Holyrood Abbey Church of Scotland . 83 London Road . Edinburgh . EH7 5TT :: 0131 661 6002
minister@holyroodabbey.org | admin@holyroodabbey.org

The View

The View, Holyrood Abbey Church's Quarterly Magazine

Bicentenary of the Scottish Bible Society

Kathleen Forsyth

Since its founding on the 4th August 1809 The Scottish Bible Society (SBS) has been involved in the provision of the Scriptures in various formats throughout the world.  Its aim is crystallised in its mission statement:

to provide God's Word to all people
in a language they can understand
in a format they can use and
at a price they can afford.

Who can forget the thrill of providing the paper for Bibles to be actually printed in China, or the joy of the elderly in Romania who were able to read the Bible when they received the large print edition, or the excitement of Scottish children when they attend one of the Bibleworld experiences?

To celebrate the Bicentenary the SBS is working with the Brazilian Bible Society.  In the north east 40% of the poorest Brazilians live in great poverty and squalor. They are without modern amenities and large families of 12 or more often live together in a one roomed shack. The Brazilian Bible Society believes that these remote villagers have the right to hear the good news of Jesus, to have the quality of their lives improved and to have access to medical treatment, just as much as city dwellers.  The Society wants to reach these impoverished people by means of a bus whose interior will be converted to provide medical and dental treatment areas, as well as a Scripture area.  Outside there will be a large awning where patients will learn about Jesus as they wait to be treated.  SBS is hoping to provide the funding of £200,000 for this work.

To reach out to our own nation requires innovative and creative ways in today's society.  SBS sponsored productions by Christian actors at the Edinburgh Fringe and   produced a DVD of 'The Glasgow Gospel' - a retelling of the gospel stories in the Glasgow patter - which the Herald distributed. It is sponsoring the Methodist Collection of Christian Art at the Smith Art Gallery in Stirling in December.

Throughout these last two hundred years countless lives have been blessed and changed by hearing the Word of God in their own language or dialect. Men, women and children have been brought out of darkness into faith in Jesus.  However, we cannot rest on what has been accomplished so far.  The work continues as there are still 200 million people who do not have the Bible in their own language.