Bible Society Lebanon’s Programs Coordinator and Director of the Bible Engagement Academy, S.D. Joe Eid, visited Iraq to hold workshops offering a full overview of the Old Testament, upon the invitation of the Bible Society in Iraq, from 19 to 24 September 2021.
The workshops were a condensed version of the Book of Life level two program that usually offers an extensive study of the Old Testament in a year.
The main audience of these workshops were catechism teachers who struggled to explain Old Testament texts to children and teens, as well as answering difficult questions, such as why does God in the New Testament seem to be different than the one in the Old Testament. Other individuals also joined the workshops simply because they wanted to learn more about the Old Testament and how it relates to their lives today.
“We need these workshops to help us dig deeper into the Bible so that we, as young people, can faithfully live it out and teach it. This Book is a living word that speaks into our lives today and brings light to the challenges that we might be facing,” said Shamas, one of the participants.
In total, eighty individuals from different Church backgrounds attended the workshops that were held first in Ankawa – Erbil and then in Qaraqosh – Hamdaniyye. The sessions were very engaging and stimulating because of the richness of the Old Testament in symbolism, poetry, prophecy and much more.
All the participants expressed their gratitude for the sessions and their desire for more of such workshops in the future. As one participant put it, “The Old Testament is a deep sea that we can never stop discovering.”
At the end, each participant received a certificate of completion of this intensive Bible-engagement workshop.
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.
Post a comment