Bible Society in Northern Ireland

FAQs

  1. Child with BibleWhat is the Bible Society in Northern Ireland?
    • A Mission Society engaged in making God’s word available to people everywhere who would otherwise never have the opportunity to learn of God’s love in Jesus.
    • An organisation working in partnership with the Churches and other agencies who share our Vision.
    • A charity registered with Inland Revenue.
    • One of 142 Bible Societies in the world, working closely with our colleagues and sister Societies in Dublin, Edinburgh and Swindon.
  2. John DoheryuWho is responsible for this work?
    • A Board of Trustees who guide and have oversight of the work, and are drawn from different denominations and spheres of working activity.
    • A team of two full-time and two part-time staff:
      • John Doherty (General Secretary) - pictured
      • Campbell Moore (Office Manager)
      • Julie Moore (Communications Manager)
      • Leah McKibben (Projects Manager)
  3. Who funds BSNI?
    • Individual Church congregations.
    • Individual donors.
    • Bible a Month Club Members.
    • Gifts in response to Special appeals for projects.
    • Gifts from Personal Trusts or Charitable Trust organisations.
    • Bequests or Legacies from individuals who made provision to support this work in their will.
  4. How is translation work progressed?
    • Consultants oversee the painstaking work, producing successive drafts for discussion and amendment. One or more of the Gospels will be tackled first - often it is Mark because it is the shortest. 5 - 6 years or more may be taken to complete the New Testament. The completion of each book is always a cause for celebration.
    • Each translation project is always undertaken ‘without note or comment’ so that readers from every tradition will find no hindrance to the reading and study of the Scriptures.
  5. Why are Scripture translations still needed?Reaching for Scripture in Mozambique
    • Only 459 languages have a complete Bible.
    • Fewer than 2,500 languages have even part of the Scriptures.
    • Around 4,400 languages don’t have any Scripture verses at all.
    • Countries like India have 1,650 languages and dialects, with 15 official languages alone.
    • Read the UBS 2009 Scripture Language Report for current Scripture figures.
  6. How are these translations projects funded?
    • Bible Societies combine their resources to finance the work over several years with the gifts of donors. Individual churches and organisations can choose to:
    • Learn about countries where there is a Bible deficit;
    • Select a project in which they have a particular interest or a connection perhaps through someone in missionary service;
    • Pray for the people there with the information provided;
    • Follow the progress of the work and share in the joy of God’s Word being shared;
    • Support the project through individual gifts, fundraising efforts or a planned series of grants.
  7. How much of the money raised by BSNI actually goes to translation and distribution projects?
    • BSNI is fortunate in being the owner of Bible House and in a position to generate income from rents and interest from investments, some of which have been gifted to the Society. As a result, basic overheads are met and it is possible to ‘translate’ donor gifts into Scripture products.
    • A full copy of our audited accounts is available on request.
  8. What else does BSNI do?
    • We resource clergy and individuals with Scripture, Bible reading aids, and other resources to encourage Bible awareness.
    • We provide a range of Scriptures for use in Church worship and for distribution as part of church out-reach activity.
    • We provide non-English Scriptures to enable churches to support individuals who are living here, but whose first language is not English.
    • BSNI deals with a wide range of information needs to help people with issues related to Scripture.
    • We contribute to worship, midweek and social events to raise awareness of Bible Society work world-wide - our programme of talks covers Bible study, information and visual presentations. Requests for deputation engagements should be made as early as possible.
    • We contribute to exhibition and other events that help to encourage Bible interest.
    • We work closely in partnership with a number of agencies to encourage access to and understanding of the Scriptures.
  9. In what areas does BSNI need to grow?
    • In our support of the World Service Programme to enable more people to experience the Bible for the first time.
    • In our ability to attract legacies to help fund this work for years to come.
    • In the number of people and organisations that are aware of Bible Society work and willing to offer their prayerful and practical support to it.
    • In challenging attitudes towards the Bible, its place and its use in Northern Ireland.
  10. Is there a question that we have not answered for you?
    • Please ring or E Mail us here
    • details of how to contact us are at the bottom of the page or use the comments link
    • Don’t forget that you can make a donation to our work through the E-mail facility on the Support Page.

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Daily Bible Reading Guide
Collision Youth Magazine
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