexia I can see this format working very well in a small group discussion session”. Lachlan.

“This was so powerful, so refreshing! Well done Ben and the rest of the team”. Julie.

“This was brilliant, looking forward to hearing more, so accessible and alive”. Carol.

As we move closer to Christmas Living Breath are working hard on a video of the first two chapters of Luke’s gospel, bringing the nativity story to life in a new and exciting way. Looking further ahead Biblica are excited to be working with Living Breath on some dramatised readings from the NIrV Accessible Edition: Psalms.

We are delighted to share with you Living Breath’s latest video, The Beatitudes, with actor Gideon Asuming in the role of Jesus.

To find out more and access a growing library of dramatised Bible readings visit www.livingbreath.co.uk.

Happyland – The Christmas Story

Posted on November 5, 2020 by Biblica Europe

Happyland is one of Early Learning Centre’s oldest and best loved brands and is described as “a place of wonder, fuelled by the imagination of each child who travels there!”

In partnership Biblica and HOPE Together have published the all-new Happyland Christmas Story booklet. The 20-page booklet uses the popular Happyland characters along with Glen Scrivener’s nativity rhyme. Glen is the Director and Evangelist at Speak Life.

In addition to the booklet there is an incredible Happyland nativity animation which you can access on YouTube:

The animation is available to share on social media, in schools and in church services. What a great way to bring the nativity story to life for Christmas 2020!

To buy the Happyland Christmas Story booklet click here to go to the HOPE Together Shop.

We are delighted to be part of making this creative and accessible resource available and would love to hear from you how you plan to use the booklet. In December it would be great to follow up and hear how the booklets have been shared and the reaction of people to them. To share with us how you plan to use the booklet please email [email protected]

The Accessible Bible Project – Urban Saints

Posted on October 20, 2020 by Biblica Europe

Mark Arnold is the Additional Needs Ministry Director at Urban Saints. Urban Saints has been in existence for 120 years, reaching out across the UK to support children’s, youth and family workers.

Urban Saints partnered with Biblica at the start of the Accessible Bible Project. Mark said

“We dreamed big dreams, we produced a big list of things that we hoped the Accessible Bible would include, and bit by bit we saw it taking shape…… It’s been great to be involved in such an exciting project that has reached out and enabled children, young people and indeed adults across the UK and across the world to be able to access God’s word in incredible ways for the very first time”.

In this video Mark reflects on how he and Urban Saints got involved in the project; how they continue to use the NIrV Accessible Edition: New Testament; the impact that the project has had; and the excitement for the launch of the NIrV Accessible Edition: Psalms.

Mark shared this story from the launch of the NIrV Accessible Edition: New Testament:

“As the …. New Testaments were being handed out…, I found one of our Trustees …. close to tears. This friend of mine is Dyslexic himself and has a Dyslexic daughter and as he opened the New Testament he could immediately start to read it himself and he was so thrilled that not only would he be able to have a Bible in his hand that he could easily and accessibly read, but he knew that his daughter would be able to read it too”.

Please watch this video. At the end you will find a link to read more about the Accessible Bible Project.

Summer of Love

Posted on September 24, 2020 by Biblica Europe

In February 2020 the phonelines were hot between Biblica and the Scottish Bible Society (SBS) as a unique edition of Mark’s Gospel was finalised and published. The plan was that 7,000 copies would be distributed to churches and individuals across Scotland to share in their communities with a further 3,000 copies for Scripture Union Scotland to use at their 2020 Summer Camps.

It will not surprise you that when the COVID-19 pandemic reached Scotland and the country went into lockdown, the plans were shelved and the 10,000 copies of Mark’s Gospel, which arrived just 2 days before lockdown, went into storage.

Mark’s Gospel

A number of months on we were keen to get an update from SBS and to find out about other projects Biblica have been involved with, so we had a chat with Fiona McDonald, Director of National Ministries.

