Bibles and buildings

As the Church of Scotland’s Guild’s Annual Gathering takes place this month, Jackie Macadam profiles the projects chosen for the new three-year partnership cycle in the first part of a two-part series.

EVERY three years, the Church of Scotland Guild offers support to a small number of partner projects. The projects are chosen from hundreds of hopefuls submitted for consideration.

Being selected is a prize – the Guild’s fundraising support is famous and the projects chosen stand to gain substantially from involvement. Projects are normally chosen from initiatives based in Scotland and around the world, and they can vary enormously in their aims.

“ We know from statistical evidence published by our colleagues in the Bible Society in England, that almost three in ten children grow up not knowing that the story of Jesus is from the Bible.

The projects for the next three years have now been chosen by the Guild, and this new selection is no exception. They range from a church-building project in Bulgaria to an initiative to give every child in Scotland under five who registers, a Bible of their own.

Jen Robertson is Youth and Children’s Resources Manager for the Scottish Bible Society who are spearheading the project ‘Bibles For Bairns’.

“We know from statistical evidence published by our colleagues in the Bible Society in England, that almost three in ten children grow up not knowing that the story of Jesus is from the Bible. We hope to change that. We also know that reading with a young child is hugely beneficial for a child’s development. It increases their vocabulary, helps them feel safe and loved, while firing their imagination, as well as forming stronger bonds within families and homes. Yet only 50 per cent of children under the age of two are read to every day (The Literacy Trust 2020). With these facts available to us we wondered how we could help young children in Scotland encounter stories from the Bible, within their homes, at the earliest age.

“In the light of this we were interested to discover that the Bible Society in Australia had launched a new project in 2018 affectionately called ‘Bibles for Bubs’.

“Their vision was that any ‘bub’ born in the preceding year could be registered to receive a free toddler’s Bible on their first birthday. The children would then receive a birthday card and activities to help them and their families to keep engaging with their own Bible on each of their birthdays at age two, three and four. On their fifth birthday an older children’s Bible was sent as the gift, to accompany them throughout their primary school years.

“Northern Ireland picked up the project next and so, to Scotland! We want to offer every baby born in Scotland the chance to receive their own first baby Bible. Bibles for Bairns launched in 2023 with 400 babies being registered. Throughout 2024 we have been posting Share a Story Bibles to these babies on their first birthdays. We also have a team of volunteers who get together once a month to wrap these special gifts.

One volunteer said: ‘What we are wrapping is dynamite!’. We have now opened registrations for any baby born in Scotland in 2024.

“We visited Northern Ireland to see how they did it and returned with lots of encouragement and practical advice to get us going with Bibles for Bairns. We realised that choosing the right toddler’s Bible was very important. We wanted one that had appropriate illustrations which would engage with under 5s and also reflect the cultural context of the Bible. It was also important that the text was a quality reflection of the original Bible text. As we perused various children’s Bibles we came across the ‘Share a Story Bible’ published by SPCK. The text was very well put together reflecting the original Bible text but also written in a way that makes it just right for reading out loud to a young child. SPCK were very supportive allowing us to make some changes to the text and arranging for a bespoke print run for our own copies of the ‘Share a Story Bible’.

“We launched an appeal which went out to our supporters to raise funding for Bibles for Bairns. We were greatly encouraged by the generosity shown to the project and the excitement that it generated in those who were giving financially.

“With the right book, and funding, in place we were able to progress the project and open registrations at the end of 2023 for all babies born in that year. At the start of 2024 we recruited a team of volunteers to wrap the gifts and write the birthday cards. Bibles for Bairns had really begun.

“We work closely with the churches in Scotland and have been aware of the Guild Project Partnership Scheme for some time. We were privileged to be a Guild project for our Bibleworld Mobile from 1997 to 2000 and were deeply grateful for the support and encouragement we received for what was an innovative educational programme reaching thousands of children with the story of the Bible.

“When we first began thinking about Bibles for Bairns coming to Scotland, we believed it could be another project that Guild members would warmly and enthusiastically connect with. We applied in great hope that we would be selected and are delighted to be in partnership again.

