2017 MINISTRY REPORT www.biblesociety.ca
TO REACH EVERY HEART FOR CANADA He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth. PSALM 72.8 (NKJV) 36 COUNTRIES PARTNERED WITH THE CANADIAN BIBLE SOCIETY IN 2017 2 / MINISTRY REPORT 2017
Transforming lives in Canada I t has been a few months since I assumed the role of National Director. It signaled a new beginning for the Canadian Bible Society (CBS) as we tried to put the turmoil of the past few years to rest and chart out a course of where we sense God is leading us. We are well into the process of establishing the five regions across Canada mandated by our Board. These regions are: the Atlantic, Quebec, Ontario and Nunavut, the Prairies and Northwest Territories, and British Columbia and Yukon. The plan and desire is that the regional teams will be able to work alongside the Districts and strengthen CBS relationship with local churches, denominations, and other partners. CBS remains committed to the four pillars that are foundational to its work: translation, publication, distribution and engagement. Translation continues to be a focus for CBS. Besides the ongoing work with the First Nations and Inuit, there are exciting new opportunities for Scripture translation and revision with the diaspora communities across Canada. Our publishing and distribution continue to grow with new material and partners. Our new emphasis will be on engaging people with the truth of the Scriptures. Giving a person a Bible is only the beginning. As they engage with the written Word, our prayer is that they will begin to encounter the Living Word. We also believe that the Bible has much to say about the social issues we face in Canada today. While acknowledging that we live in a religiously pluralistic society, we believe that the truths of the Bible need to be part of the larger conversations. We are praying and thinking creatively as to how CBS would do this. CBS continues to be a major partner with the United Bible Societies (UBS) in providing Bibles and other much-needed assistance to national Bible Societies around the world. We are grateful to our partners who give generously, and pray that God s Word would continue to transform lives and be salt and light in Canada. May God be glorified in all that we do. Blessings, Seeking Creative Ways to Engage Society with Scripture TABLE OF CONTENTS: National Director s Message Translation Publication and Distribution Engagement Reaching Canada Reaching the World Your Investment in 2017 Thanks to our Volunteers! 3 4 6 8 10 12 14 15 Rev. Dr. Rupen Das National Director View and download this report at biblesociety.ca/reports MINISTRY REPORT 2017 / 3
OUR FOUNDATIONAL TRUTH Everything in the Scriptures is God s Word. All of it is useful for teaching and helping people and for correcting them and showing them how to live. The Scriptures train God s servants to do all kinds of good deeds. 2 TIMOTHY 3.16-17 (CEV) 650 SCRIPTURE TRANSLATION PROJECTS CAN BE HAPPENING AT ANYTIME THE MISSION of the Canadian Bible Society Translation team is to serve the church in Canada and internationally wherever there are communities requesting Bible translation or revision. 4 / MINISTRY REPORT 2017
1 THE CANADIAN BIBLE SOCIETY HELPS MAKE THE BIBLE Translation UNDERSTANDABLE IN CANADA AND AROUND THE WORLD The Canadian Bible Society is an active member of the United Bible Societies (UBS). UBS is a global fellowship, combining 146 national Bible Societies that operate in over 200 countries and territories. Joined together, they are the largest translator, publisher and distributor of the Bible in the world. In Canada Our priority focus is on Canada s indigenous languages and peoples First Nations, Metis, and Inuit where we seek to serve local communities through helping Bible translation and revision projects begin and succeed. In our Canadian context, Bible translation projects frequently have components of language revitalization, rights advocacy, and engagement activities like literacy. We honour and value local initiatives and community involvement and participate in projects when we are invited by an indigenous church or community. This is done through the training of community members in Bible translation skills, and assisting projects with planning, management, quality control, and fundraising. We currently have active projects among the Cree in Saskatchewan (Plains Cree) and among the Inuit people of Nunavut (Inuktitut and Inuinnaqtun). Our second priority is serving the thriving immigrant community churches in Canada, who may want to revise older scripture publications or undertake new translations. There we will work with Church pastors and community leaders to identify needs for Scripture revision or first translation. The Punjabi Christian community in Western Canada in partnership with CBS has recently begun revising the Common Language (CL) Scriptures originally published in 1978. They identified a need to correct long-standing errors and omissions in the common language of Punjabi Canadian churches. A broadly-based stakeholder group has emerged to champion