World Bible Aid

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The World Bible Aid is the donation organization of the German Bible Society (DBG). Non-denominationally active, it is based in the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD). The DBG is internationally linked through the World Bible Aid. Together with 145 national Bible Societies worldwide, the DBG belongs to the World Association of Bible Societies , which is active in over 200 countries. Within this network, Weltbibelhilfe supports projects to translate and distribute the Bible, which reach around 15 million people every year.

Broadening the horizon

The church historian Gerhard Voss as chronicler of the Mecklenburg Biblical Society wrote about the missionary and ecumenical importance of Bible society work in the first half of the 19th century :

“The Bible work leads those who accept the commission beyond themselves. In the annual reports delicately bound for the grand ducal library in the Biedermeier style , we find the first reports on ecumenism and missions that reached our country in the 19th century. People were amazed to hear of the mass gatherings in which the English nation in all classes gathered around the Bible, and of the sacrifices that were made there. But also from Russia , where the St. Petersburg court under the sign of the Holy Alliance and large circles of the peoples of the Tsarist Empire and the Orthodox Church opened up God's word , where entire trains of wagons and sleighs - 16 wagons and 30 sleighs to Kazan and Siberia - Bibles in the governorates brought. You get to know the oriental churches as far as Persia and Ethiopia . The reports lead around Africa , to East and West India and as far as the South Seas . God's word goes around the world. It is a power that transforms people - such as Irish bandits, a woman condemned to death, and people. 'Wild nations, on the call of Christianity, leave their forests and get used to quiet, industrious domesticity; the deep ignorance with all its terrible entourage, the human sacrifice, the cannibalistic rage, as well as every cruel bad habit disappears where the mild and invigorating spirit of the gospel enlightens the souls. '"

Financial medium

Since 1965, the German Protestant regional churches, together with the regional Bible Societies, have been involved in raising financial resources for the World Federation of Bible Societies . In this context, the World Bible Aid was also mentioned .

At the EKD Synod in Frankfurt am Main and Magdeburg in 1965, the synodals took up the impulse from Olivier Béguin (Secretary General of the United Bible Societies , UBS for short) and recommended the regional churches to participate in the World Bible Aid. At the time, this was understood to be the budget for UBS's World Service Program . Sometimes there is also talk of "the contributions of the regional churches to help the world bible".

In 1965 several independent regional Bible societies merged to form the Evangelical Biblical Work . Oskar Söhngen , the chairman at the time, immediately appealed to the Bible Societies to increase donations, which is why some began to set up groups of friends for Biblical Aid. Initiatives such as the World Bible Ring and the World Bible Aid Sponsorship Group emerged .

It was decided to put the promised three million D-Marks for the World Bible Aid on different shoulders:

  • a million on the shoulders of the Bible Societies,
  • one million on the shoulders of the churches that made them available through the Evangelical Working Group for World Mission , and
  • the third million on the shoulders of the congregations, which at that time in almost all regional churches collected an additional collection for the worldwide distribution of the Bible.

The Bible work also published the handout Worldwide Mission from 1965 to 1967/68 . Handout for the Sunday of the World Bible Help . This handout was published on the respective Bible Sunday in Wuppertal- Barmen , the seat of the office of the Evangelical Bible Works.

World Bible Aid campaign

In 1975, the Evangelical Biblical Works, under the direction of its Secretary General Siegfried Meurer, launched the World Bible Aid campaign and began to systematically collect donations for worldwide Bible projects of the world association. Ako Haarbeck , the long-standing chairman of the board of directors of the German Bible Society, remembered the creation of the World Bible Aid campaign in May 1997 when he said goodbye to Siegfried Meurer :

“From 1983 to 1992 Siegfried Meurer was chairman of the Ecumenical Working Group for Bible Reading . In 1991 he took over the chairmanship of the Executive Committee of the World Federation of Bible Societies as 'chairman' .

In order to be able to give the Bible to more people - especially in the materially poor regions of the world - he founded the Weltbibelhilfe campaign [1975] . ' Diakonie helps people to live, the Bible is necessary for them to want to live,' he liked to say to justify this action, which is supported by many. In China , in Africa , in Eastern Europe - traces of this beneficial work can be seen everywhere. "

And Hellmut Haug wrote in his 2001 obituary for Siegfried Meurer:

“It was particularly important to him that the Germans living in an affluent society make their due contribution to alleviating the worldwide Bible distress. 'Famine relief is necessary so that people can live, the Bible is necessary so that they also want to live' was his motto. "

Effects and priorities

For over 50 years [since 1965] the World Bible Aid has been working to be able to provide every Christian in this world with a Bible in their mother tongue. Therefore, together with 146 national Bible societies around the world, it promotes the translation, production and dissemination of the Holy Scriptures.

