AnnualReports - THE BIBLE SOCIETY IN CAMBODIA

ANNUAL REPORT

Annual Report 2003

In October 2003, the Bible Society in Cambodia celebrated the 10th anniversary of its reestablishment in 1993, after about 20 years in which Bible work was disrupted by war and conflict. The anniversary celebration was combined with a celebration of Cambodia’s successful Opportunity 21 projects, and was attended by approximately 200 participants from many backgrounds.

The Bible Society prepared course materials for literacy classes, with a literacy work book for participants and 37 audio tapes. Classes were held in 29 locations in conjunction with local churches. This project led to good cooperation between the Bible Society and Christian denominations, including Seventh Day Adventist, Baptist and Methodist, some local independent churches, and one Christian organization, the Cambodian Elder Support Organization.

Praise the Lord that in 2003, the Bible Society in Cambodia formed a new partnership with ZOA Refugee Care in Cambodia. This organisation supported the printing cost of 3000 Khmer Children’s Bibles. The Bible Society also shared the costs of printing an evangelistic tract, Turn to the Father, with Every Home for Christ. These projects were achieved in cooperation with the Hosanna ministry organisation in Phnom Penh.

New products for 2003 were the New Testament Picture Bible in Khmer; a Khmer-English Diglot New Testament, and a Khmer Bible for Children. These titles have been very well accepted by all churches, both Protestant and Roman Catholic, with the Bible for Children proving especially popular.

There has now been agreement from representatives of several church councils and denominations for the Bible Society of Cambodia to produce a protestant edition of the Khmer Common Language that will satisfy the needs of Evangelical Churches.

Current events in Cambodia still affect the Bible ministry. A government was not formed following the national election in July 2003 due to a political deadlock. This has made the situation in Cambodia unstable socially and economically. No big gatherings in public places were held due to the security risk, which limited activities such as the Christmas celebration at Phnom Penh stadium which had been allowed in previous years. More than 90% of our citizens are farmers, so we thank God for a better harvest in our country in 2003 following flood-affected results in the last few years.

Annual Report 2002

The political stability Cambodia enjoyed during 2002 has brought some economical improvement to the country, especially through tourism, which is one of the major resources of the country. The most significant event during the year was probably the 8^th ASEAN Summit held in the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh, November 4-5. This was the first time, after the civil war period (1970-1991) that Cambodia hosted such an important international meeting. The summit brought not only a change to the international view of the political situation in Cambodia, but also opened opportunities for foreign investment, which is crucial for the economical and social changes in the country.

However, the Cambodian population continues to struggle for their daily needs, as the majority of them live under the poverty line and the country still relies on international aid for survival. In addition to this, the major floodings of the Mekong river areas during the last rainy season and the upcoming national election in 2003, very often accompanied by political violence and killing, only increase pessimism among the population.

Convinced that the Word of God can bring hope to the people, the Bible Society in Cambodia (BSC) has strengthened its partnership with Churches, with the objective of assisting them in reaching out to the traumatized population. In order to increase the Bible Society’s effectiveness in ministry, the BSC leaders decided to accept more members on the Advisory Board, so that more representatives from different denominations take part in the Bible work. During the Annual Assembly in March 2002, twenty Church leaders were elected to be part of the new BSC Advisory Board that will supervise the Bible Society’s activities in the next 3 years.

The Cambodian O-21 program, ”The Generation of Hope”, was due to be completed at the end of 2002. We thank God that BSC had the opportunity to conduct three workshops for youth in three provinces successively during three months (August-September and October). A total of 242 participants from different denominations attended these workshops. The aim was to train young people how to use the Word of God in their life and how to share the Scripture with others. Another objective of these workshops was to create awareness of the Bible Society’s ministry among the young people, which is essential for the future of the Bible work in the country.

Through O-21 distribution program during 2002, the Bible Society leaders came to realize that a significant number of the Cambodian population, especially those in rural areas, are non-literate. Therefore, a literacy program was setup. The first step was to have portions of the Scripture, selections, and other Scripture materials recorded in audio-cassettes. For the coming years, the Bible Society in Cambodia hopes to cooperate with Churches in adult literacy programs, using audio-cassettes and books that will specially be produced to this purpose.

In a Buddhist country like Cambodia, although religious freedom is a right for each citizen, we must admit that hostility is not unheard of. Distributing the Scripture in such a context is not always an easy task. However, the commitment from Churches to assist the BSC is a great encouragement for the staff as they are facing a lot of challenges in their daily Scripture distribution activities.

Annual Report 2001

This was a year of peace in Cambodia, which is giving our government the opportunity to rebuild infrastructure damaged during the long civil war. Sadly, many people living on the Mekong River have been affected by floods for the past two years and their living conditions have become increasingly difficult. Many have no food. Children especially have been suffering.

In Cambodia, we are not allowed to evangelise through large meetings. In 2001, however, the Gospel was broadcast by several Christian organisations. A remarkable Christmas ceremony was broadcast on several television channels and on both Christian and secular radio for the whole of December.

Through Opportunity 21, the Bible Society in Cambodia was able to do field work to meet the needs of churches, including those in remote and poor areas. We were able to explain our mission and increase our distribution efforts. Every working day, school children, including non-believers, come to our office to read God's Word. Their response assures us that this is a productive means of sharing the Good News in a country with a very strict religious climate.

The recently-released Khmer Common Language Bible (New Version) is very easy to understand and much appreciated by young people, though some very conservative Christian groups do not yet accept it. We are thankful to God that even though we face problems, the Bible Society is becoming more accepted by many congregations. We praise the Lord and pray that he will bless us in the coming year.