How the Bible is changing lives in India

Bible Society’s International Programme Co-ordinator, Joanna Heath, recently made a visit to one of our oldest partners, Bible Society of India. Bible Society began its Indian mission in 1811 and the current organisation, formed in 1944, is today the world’s largest. They’re based in Bangalore, in the middle of South India, but they have branches around the country.

One of the branches, Aizawl, is in Mizoram, India’s second smallest state. (The largest, Uttar Pradesh, has a hundred times the population.) Mizoram is a beautiful corner of Northeast India, 91 per cent forested and predominantly Christian. The Aizawl Auxiliary office is closely connected with the region’s strong Church structures and it enjoys a high profile through the popularity and prestige of Bible Society choirs and the annual celebration of Bible Sunday throughout the state. 

Even if it’s a small frontier land, its gospel impact is felt everywhere through the significant contribution it makes to Bible Society of India. Much of the Bible engagement work taking place throughout India’s religiously diverse communities is supported from Aizawl. (Joanna lived in this area for a number of years and had been a supporter of Bible Society of India while resident in the country.)

Bible Society of India is busy making the Bible known in all kinds of areas. In a country with hundreds of different languages, the team is working on multiple translation projects so God’s word can be heard more widely than ever. They recently launched an app that makes several of their translations easily available. This passion for translation overlaps with a huge desire to serve the vulnerable in efforts to reach deaf people with Scripture in sign language and to give audio Bibles to vision-impaired believers.

India is famous for its Christian schools and hospitals, which attract people from all religious backgrounds. These provide a great opportunity for Bible Society of India to minister. They also support a home for vulnerable children, which has become a placement option for work experience at local colleges. That means students of other faiths are experiencing the Christian message and seeing it in action. 

Will you pray for the amazing work of our partners, Bible Society of India? Please pray that the Bible will bring peace and healing to every area of life in India. And ask God to protect and empower India’s intrepid Bible workers.

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