February 15, 2024
In November 2023, the Bible Society of Egypt celebrated 140 years of God’s blessing and favour. The celebrations included a formal service to mark the occasion which was attended by thousands of people from across Egypt, and also live-streamed to many more.
The November 21 event was held in St. Mark’s Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in Cairo, Egypt, and the theme was ‘God’s Word Brings Joy’. The celebrations constituted the largest interdenominational Christian gathering in Egypt’s history – attended by Orthodox, Protestant and Catholic Christian leaders.
Religious leaders in attendance included His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the see of St. Mark, Rev. Dr. Andrea Zaki, President of the Protestant Churches of Egypt, His Beatitude Archbishop Ishak Ibrahim, Patriarch of the Coptic Catholic Church as well as Mr. Amir Elhamy, the General Secretary of the Bible Society. Additionally, in attendance were foreign ambassadors from 25 countries, most of the Christian parliamentarians, and key Christian businessmen and women.
Welcoming all those in attendance to the celebrations, General Secretary Mr. Amir Elhamy expressed gratitude for God’s Word and underlined how deeply the Egyptian Church is centred around the Bible, while also praising “generations of faithful Bible Society staff and board members” since its establishment in 1883.
Rev. Dirk Gevers, Secretary General of the United Bible Societies, attended the anniversary event and was able to address attendees. He extended congratulations to the Bible Society on behalf of the UBS Fellowship, saying:
“Congratulations and shared thanksgiving from the United Bible Societies Fellowship. Today we celebrate not just an organisation, nor bricks and mortar, but rather the lives of all those who have been blessed, encouraged, changed, and led by the unchanging, living Word of God – all those who have heard and understood the words that Jesus said, through the work of the Bible Society in Egypt. We celebrate also the lives of those who have given themselves to this work, to make it possible for others to encounter the Word of God, through the translation and distribution of the scriptures in Egypt.”
The Bible Society of Egypt is considered the largest publisher of Arabic Bibles in the world, serving the largest and oldest Christian community in the Middle East. The Bible Society produces the Van Dyck Arabic translation, which is the most used Bible translation among Arabic-speaking Christians around the world.
Click here to view the event livestream via the Bible Society’s Facebook page.
Around the world, in 2023, several Bible Societies have celebrated significant anniversaries – demonstrating their commitment and dedication to Bible ministry in their home countries.
