Newsletter BSSP | BSSP 50th Anniversary

UNCHANGING Word March - June | 2017

(L-R) Mrs Titilia Vakadewavosa, Mr Inia Naiyaga, Rev Dr Epineri Vakadewavosa, His Grace, Archbishop Peter Loy Chong and Mrs Erini Naiyaga at the launch of the Society’s fiftieth Anniversary

BSSP Fiftieth Anniversary Celebration Launched Church Partnership in Vanuatu Increasing Bible Society Presence in Samoa Solomon Islands News Tongan Bible Project undergoes Review Work Your Bible Week Invitation

This year, 2017, is a very special year for the Bible Society of the South Pacific as it marks its 50th year of serving in Fiji and the Pacific region. Since the Society’s humble beginnings in 1967, so much work has been accomplished which reflects both the faithfulness of God and the sacrificial commitment by God’s people who were directly and indirectly involved in this ministry. However, the work of BSSP combined with the work of the British and Foreign Bible Societies (BFBS) in the early 1900’s in the South Seas accounts the Bible Society presence to more than 160 years of ministry presence in the Pacific region.

In the last 50 years, more than 60 new scriptures in the Pacific Island languages have been translated, published and distributed. Now every island nation in the Pacific each has a copy of their full Bible in their official or main languages.

In the last 50 years, the Society has moved from renting office spaces in Matanitobua Street, Victoria Parade, Raiwaqa to having its own property, the Bible House, at 8-10 Luke Street, Nabua. And in the last 50 years, more communities have been reached with God’s Word not only through printed Bibles and scripture materials, but also through Continued pg. 2

non-print Scriptures formats such as the Audio Bibles, Electronic Bibles, and Text Messages.

The Golden Jubilee celebration was officially launched by the General Secretary of the Methodist Church in Fiji (and current BSSP Board Chairman), the Rev’d Dr Epineri Vakadewavosa. This was held at the Pacific Theological College Conference Centre on Tuesday March 28, 2017. In attendance were the key stakeholders of the Bible Society comprising of the respective major Church

Leaders in Fiji, members of the Board and Trustees, Donors, Media, and Friends of the Society. The Golden Jubilee celebration is staggered throughout the year as the next two major upcoming events are:

YOUR BIBLE WEEK INVITE

Dear Friends of the Society, Greetings from the Bible House in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ!

The Bible Society of the South Pacific sends out this humble invitation to Individuals, Families, Churches, Schools, Working Groups, and Communities to join in a week-long of celebrating God’s Word together from Sunday 25th June to Sunday 2nd July 2017, which is the National Bible Week.

The theme of the Bible Week is “Celebrate God’s Word.”

In celebrating God’s Word and the work of the Bible Society in the last 50 years (1967 to 2017), you are invited to: 1) Use the Bible Week Study material enclosed which is specifically prepared for the Bible Week theme.

2) Organize a Bible Quiz Competition using the Questions & Answers in the booklet.

3) Use the information about the Bible Society in the booklet to talk about the work of the Bible Society during the Bible Week in your church, community, workplace, etc.

4) Join the March from Suva Flea Market to the Sukuna Park on

1) the Bible Week Celebration on 24th June to 2nd July; and 2) the Annual Celebration Dinner after the Annual General Meeting and Regional Meeting in November.

Saturday 24th June beginning at 9am to mark the opening of the Bible Week.

5) Help organize other events such as Reading a part or the whole Bible within the week, Praying for the Bible work in Fiji and the Pacific, etc.

A free-will offering or donation will be received at the end of the Bible Week celebration to help the Society to continue developing its work of translating, producing, and distributing of Bibles. Any money order or check must be written to ‘The Bible Society of the South Pacific.’

For any further enquiry, please contact our Mission Coordinator, Mr Charles Cleary (mobile: 9271787; email: ccleary@bible.org. fj).

Sincerely in Christ, The National Bible Week 2017 Committee

I Vola Tabu ni iTutu ni Vunau Veika e tiko kina

I vakamacala ni kena soli vakailoloma Vakaiyala ena reveni Volai ena matanivola lelevu

Church Partnership in Vanuatu The whole BSSP Vanuatu Branch staff team was invited as Guests at the Living Waters Church, Port Vila, during their main church service on Sunday February 26, 2017. Led by senior staff Paul Niavia Rua, the team had been running some Sunday School training at the church where completion certificates were given to the participants during the service. Vanuatu Operations Manager, Elder Jack Titek talked about the work of the Society and the Church acknowledged the Society’s ongoing great services to the body of Christ by garlanding all the staff and giving them a mat (gift) each as their token of thanks. Finance Manager, Mr Neilesh

Prasad, also arrived into Port Vila on this special day and then conducted some training on finance at the office that week.