On Mark’s Gospel Fiona said “First off they are beautiful books! We are so pleased with them. They are beautifully illustrated to show contemporary life and designed to be an accessible read for those outside the church”. Fiona went on to confirm that “they arrived just as lockdown began and so we had to warehouse them as distribution was impossible”.

However, Fiona explained that in the months that followed they were able to send copies to some churches which was great in terms of getting some early feedback from others. One rural church in the Highlands of Scotland had been distributing ‘Boxes of Blessing’ containing various essentials for people who were having to isolate due to the pandemic. The boxes contained food, toiletries, games and a copy of Mark’s Gospel. Rev. Andrea Boyes said, “When we packed up the boxes in the food bank, we included a copy of Mark’s Gospel, and have given out 300 so far. Such a great opportunity to spread the message of hope found in God’s word while showing practical love and care”.

Fiona told us that SBS had planned to distribute copies of Mark’s Gospel at a couple of shows at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. As the Festival was cancelled, many theatre groups have been forced to take the unprecedented step of moving online. Not to be left behind, SBS have been involved with a group of actors in creating an 11-part audio drama for a serialized podcast, based on the book of Ruth in the Bible, called “Where You Go”. Having sorted out the licensing with Biblica, SBS set about using Ruth in NIrV, printing a give-away booklet for families linking with the audio drama.

Fiona said “this has been such a success story of our Summer. A few thousand families have benefitted from our Ruth themed ‘Bag of Love’. We created a 5-day online event that could be used in place of holiday bible clubs, which included activities and an episode from the audio drama of Ruth. So far there have been 1,400 downloads of the audio drama, and it was even featured on BBC Radio Scotland”.

(You can access the audio drama here: https://scottish.bible/bible2020/whereyougo/)

On behalf of SBS, Fiona said “Biblica has been enormously and incredibly flexible. People like Trevor Wilson and Marius Roetz have been so willing to help us as we have moved to get more of the Bible online.”

Just when we thought the conversation was over, Fiona let us know that following on from the Ruth audio drama, SBS are planning to run an Advent version. It is clear that the Scottish Bible Society are adapting and evolving in these times to continue to put the Bible into people’s hands and hearts, and we at Biblica are so blessed to be part of that with them.

The Balding Bishop & 3,000 Gospels of Luke

Posted on September 14, 2020 by Biblica Europe

The Adventures of the Ginger Vicar and the Balding Bishop is an innovative project of Share Jesus International (SJI).

Over six episodes Andy Frost (Balding Bishop) and Rich Ellerington (Ginger Vicar), share adventures and stories of meeting people in Costa Rica, Panama, Norway, Morocco and the USA, while gradually exploring the Christian narrative. Great resources for school assemblies and youth events and can be accessed here: The Adventures of the Ginger Vicar and the Balding Bishop

We want to give people the opportunity to discover who Jesus is

To help people further explore who Jesus is, SJI and Biblica partnered on the production of a custom edition of Luke’s Gospel, as an accompaniment to the YouTube channel ‘GVBB adventures‘. It includes some great graphics and an introduction which challenges people to read the story of Jesus for themselves.

Watch this short video as Andy Frost takes delivery of 3,000 copies of this custom version of Luke’s Gospel.

The Story of Jesus as Told By Luke

If you want to find out how we can work with you in providing customised Bible resources, please visit our website (https://www.biblicaeurope.com/custom-bibles) or email us at [email protected] to start a conversation.

GVBB say “If you want to read the greatest adventure of all time, you won’t find a greater one then the story of Jesus as told by Luke. If you’ve never read the story of Jesus or want to give one to a friend, then email [email protected] & we’ll send a complimentary copy in the post to you!”

The Accessible Bible Project – Tio Associates

Posted on September 7, 2020 by Biblica Europe

Tiō Associates is a small charity based in Northern Ireland. Their vision is to see people with intellectual disabilities and their families being welcomed, valued and participating in the church and in society by promoting an authentic Christian perspective on intellectual disability. The charity does this by speaking, teaching, training and consultancy, celebrating and supporting best practice.

