Throughout 2024, we have experienced the sustaining and enabling grace of God in so many ways as we worked hard to serve and support the Churches in China in their Bible ministry.
We give thanks to God for the many relationships that He has graciously led us to build, and for the many opportunities that He has given us to serve. Despite some challenges and setbacks faced, God’s grace has sustained us and enabled us to do all that He has called us to do. As we share the highlights and thanksgivings for 2024, we want to give Him all the praise and glory!
To view the album on our FB page, click here.
A 12-member United Bible Societies (UBS) delegation, led by Ms Elaine Duncan*, Chair of UBS Fellowship Council and CEO of Scottish Bible Society, visited China on 8-17 April 2024. We thank God for the wonderful opportunities to deepen friendships and increase the collaboration between UBS and the Churches in China.
(*Front row, 3rd from right)
From March to June 2024, UBS supported local Catholic churches to distribute 2,000 free Bibles, touching the lives of many Catholic faithful and seekers, and benefiting the churches in need of replacing old pew Bibles. The Bibles distributed have sparked a spiritual revival in the Catholic communities, spreading God’s Word and deepening the believers' engagement with the Bible.
Believers in several provinces, including those in rural Hebei province, received Bibles from their local church with the support of UBS. Many of the elderly believers received large-print Bibles, enabling them to read God’s Word with clarity and comfort.
In May 2024, UBS China Partnership (UBSCP) facilitated the visit of a four-member delegation from the Catholic Church of China to Finland, Sweden and Norway. The delegation, led by Archbishop Li Shan*, President of the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association and Bishop of Beijing Diocese, was warmly hosted by the Bible Societies in these countries.
(*Top photo, front row, 3rd from left)
In June 2024, UBSCP facilitated a visit by China’s National Religious Affairs Administration (NRAA) to Egypt (top photo) and South Africa (bottom photo). During their visit, the five-member delegation, led by Minister Chen Ruifeng*, met with the leaders of Bible Societies, churches and other faith communities.
(*Top photo, 7th from left)
From 8 to 16 September 2024, an eight-member UBS delegation, led by Secretary General Rev Dirk Gevers*, visited Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing in Jiangsu province, and Kunming in Yunnan province. UBS and our various Chinese partners met up and reaffirmed our shared mission to make the Bible available, accessible and affordable to the Christians and Churches in China.
(*Front row, centre)
During 2024, we continued supporting the distribution of Bible study resources to preachers and seminary students. Through these resources, we pray that they will be well-equipped to build up their local churches in God’s Word, thereby strengthening the faith of many Chinese believers.
One of the resources we distributed was the Chinese Study Bible (CSB) which contains study notes translated and adapted from Crossway’s English Standard Version (ESV) Study Bible. Lay Preacher Yang Jun from Guangxi province finds the wide array of study tools in the CSB a valuable and insightful resource for understanding the Bible. He is committed to nurturing the faith of his congregation, relying on God's Word as his constant source of guidance and inspiration.
East Lisu believers in Yunnan province attended a Scripture Literacy class organised by the local church with the support of UBS. Through learning to read the written script of their own heart language, these believers are equipped to engage directly with the Word of God.
A thanksgiving service was conducted in Yunnan province to commemorate the distribution of the Ganyi Diglot Bible. The Ganyi-Chinese Bible, which took over 15 years to complete, helps the Ganyi Christians to understand God’s Word better while preserving and promoting their ethnic language and culture.
With the support of UBS, believers in Hubei province were equipped with discipleship materials published by the China Christian Council & Three-Self Patriotic Movement (CCC&TSPM). Making use of these materials in their church’s discipleship groups, believers grow in their faith and knowledge of God’s Word.
Tan Zhenlin, a preacher in Guangdong province, was grateful to have participated in an equipping programme organised by the Guangdong Union Theological Seminary, with support from UBS. This learning opportunity deepened his understanding of God’s Word and sparked fresh ideas for revitalising his ministry.
The annual Bible Day event, organised by CCC&TSPM, was held on 8 Dec 2024 at the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Shanghai. Through a host of activities and presentations centred on the theme “Reciting the Bible,” believers were encouraged to read and live out the truths of the Bible.