this revision project. Around the World While our main focus is on Canada, we also serve Bible translation initiatives worldwide, especially where our specialized expertise in certain language families can increase impact. Several years ago, Inuit Bible translators from Canada, Alaska, and Greenland came together to share stories, training, and inspiration from across the Arctic. As a result, we are now engaged in a large and complex Old Testament project in Alaska in the Inupiaq language, which is closely related to our Canadian Inuit languages. The need for Bible translation across the globe is staggering. From the over 7,100 confirmed languages in the world only one-third have Scripture translations. While it seems like we are making progress, there are still thousands of languages in Africa, Asia, and the Pacific where Scripture translation is needed. In 2017, CBS played a role in the remaining global Bible translation task by providing technical assistance, consultation expertise and funding for various translation needs. We plan to be involved directly in international projects in the future. When people can engage with God s Word in their first language, it reaches the deepest needs of the human heart. MINISTRY REPORT 2017 / 5
SERVING THE NATION Jesus replied, That s true, but the people who are really blessed are the ones who hear and obey God s message! LUKE 11.28 (CEV) OVER 4,600 LANGUAGES STILL HAVE NO SCRIPTURES 6 / MINISTRY REPORT 2017
2 Publication & Distribution MAKING THE BIBLE ACCESSIBLE AND AVAILABLE The Bible is changing hearts and minds in Canada and throughout the world. Yet the gap is widening, as increasing world population and explosive church growth has created an unprecedented need for those hungry for God s Word. Please pray as we build strategies and take steps to keep up with the increasing demand before us. Making God s Word Accessible Printing Bibles and other Scripture publications is at the heart of our publishing programs. That said, here at the Canadian Bible Society, it is also our priority to meet other needs of the people to whom we minister. Some of these needs include publishing Bibles which accommodate the needs of unique audiences and making Bibles available at affordable prices. CBS also participates in several national distribution projects, like those that provide Bibles for members of the Canadian Forces, Bible stories designed for children learning to read, Bibles for those in prison, and Bibles for English as a second language (ESL) or French as a second language (FSL) courses. These projects frequently require us to produce special editions with appropriate features at affordable prices. Making God s Word Available in Canada Our distribution team strategically identifies and helps to meet the challenges facing Bible distribution today. Bibles for First Nations, Scriptures in many languages, as well as specialty editions like Braille, are often difficult to produce and distribute through commercially viable channels. CBS helps to make Bibles affordable and available in each of these contexts. Our wholesale division provides our own publications and other related editions through a network of over 400 retail stores across the country, as well as through our new and improved online store at www.biblescanada.com, book tables, special events, mail order and a variety of partner websites. In selected areas of the country we continue to operate our own ministry centres that provide the widest selection of Bibles and advice to people. 133,969 96,658 44,506 405,086 IN 2017, WE DISTRIBUTED: Bibles New Testaments Scripture Portions Scripture Selections The Bible I received changed my life. Now I know that Jesus will never leave me because He is my friend. MINISTRY REPORT 2017 / 7
MAKING THE BIBLE APPLICABLE...it is sharper than any double-edged sword. HEBREWS 4.12a (CEV) 497 MILLION PEOPLE ARE STILL WAITING FOR SCRIPTURES 8 / MINISTRY REPORT 2017
3 ENCOUNTERING THE LIVING WORD IN CANADA AND AROUND Engagement THE WORLD History has taught us that in order for people to receive and fully understand the Bible, it must be communicated in a way they can relate to. This emphasizes the significance of engaging people in God s truth as His Word is made alive in our hearts for everyone who has a desire to read and receive it! Providing the life-changing message of God s Word in China With one million new followers of Jesus joining the church in China every year, there are not enough copies of the Scriptures to go around. Most rural areas are so impoverished, they could not afford a Bible. CBS was then able to print thousands of affordable Scriptures for needy families through Amity Printing Press in China. Thanks partly to the generosity of Canadian donors, Christianity is growing faster in China than almost any other country in the world and the Bible has become a bestseller. Peace over persecution in Egypt When the Palm Sunday 2017 terrorist attack occurred in the city of Tanta in the Egyptian Delta, the Canadian Bible Society responded through the Egyptian Bible Society (EBS) to help our