The Executive Secretary also joined Neilesh in Port Vila and conducted some translation checking and Paratext training concurrently with translators from the Hano, Mele, Ngunese, and Ahamb language projects. The Bible Society in Vanuatu needs more prayer support and funds to rebuild the run-down Translation House (Kokonas) in the big island of Espirito Santo.

Increasing Bible Society Presence in Samoa A recent trip to Apia, Samoa by the Finance Manager and the Executive Secretary on 23-27 April, 2017 to meet with the BSSP Regional Board rep in Samoa was quite successful.

Our Samoa representative, Rev Nu’uausala Siaosi, is the Senior Pastor at the Apia Protestant Church. In those three days of visit, the Finance Manager, Mr Neilesh Prasad discussed the ways forward to increasing Bible distribution in Samoa.

The status of the BSSP Samoa’s registration in the government was explored further and plans put in place to move things in the right direction. A two-day BSSP Awareness workshop on the possible mission activities in Samoa (Samoa Contemporary Bible Translation, Trauma Healing, etc.) was attended by a group of Church leaders from the Congregational Christian Church of Samoa, Methodist Church, Seventh Day Adventist Church, Assemblies of God, Brethren and the Baptist Church.

A prayer item for Samoa is the need to form a Bible Society committee comprising of formal representatives from these churches and then to get BSSP related plans prepared ahead for 2018 and beyond.

Neilesh & Rev. Nu’uausala Siaosi in Samoa

AVAILABLE at the Bible Society Bookshop

Solomon Islands News The Finance Administrator, Mr Isikeli Sila visited the Solomon Islands’ BSSP Branch on February 21-27 and did some pending work on the financial department. He was accompanied by the BSSP Executive Secretary in this trip, with the following tasks achieved: 1) Completed the checking of the Elijah & David 1 Comic translations in three languges; 2) Met with a former Pijin Bible translator, Hilda Steel, and mapped out the translation plans on the Trauma Healing booklet; 3) Met with the Simbo United Church representative on the status of the Simbo New Testament project and discussed on ways to resurrect the project; 4) Met with the Board and Finance Committee and updated them on the latest development of BSSP work; and 5) had quality meetings with mission partners from the SIL/ SITAG and Island Bible Ministries.

BSSP aims to resume work on the Simbo Bible translation project and other languages such as the Marovo, Mono, and Kwaio.

Tongan Bible Project undergoes Review Work Following on from the workshop on April 2016 for Translators, a workshop was held at the Toutaimana Catholic Centre, Nuku’alofa, Tonga on 13-17 March, 2017.

This workshop was aimed at recruiting and training reviewers to read and review the books already drafted on the Tongan Contemporary OT (TCOT) project. At that time, there were only 2 remaining books to be drafted, namely Zephaniah and Malachi.

There are 5 books which are currently being finished off i.e.

Leviticus, 2 Kings, Nehemiah, Esther and Daniel. This Project has become a model in terms of the pace in which progress has been made in Stage 1 (drafting). At this training, seven (7) reviewers were recruited and three of them were women. The three women

are in their 20s (Juliet, Mele and Victoria) and are current students at Situtaia Thelogical College.

During the week, the facilitators were Dr Daud Soesilo, Rev Dr Ma’afu Palu, and Rev Apenisa Lewatoro and they were able to train the reviewers on: 1) The purpose of the Tongan Contemporary Old Testament (TCOT) to produce a meaning based Bible that is faithful and understandable, readable by the next generation; and 2) The role of the reviewers is to ensure the translation is faithful and accurate exegetically, readable and natural, correct grammatically, appropriate culturally as well as ecclesiastically and at the right level for the younger generation.

Lot 8-10 Luke Street, Nabua | Private Mail Bag, Nabua. Fiji Islands | Phone (679) 338 3988, Fax (679) 337 0219 | www.bible.org.fj