{"id":82137,"date":"2025-07-21T13:48:25","date_gmt":"2025-07-21T01:48:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/biblesociety.org.nz\/?p=82137"},"modified":"2026-08-27T14:55:41","modified_gmt":"2026-08-27T02:55:41","slug":"bamrg-august-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newzealandmarketing.co.nz\/wordpress\/bamrg-august-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"BAMRG Members Report – August 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"

Egypt<\/h2>\n

Egypt, one of the world\u2019s oldest civilisations, emerged around 3100 BC with the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt. It flourished under the rule of the pharaohs, becoming known for its pyramids, and its writing system based on Hieroglyphics. But after successive invasions by the Persians, Greeks, and Romans, Egypt became a province of the Roman Empire in 30 BC.<\/p>\n

Traditionally, Christianity is thought to have been brought to Egypt by St. Mark the Evangelist around AD 49. Egypt became a centre of early Christian thought, especially through the Alexandrian Church. The monastic movement began in the Egyptian desert.<\/p>\n

For over 1,000 years, Egypt was a majority-Christian country, even after the Arab Muslim conquest in AD 640. Today, Christians\u2014mostly Coptic Orthodox\u2014make up about 10 per cent of Egypt\u2019s population. Bible mission in Egypt began in 1883. The Bible Society of Egypt is the largest producer of Arabic Bibles in the world, including the popular van Dyck Bible, which is widely used among Arabic-speaking Christians.<\/p>\n

Central to Bible Society\u2019s ministry is its network of nineteen Bible bookshops which act as Bible hubs in their communities. These are the focus for its Facilitating Evangelistic Outreach with subsidised Bibles, New Testaments and Scripture Selections project. Here, the aim is to provide subsidised Bibles and Scriptures for those who are distributing Scriptures, such as ministers, church leaders, evangelists, and individuals. The Bibles and New Testaments are small paperback editions which people can easily carry with them.<\/p>\n

Your gift to Bible a Month Regular Giving this month will help to support this project.<\/p>\n

Prayer Points for Egypt<\/h2>\n

Pray<\/strong> for Bible Society staff in Egypt, that they remain safe, encouraged, and filled with wisdom as they serve faithfully.<\/p>\n

Ask God <\/strong>to open hearts in Egypt to His Word, especially among youth, seekers, and those facing spiritual opposition.<\/p>\n

Pray <\/strong>for continued provision of resources and partnerships, so Scripture can be distributed affordably to those who need it most.<\/p>\n

Lift up <\/strong>literacy and outreach programmes, that they may transform lives spiritually, socially, and emotionally through engagement with God\u2019s Word.<\/p>\n

Pray more with us here.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

FURTHER BIBLE MISSION PROJECTS<\/h2>\n
\"Bible<\/figure>\n

North Macedonia<\/h2>\n

Macedonia, located in the Balkan Peninsula, was once part of the ancient kingdom ruled by Alexander the Great. It later became a Roman province and played a key role in early Christianity. The Apostle Paul preached in cities like Philippi and Thessalonica, establishing some of the first European churches. After centuries under Byzantine and Ottoman rule, Macedonia experienced cultural and religious shifts. Following the Balkan Wars, it was divided, with the modern Republic of North Macedonia gaining independence in 1991.<\/p>\n

Today, 60 per cent of the population identify as Christian, with Macedonian Orthodox the main denomination. The Macedonian Bible Society is translating Gospel selections into Macedonian Sign Language. It is providing Scriptures to children attending summer camps.<\/p>\n

Taiwan<\/h2>\n

Austronesian peoples originally inhabited Taiwan. The island came under Dutch and Spanish colonial control in the 17th century. In 1868, Taiwan came under Qing Dynasty rule in 1683. In 1895, Taiwan was ceded to Japan following the First Sino-Japanese War.<\/p>\n

Under Japanese rule (1895\u20131945), Christianity continued to grow, though often under state surveillance. After World War II, Taiwan was placed under Chinese Nationalist control. In 1949, following the Chinese Civil War, the Nationalist government retreated to Taiwan, establishing the Republic of China (ROC).<\/p>\n

Today, four per cent of the population identify as Christian. The Bible Society of Taiwan is developing a Chinese Union Study Bible containing multiple Bible versions for ease of understanding.<\/p>\n

Togo<\/h2>\n

Togo, located in West Africa, was originally home to various ethnic groups and kingdoms. In the late 19th century, it became a German colony before being divided between Britain and France after World War I. French Togo gained independence in 1960. Christianity was introduced by European missionaries in the mid-1800s, particularly by Germans during colonial rule. The churches established schools and hospitals, playing a key role in education and health. Today, 42 per cent of the population identify as Christian.<\/p>\n

The Bible Society of Togo is translating Scripture into the languages of Lama, Kabiye and Nawdm. It is distributing children\u2019s Bibles to children aged 6-12 in three regions in the north of the country.<\/p>\n

Philippines<\/h2>\n

The Philippines, an archipelago in Southeast Asia, was originally home to diverse indigenous cultures. In 1521, Ferdinand Magellan arrived, marking the start of Spanish colonisation, which lasted over 300 years. During this period, Roman Catholicism was introduced and became deeply rooted in Filipino society. The Philippines gained independence from Spain in 1898 but was soon ceded to the United States. After World War II, it became fully independent in 1946. Today, the Philippines is the only predominantly Christian nation in Asia, with over 80 per cent of the population identifying as Catholic.<\/p>\n

The Philippines Bible Society is translating Scripture into local languages. It is running Faith Comes by Hearing listening groups supported by Bible Society Scripture.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Your contribution to Bible a Month Regular Giving this month will play a crucial role in supporting Bible mission in Egypt.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":82183,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"elementor_header_footer","format":"standard","meta":{"wds_primary_category":267,"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[10,11,12,9],"class_list":["post-82137","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bamrg-members-report","tag-bible-engagement","tag-bible-mission","tag-bible-poverty","tag-get-involved"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newzealandmarketing.co.nz\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82137","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newzealandmarketing.co.nz\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newzealandmarketing.co.nz\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newzealandmarketing.co.nz\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newzealandmarketing.co.nz\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=82137"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/newzealandmarketing.co.nz\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82137\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":105731,"href":"https:\/\/newzealandmarketing.co.nz\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82137\/revisions\/105731"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newzealandmarketing.co.nz\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/82183"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newzealandmarketing.co.nz\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=82137"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newzealandmarketing.co.nz\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=82137"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newzealandmarketing.co.nz\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=82137"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}