Early in lockdown we supplied Tiō Associates with some NIrV Accessible Edition: New Testaments to distribute to those who would benefit from them and we were keen to find out how they were used, so we had a chat with Rachael Mackarel.

Biblica: Rachael, what is your role and how did you get involved?

Rachael: I studied a Masters of Theology under our founding director Ian Dickson on the topic of Biblical Pedagogy* for people with intellectual disabilities. We piloted theological education for people with intellectual disabilities at Belfast Bible College in 2012 and completed 8 terms with our students.

Subsequently I have been leading Tiō’s Accessible Bible study group for adults with mild and moderate intellectual disabilities. Our members have successfully taken part in leading church services and speaking at events including New Horizon as well as our own Tiō Associates conferences.

Biblica: Tell us how your group has been using the Accessible New Testaments

Rachael: Our group have been using the New Testaments since they were published and we always promote and model the use of them at all Tiō training, services and events especially those which are intentionally accessible for people with disabilities.

We often take our time over passages to learn, process and begin to apply the text into our own lives. Each term we have a theme or section of New Testament text to cover, for instance one theme was ‘Friends of Jesus’. We read and used drama, arts and activities to learn about the people Jesus was friends with and how he related to them. We were able to bring out applications to help us all build positive relationships and be a good friend. These topics we addressed pastorally through share and prayer time and peer support e.g.; those of us that struggle with conflict were able to learn from the patience and assertiveness of Christ; Those of us who feel lonely and friendless were comforted by His friendship with us.

Before lockdown started, we ceased meeting in person with our group to safeguard and protect the well-being of our volunteers and members. We moved to online video conferencing and increased our frequency of meeting from fortnightly to weekly because so many other aspects of our members’ lives and routines were closing down, and we were keen to be a support to them. More of our members were able to read from their own Bibles at home because the weight and size of them made them difficult to transport for some when we were physically meeting up. We focused on memory verses of hope through the Spring and Summer e.g., Romans 15:13 and we learnt the Makaton signs online together to help us to learn it. We used this verse to springboard into praying for each other especially those with mental health struggles related to lockdown.

One of our members was sadly bereaved during the time that we were meeting online. We were unable to visit his family or support them at the funeral due to restrictions. Sometimes the topic of death and loss can be a bit taboo in the intellectual disabilities community because we do not want to upset people. Like others, for people with intellectual disabilities being a witness to a friend’s grief can stir up feelings of loss they have also experienced.

The week of the funeral we all gathered online and wore black together as a sign of our collective mourning. Then we read from our NIrV:

Give praise to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! He is the Father who gives tender love. All comfort comes from him. He comforts us in all our troubles. Now we can comfort others when they are in trouble. We ourselves receive comfort from God. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (NIrV)

The group members were given time to think about a time that they were sad and needed God’s comfort and then we prayed for God’s comfort to be known to our friend and his family. This verse helped us to process our own sadness and at the same time think about the feelings of our friend.

Biblica: Is there something that has encourage you during lockdown?

Rachael: Many adults with intellectual disability do not own their own Bible. Some live in supported living where staff do not share their faith or are not aware of different types of Bibles. To be able to put the NIrV in the hands of people in these situations has been wonderful. The simpler translation helps us to teach the meaning of texts without having to regularly stop and explain difficult words. Before lockdown we would meet in a church building and do our Bible study in a separate space from the rest of their lives. Now we are meeting online from our homes and the process of opening our Bibles and reading together is actually being shared with carers and staff, and so we are connecting with some of them in ways that we didn’t before.

*Pedagogy is the discipline of study related to the field of education and teaching methods

An Interview with Mark Armstrong

Posted on March 31, 2020 by Biblica Europe

Biblica: Mark, can you tell us the organization that you work for, and the role that you have?