The effects can be described as follows:

  • Through the biblical message, people find a solid foundation for a better future
  • Churches and congregations of all denominations are supported
  • Education through literacy programs for children and adults
  • Cultural contribution to the language development of a country / people

Weltbibelhilfe is currently also helping Syrian refugees in Jordan . She helps the Jordanian Bible Society to provide these people with blankets, food and - if they want - Bibles. Because man does not live on bread alone.

Future tasks

An estimated 21 percent of the 7.7 billion people worldwide do not yet have a complete Bible in their mother tongue (around 1.6 billion people). By the year 2038, the Bible Societies want to complete translations into 1200 languages. There are currently 277 translation projects.

  • Languages ​​develop over time and it can be difficult for the younger generation to understand older Bible translations . That is why new translations and revisions for classical Bible languages ​​remain important for the Bible Societies. In 2019, 40 such projects published new editions in languages ​​spoken by around 588 million people. This includes a Bible in modern French and a New Testament in the Iranian language Farsi.
  • Biblical books have also been translated for eleven sign languages . They are used by around 2.8 million deaf people. Further translations are intended to give 70 million deaf people worldwide access to the biblical message.
  • The Bible Societies in Germany, India, and Japan produced the first or new editions of the Bible in Braille . Braille gives people with visual impairments access to the Holy Scriptures and comprises around 40 volumes.
  • The complete Luther Bible 2017 was brought into DAISY format (“Digital Accessible Information System”). It allows listening to the audio version or reading the Bible in Braille using a Braille display.

In order to be able to successfully complete projects of the Bible translation, strong commitment of donors is still required. In Germany, this work is mainly supported by donors from the World Bible Aid of the German Bible Society.

literature

  • Wilhelm Gundert (Ed.): Word of God and Holy Scripture. Synod of the Evangelical Church in Germany, Frankfurt / Main and Magdeburg 1965 , Witten: Luther 1965; in this:
    • Olivier Béguin: Bible Translation and Spreading of the Bible in the World , pp. 7–19.
    • Word to the regional churches to spread the Bible , p. 77 f.
  • Robert Steiner (Ed.): The Bible in the world. Yearbook of the Association of Evangelical Bible Societies in Germany , Volume 11, Witten and Berlin 1968; including:
    • Olivier Béguin: The Bible in the Church's Mission , pp. 27–39.
    • Gerhard Voss : The Bible work in Mecklenburg - its origin and its development , pp. 79–93 ( online at pkgodzik.de ).
    • Oskar Söhngen : The Evangelical Biblical Work , pp. 102–115.
  • Siegfried Meurer : Renewal from the Bible (The Bible in the World, Vol. 19) , Stuttgart: German Bible Society (DBG) 1982; including:
    • Declarations of the EKD Synod 1981: IV. Resolution to promote the World Bible Aid , p. 13.
    • Siegfried Meurer: The work of the DBG: 4. The German contribution to World Bible Aid (World Federation) , pp. 208 ff. 5. Problems and tasks: b. Weltbibelhilfe , p. 213 f.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Image brochure Moving differently , 2015, p. 3.
  2. ↑ Gerhard Voß: Das Bibelwerk in Mecklenburg ... , 1968, p. 83 f.
  3. ^ Siegfried Meurer: Renewal from the Bible ... , 1982.
  4. ↑ Oskar Söhngen: The Evangelical Bible Work ... , 1968, pp. 102–115; Reinhard Hempelmann (Hrsg.): Handbook of evangelistic-missionary works, institutions and communities. Christian publishing house Stuttgart, Stuttgart 1997, page 115.
  5. ↑ http://d-nb.info/gnd/200321-1
  6. ↑ http://d-nb.info/gnd/10029841-2
  7. ^ Oskar Söhngen: The Evangelical Biblical Work ... , 1968, p. 104.
  8. ↑ Entry in the journal database
  9. ↑ Image brochure Moving differently , 2015, p. 22.
  10. ↑ Ako Haarbeck: Thanks to Siegfried Meurer , in: Hannelore Jahr (Hrsg.): The new good news Bible. Dedicated to Siegfried Meurer as a farewell (Bible in Conversation 5) , Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft 1998, pp. 7-10, here p. 9.
  11. ↑ Hellmut Haug: A life in the service of the Bible , die-bibel.de, obituary of September 11, 2001.
  12. ↑ World Bible Aid website in the foundation portal
  13. ↑ Numbers and facts from the World Bible Aid
  14. ↑ http://d-nb.info/gnd/123780713