The Year of the Bible Celebration in the Gulf - Bahrain

 The Year of the Bible celebratory service was held on Saturday, March 20, 2004, in the National Evangelical Church in Bahrain. The service also marked the bicentennial celebration of the Bible Society movement around the world.  The service was attended by a good number of representatives from different churches and denominations in Bahrain and was a good opportunity to mark the importance of the Bible in today’s world. Mr. Anup Patro, the Bible Society representative in Bahrain, welcomed the congregation and led them in singing hymns. Rev. Hani Aziz, the pastor of the National Evangelical Church, Arabic language congregation, offered a special prayer for the Bible. The choir of the Bahrain Christian Fellowship led the worship. A multi-media presentation on the Bible and the Bible Society movement over the last 200 years was presented by Babu Ganta, the Information Officer of the Gulf Bible Society. 

A dramatized Bible reading was presented by the Sunday School students of the National Evangelical Church’s English language congregation. The text was the parable of the sower and the seed (Mathew 13:1- 9). Revs. Richard Westra, the pastor of the National Evangelical Church, English language congregation, Alan Hayday of the Anglican Church, and Father Raphy Vallachira of the Catholic church offered short, meaningful meditations based on different passages from the Bible.  The message, based on the Biblical text the parable of the Sower and the Seed, was delivered by Hrayr Jebejian, the Executive Secretary of the Bible Society. A prayer of thanksgiving was offered by Mr.  Dennis Turner. The benediction was offered by Rev. Mathews Chandy of Marthoma church.

It was, indeed, a blessed time for the entire Christian community in Bahrain to celebrate together the Bible Day. All shared their deep appreciation for the ministry of the Bible Society among the churches and community in Bahrain.