I am an Associate Missionary working with SIM (Serving in Mission) Zimbabwe, and in December 2019 I took over the role of LEARN Zimbabwe Project Manager.

Biblica: Please tell us about LEARN?

Mark: LEARN stands for Leaders Equipping and Resourcing Network and we are working to provide pastors with the resources they need to better understand and teach the gospel. Currently working in Zimbabwe, but there is great potential to expand to other nations and to partner with other organisations.

Pastor using the LEARN app

Biblica: How are you doing this, and explain to us the context for pastors working in Zimbabwe.

Mark: The context the pastors are working in is a difficult one. There is a lot of false teaching in Zimbabwe, alongside which other religions are rapidly growing.

To help equip pastors, we are giving them a tablet loaded with up to 50 books, and we have developed a platform that is both web and app based, designed to resource them so that they can teach and explain the Bible accurately and confidently. The app also helps the leaders provide ongoing pastoral support by providing information about who is reading what and how the teaching programmes are being used. The app also provides great information for partner organisations allowing them to see how their resources are being used.

Biblica: How have Biblica been involved?

Mark: A vital aspect of the app is the integration of the bible interfacing with all resources on the app. Research with Zimbabwean church leaders revealed their desire to access the NIV translation of the Bible. We knew that Biblica hold the license for the NIV translation and we first presented the vision to Biblica at the World CBMC Convention in Belfast in 2018.

Biblica immediately grasped the vision of LEARN to resource and equip church leaders and became one of the valued partners in the project, along with Langham Publishing, Crossway, 10ofThose, SPCK, ACTS, TGC and LEARN Global.

LEARN App

Biblica: How have things progressed in recent months?

Mark: In June 2019 we piloted the app in Harare and Mutare with a number of church leaders, and following on from this, using some very useful feedback, we were able to train 50 leaders. To date 90 tablets with the app have been distributed to church leaders in Zimbabwe.

Biblica: What are you planning for 2020?

Mark: We have a vision to distribute a further 400 tablets in 2020 to church leaders in other parts of Zimbabwe – Bulawayo, Masvingo and Chitungwiza. In addition, other nations have shown a keen interest, so we are excited to see where else it can be used across the world.

Pastor using the LEARN app

Biblica: Can you share a particular story where you have seen God’s word having an impact?

Mark: One of the early recipients of the tablet and app was a Pastor Philip Matsatswa (United Baptist Church). Since June 2019 Pastor Philip has been using the electronic library to teach his church, including a pre-service Sunday School class. The Pastor is also engaged in planting six new churches. The new resource has been used to prepare the teams who are involved in starting these new churches. We are greatly encouraged to hear how Pastor Philip has been using the resources ensuring the bible is at the centre of these churches.

Biblica: thank you Mark – we look forward to hearing how this exciting innovation develops….

Jennifer’s story

Posted on June 3, 2019 by Biblica Europe

Imagine if you spent years not having a Bible you could call your own? Imagine being expected to engage with a Bible that you struggle to read because either the text was too small, the pages too thin, the colour of paper not right or the language not clear?

Meet Jennifer. Jennifer has spent years not having a Bible that she can call her own. Her mother has spent years trying to find a Bible that was suitable for her.

So much work is being done across our schools and in our secular community to serve the needs of those with intellectual needs or visual impairment, however the Church has fallen far behind. It is not acceptable for everyone to be given the same Bible, regardless of their needs, and be expected to engage with it.

Jennifer reading the Accessible Bible

For us at Biblica, accessing the Word of God is our whole mission. So, it is incredibly exciting to be working on a project to present the Word of God in a format that really is accessible to those with additional needs.

This is the first Bible that we can say yes we have got it, and we are delighted!

Watch this video to hear Jennifer’s story and find out how lives are being transformed through Biblica’s NIrV Accessible Edition of the New Testament.

For more info on the Accessible Bible and how to buy a copy please go to https://www.biblicaeurope.com/our-work/the-accessible-bible

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