by Len Bachiu

Every year, the Canadian Bible Society donates Greek and Hebrew testaments to Bible college and seminary students across Canada, and that includes students at Briercrest. We believe that by this action, we are moving toward the fulfillment of our vision statement: "To reach every man, woman, and child with the life-giving word of God and to encourage its use."

But providing Greek and Hebrew testaments is not the only thing we do. Every year, the Canadian Bible Society also sponsors Bike for Bibles rides in various parts of the country. In 2006, to commemorate our 100th anniversary, we sponsored a bike ride from Victoria to St. John’s, Newfoundland—that’s right, across the whole country! We raised over half a million dollars to distribute Bibles in Canada. We have focused on Bibles for First Nations people, youth, street people, adult non-readers and ethnic communities, and some of that money is providing Bibles in Saskatchewan—to places like Regina Rescue Mission and Joe’s Place.

Last year, we pedaled to raise money to provide Bibles to the Canadian military. We produced a special camouflage cover Bible that has become very popular with our military personnel. We also provided Bibles to prison and hospital chaplains and to people who become homeowners through Habitat for Humanity.

At present, there are nearly four thousand languages that don’t have any portion of the Bible translated into their language. The Canadian Bible Society provides resources for Bible translators around the world and right here in Saskatchewan. We are continuing our work on a new translation into Western Cree, which is the largest First Nations group in Canada.

In partnership with other Bible societies under the umbrella of the United Bible Societies, there is a publishing house in Nanjing, China, called Amity Press. They print and distribute hymnals and 10,000 Bibles a day throughout China. The Canadian Bible Society has assumed the responsibility of providing the literally tons of paper required. We have also helped to raise money to purchase vans to allow the distribution of the Scriptures.

We recognize that value is derived from Bibles only as they are opened and read. They are not magic talismans that ward off all evil and misfortune from those who carry them, and for that reason, we provide resources for churches to help their people engage with Scripture.

Our most recent resource is our partnership with Walk Thru the Bible, a ministry that has been operating for over thirty years. Unfortunately, the knowledge many people have of the Old Testament is a bit like a jigsaw puzzle. They know a little about some of the various stories of the Old Testament, but they don’t really know how they all fit together. In a six-hour workshop, the overall story of the Old Testament is taught. It is not a lecture, but rather an exciting, fun-filled workshop that uses a series of seventy-seven hand-signs to learn and remember this story. The Old Testament in the foundation of the New, and it is the Bible that Jesus and his disciples read.

If you would like to explore the possibility of hosting a Walk Thru the Old Testament workshop, contact Len Bachiu at 306-664-2480, Ext. 2 (1-800-667-4691, Ext. 2 if calling from Saskatchewan). He can also be reached by email.