Christian brothers and sisters. The Bible Society provided Bibles, study tools and leadership training resources to encourage young believers to overcome persecution and strengthen their relationship with God during that time of crisis. Despite the horror of the attacks, our EBS colleague, Ramez Atallah, shared that in the face of unimaginable evil, he witnessed the most incredible display of love, forgiveness and devotion. Solution to Domestic Violence in Central America CBS and its global partners have launched this transformational campaign based on God s Word to reach 400,000 people to address the issue of domestic violence in the Central American countries of Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Dominican Republic, Costa Rica and Honduras. Scripture resources for adults and children as well as youth-led training workshops have been developed and supported by CBS to help bring comfort to these women and children so they can rebuild their lives. The impact of God s Living Word meets the needs of tens of thousands of Canadians like Keith who was in jail when he received the CBS Key to Freedom Bible. The darkest time in my life was the day I went into jail, Keith shared, I wanted to end my life. Everything that I valued in my life was gone. There was no reason to continue living. Looking back, it was sad to see that I waited to be at this extreme condition in my life to call out to God. One day, I noticed a book cart in the hallway and I took a quick glance at the book bindings along with their titles... This thick book captured my attention. I pulled the book out to read the title, The Key to Freedom. To my surprise, it was a Bible in jail! MINISTRY REPORT 2017 / 9
TRANSFORMING LIVES IN CANADA If you keep on obeying what I have said, you truly are my disciples. You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. JOHN 8.31-32 (CEV) 1,412 FREE SCRIPTURES PROVIDED TO NEWCOMERS TO CANADA 10 / MINISTRY REPORT 2017 10 / MINISTRY REPORT 2017
Reaching Canada T he need in Canada is vast. Whether it s distributing free Scriptures to new citizens, prison inmates or the Canadian Forces through our stores, ministry partners or online, the need is ongoing. Bible engagement through public reading or promoted through social media presents opportunities to involve Canadians on many levels to read God s Word. 1 / BRITISH COLUMBIA AND YUKON As we entered a new season of engaging the public, we initiated our search in late 2017 for a new Regional Director for the BC and Yukon Region. As well, we underwent significant changes as CBS was in the final stages of transforming the BC Bible House into a Bible Centre and Café and moving it to a new location in Vancouver. This Centre now allows us to best engage with different communities to more effectively share the Scriptures within Vancouver and to all other regions of B.C. and Yukon. 2 / PRAIRIES AND NORTHWEST TERRITORIES In 2017 we welcomed new Board of Governor member, Rev. Brian Lise from Warman, Saskatchewan. This District continues its strong ministry and Scripture distribution activities across Alberta, the eastern parts of BC and Saskatchewan. The Bible Store in Winnipeg continues to serve the Bible distribution needs of that region as well. In Alberta, the Agapé Language Centre and the Cooperative are reaching many new immigrants, refugees and international students with God s love through assistance with English and acculturation. 3 / ONTARIO AND NUNAVUT In 2017, the hiring and engagement of Ontario Regional Director Rev. Lisa Pak and Regional Coordinator Kandis Cornwall, have helped tremendously in raising the profile of CBS in many events around the Province. In addition, Tom Cadenhead and Rev. Robert Graham joined the CBS Board of Governors in 2017. The four Ontario Districts Northern, Southwestern, Eastern and Central have developed their District Regional Councils to serve more effectively in CBS s ministry, local fundraising, Scripture distribution and volunteer engagement. 4 / QUEBEC In 2017 we were pleased to welcome Patrice Michaud as our new Regional Manager for Quebec City as he transitioned from his role as Representative for that District. We renovated the Quebec bookstore located in Quebec City. Daily Bible Reading Guides were distributed throughout the year. Prayer for unity was held among Christians. Workshops, Bible studies and seminars were conducted by the Chair of training for Christian Living. 5 / ATLANTIC In the Atlantic provinces, we welcomed Dr. Carol Anne Janzen as Regional Director and Tracey Jardine as Regional Coordinator, giving us the necessary support we need to meet the regional needs. As in Ontario, the four Atlantic Districts representing the four provinces, continued to develop the Regional Councils effectively. 1 5 REGIONS ACROSS CANADA 2 3 4 5 MINISTRY REPORT 2017 / 11
