On 8 January 2019, the Bible Society held its first graduation ceremony for the Book of Life program. What started at the beginning of the year 2018 with a small group of eight grew to hold 40 individuals of whom 17 graduated. The conditions for graduation is to attend a minimum of 75% of the bi-weekly Bible study meetings at the Bible Society Center.
The ceremony was heartwarming as several participants shared testimonies of how their lives changed after gaining the biblical knowledge of the love of God throughout the program’s sessions.
Bible Society General Secretary, Dr. Mike Bassous, said a word of encouragement to the participants followed by a word from the Bible Society’s program’s coordinator and leader of the group, Sub Deacon Joe Eid, who looked back at the journey of the first year and revealed the vision for the years to come.
As Joe shared, the program was originally set out to be a simple Bible study to give a general overview of the Bible through looking at passages from the Old and New Testaments, such as the story of Cain and Abel, the Apostle Peter’s life story, the parable of the good shepherd, etc.
The overview might seem basic or general knowledge from some, but as one participant put it, “I’ve always read the Bible; however, I have never understood it the way I do now. The stories and passages we discuss in the lessons give me a new understanding of God’s word. I am happy to say that I now have the confidence to share and discuss biblical matters with others in a way that I never have before.”
Because of high demand, the overview of the Bible has now become only the first level of the program with two new additional levels. The individuals that have just graduated will proceed to level two, which will address the structured and scientific study of the Old Testament books, to start in February 2019. The third level, commencing February 2020, will address the New Testament books and ideas.
The Bible Society’s vision is to holistically meet the needs of communities through the transforming Word of God. As a Christian inter-confessional, ecumenical, non-profit organization, it works to spread the Holy Bible’s message and culture to all generations through translating, publishing, and distributing the Scriptures using visual, audio-visual, readable, and digital formats, encouraging people to read and engage with God’s Word, advocating the Bible cause to uphold human dignity, and partnering with all Churches and Christian institutions.
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