“Each baby who is registered for Bibles for Bairns will not just receive a gift on their first birthday but also on their second, third and fourth birthdays. These will be specially created pre-school Bible resources to encourage them to keep engaging with their Share a Story Bible. Then, on their fifth birthday, each child will receive an illustrated children’s reader Bible to nurture them through their primary school years.

“The money received from the Guild will help us to produce bespoke Bible gifts for each of these birthdays. On their second birthday they will receive a number and colours book produced by SPCK which uses pictures from their Share a Story Bible. On their third birthday we hope to produce a set of cards for families to play pairs together. The cards would have images from the Share a Story Bible and will help children and families to recall the Bible characters and their stories. On their fourth birthday SPCK have an activity book based around the stories in Share a Story Bible which is ideal as the children near the end of their Bibles for Bairns journey.

“We are researching which Bible to gift them to the five-year-olds which will enable them to grow in their knowledge of God, whilst learning to read for themselves. The generosity of the Guilds will help us to source and print the best book for this.”

Operation Hope is run by Release International, a UK-based Christian ministry that supports Christians around the world who are persecuted for their faith. They have also secured Guild funding.

James Fraser is their Lead Engagement Manager for Scotland.

“Egypt is home to the largest Christian minority in the Middle East with around 10 to 12 per cent of the population professing faith in Jesus. However, as a minority, in many respects they are treated as second class citizens. They face varying levels of discrimination in education, employment and the legal system, and suffer poverty as a result. They are looked down on and some have experienced violent attacks,” he explained.

“The Operation Hope project was first established in the aftermath of the 2011 Egyptian revolution. During that time Egypt went through a period of social and political chaos. Radical Islamist groups burned down churches, and attacked Christians’ homes and businesses. Many Christians who were already living in poverty became desperate. Release International’s local partner felt they had to do something in response. So in 2013 they launched the Operation Hope relief and mercy ministry and Release International has been supporting this project since 2016.

“Our local partner has decades of onthe-ground ministry experience in Egypt. They know the communities of Upper Egypt well and are networked with many local churches.

“Release International has been aware of the Guild funding opportunity for a number of years and we know of other ministries which have benefited greatly from the partnership. We are amazed by the generosity of the Guild members and are very grateful for the opportunity to present our Operation Hope project and the needs of persecuted Christians in Egypt to Guild groups all over the country over the next three years.

OPERATION HOPE | EGYPT

Let us build ahouse

“Each year the project aims to help around 2,000 marginalised and destitute people in about 100 different villages in Upper Egypt. There are three main areas the project focuses on – supplying basic living needs, income-generating activities and psychological and spiritual care.

“Extended families often live together in small rooms with decaying grass roofs which don’t provide adequate shelter from the elements. Operation Hope frequently repairs these homes and sometimes constructs concrete roofs to provide proper protection from the weather. The project also supplies homes with clean water and toilet facilities; beds, mattresses and blankets; and home appliances such as fans, fridges, stoves and simple washing machines. Food packages are also delivered to those who are in most critical need.

“We enable families to establish small businesses so they can begin to provide for themselves. The project has invested in a range of initiatives including small shops, provision of sheep and goats for small scale farming, sewing machines for making and repairing clothes, and motor cycles for transport. As well as providing an income, this allows families to develop the confidence and dignity that comes from working.

“Marginalisation and poverty take their toll and many Christian families are weighed down by the devastating things they have experienced and the extreme difficulty of everyday life. Many lack hope that things can get better and some begin to doubt God. Operation Hope workers conduct regular home visits to get alongside families who are struggling and to assure them that they are loved and valued by God. They work hard to connect these families to the local church community, and they form small discipleship groups to encourage them in prayer and Bible study.

“Guild funding will enable Release International to commit to supporting the vital work of the Operation Hope project for another three-year period. Through this support more practical needs will be met; poverty will be alleviated; the impact of persecution and marginalisation will be reduced; Christian families will be assured of their value and given opportunities to build a future; and the wider Christian community in Upper Egypt will be established, strengthened, and enabled to flourish. In both literal and spiritual terms, Guild funding will enable us to ‘build a house’ together with our Christian brothers and sisters in Upper Egypt.” ¤