|
The Year of the Bible Celebrations in
Kuwait
The Year of the Bible celebratory service was held on Saturday, March 13, 2004,
at the St. Mark Coptic Church in Kuwait. 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 Kuwait and was a good opportunity to mark the importance
of the Bible in today’s world. Mr. Yousef Sabri, the Bible Society coordinator
for Arabic programs in Kuwait made the opening word, followed by hymns. Rev. Amanuel
Ghareeb, the pastor of the National Evangelical Church, Arabic language congregation,
offered a special prayer for the Bible. The choir of the Armenian Orthodox church
in Kuwait, Naregatzi, sang three hymns, and the dramatized Bible reading was done
by Helen Thomas, Yousef Sabri and Raja Al Achi. The Bible text was the parable
of the sower and the seed. (Mark 13: 1-9, 18-21).
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. Bishop Francis Micallef of the Catholic Church, Father Beqol Al
Anba Beshoy of the St. Mark Coptic Church, and Archbishop Dr. Goriun Babian,
Catholicossal Vicar of the Armenian prelacy of Kuwait and the Arabian Gulf countries,
made short, meaningful meditations on the Bible and stressed the relevance of
the Bible in today’s world. . The message, based on 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 Rev. Vincent Lucas of Everlasting
Life Ministry, NECK. The benediction was offered by Archimandrite Afram Al Tumy,
of the Greek Orthodox Church.
A special book table was organized and placed at the entrance of the church rich
in different editions and languages of the Bible. Special promotional prices were
offered for the Year of the Bible event.
A reception, organized by the St. Mark Coptic church, followed the service.
It was, indeed, a blessed time for the entire Christian community in Kuwait,
to celebrate together the Bible day. All shared their gratitude to the Bible Society
for the precious ministry rendered to the church and the community.
|
Bible Society in the Gulf 