then when the time is right, God will do all that he has planned, and Christ will bring together everything in heaven and on earth. EPHESIANS 1.10 (CEV) 355 MILLION SCRIPTURE ITEMS WERE DISTRIBUTED IN 2017 Reaching the world The United Bible Society (UBS) continues to be the largest translator and distributor of Scripture in the world. The number of full Bibles made available around the world topped 34 million for the third year running. Of these, more than 7.9 million Bibles were downloaded, primarily on apps such as YouVersion. In total, more than 107 million full Bibles have been distributed by the UBS fellowship since 2015. 12 / MINISTRY REPORT 2017
CANADIAN BIBLE SOCIETY GLOBAL PROJECTS CANADA Translation Camp Bibles Military Bibles Bibles for Newcomers Prison Bibles UKRAINE The Word of God to Ukrainian military and chaplains CHINA Bibles for millions BELARUS Bibles to people below the poverty line HAITI Literacy Scriptures for new readers JORDAN Scriptures to persecuted Syrian refugees BANGLADESH Scripture engagement for underprivileged rural believers COSTA RICA Bibles for immigrants LATIN AMERICA Bibles for victims of domestic violence ARGENTINA Bibles for people with Visual disabilities CAMEROON God s Word to teenage victims of sexual exploitation UGANDA Braille Bibles for the visually impaired INDIA Empowering urban slum dwellers through Scripture engagement MINISTRY REPORT 2017 / 13
Your Investment in 2017 TOTAL MINISTRY $5 Million Canadian donors responded generously across the country to the Canadian Bible Society last year. In 2017, we received $5 million from our fundraising efforts. While some gave individual gifts, others gave through our Bible-A-Month regular giving program and legacy giving. Total Ministry $5 MILLION For all of your sacrificial giving, we want to extend our deepest thanks! Some of the Major Expenses in 2017 were: Canadian Ministries $2.8 Million CANADIAN MINISTRY $2.8 Million When you look at our Canadian Regional Map, you see one that features diverse ministry opportunities and partnerships from sea to sea. You may have responded to the need for diaspora resources for the Punjabi Project or our Inuit Translation work in Nunavut. Perhaps you donated to our special commemorative Canada 150 appeal featuring CBS historical significance in Canada with the distribution of God s Word. Thank you again for your generous Canadian ministry donations of $2.8 million to help us reach our goals of Bible translation, publication, distribution and engagement. World Ministries $2.2 Million WORLD MINISTRY $2.2 Million We are privileged to be members of the United Bible Societies (UBS) and can partner around the world and make a difference. In 2017, we contributed $2.2 million to UBS, which means we reached out and affected many needy individuals worldwide. We touched the lives of millions as the largest agency engaged in Bible distribution, engagement and holistic ministry overseas. When we work together with 146 Bible Societies operating in over 200 countries and territories, the overall impact is tremendous. Audited financial statements are available online at www.biblesociety.ca 14 / MINISTRY REPORT 2017
Thank You to Our Dedicated Volunteers! Serving Our Nation Together We are blessed with a vibrant community of faithful volunteers across Canada, believers who share their time, energy and resources. Our CBS volunteers are the spark plugs of our organization, as they passionately drive our vision and mission forward to see people changed by God s Word. We want to express our sincere thanks to all of you who supported CBS in 2017 through your prayers, financial gifts and event participation. We know that we could not accomplish this without your support and we are extremely grateful for your response. The generous contribution of the time and talent of over 1,000 volunteers in 2017 have built a solid foundation for the Bible cause. We want to thank all who have supported CBS both now and in the future. If you have never volunteered with CBS or supported us prayerfully and financially, it s not too late to start! Please prayerfully consider how you can make a difference in 2018 by responding with your gift in the response envelope provided. Thank you for your generosity and may God Bless you! HOW HAVE YOU HELPED CBS? n Through fundraising events, assisting with the distribution of Bibles and being the face of CBS at numerous local community events. n Assisting in CBS offices and bookstores. n Serving on District teams and governing bodies. n Participating in youth events, Run for the Word and Bike for Bibles fundraising events. n Engaging in proclaiming God s Word through events in local churches. n Bringing CBS before God in your prayers, and through your financial contributions. MINISTRY REPORT 2017 / 15
Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. MATTHEW 6.10 (NKJV) 10 Carnforth Road, Toronto, ON M4A 2S4 Tel: 416.757.4171 Toll Free: 1.800.465.2425 Fax: 416.757.3376 info@biblesociety.ca FOLLOW US ON: Facebook: canadianbiblesociety Twitter: @canadianbible We are a member of the Canadian Council of Christian Charities. This means that we adhere to high ethical and operational standards. The CCCC seal is evidence that we are committed to integrity and excellence in ministry. www.biblesociety.ca View and download this report at biblesociety.ca/reports