August and September are very important months among Spanish-speaking Bible institutes - also known as "Scripture Month" throughout the Spanish-speaking world. In 2023, more than 15 Bible Societies gathered to celebrate the presence of God's Word in their lives.
Why is this celebration important?
There are many reasons to celebrate the presence of the Bible in the midst of people, and countries celebrating Scripture Month have been creatively promoting different ways to share this joy - for several years. Many associate this celebration with the first complete Bible translated into Spanish by Casiodoro de Reina in September 1569, also known as the "Biblia del Oso" (Bear Bible). This Bible, with its subsequent revisions over the years, became the Reina Valera translation, the most widely circulated Bible in Spanish-speaking countries.
There are even commemorative days established by governments in countries such as Costa Rica (first Saturday of September), Dominican Republic (27 September), and Honduras (last Sunday of September). As a self-proclaimed Christian nation, we rejoice in the celebration of National Scripture Day by legislative decree. We must let the current generations know that the Bible as the Word of God must be the moral guide and inspiration in all areas of life in our country, at all levels, from the President, to the legislature, to the judiciary, to the lower levels of government ” said Jorge Gómez, Secretary General of the Honduran Bible Society.
According to Julio Splinker, Secretary General of the Mexican Bible Society, Scripture Month is important to celebrate for several reasons:
Bible Month is a time for Bible institutes to encourage evangelistic efforts and invite churches to acquire and distribute Bibles to the masses.
One of the celebrations that brought together 15 Bible Societies in Latin America was a weekly webinar on Biblical Studies. According to Pablo Gutiérrez, Executive Director of the Bible Society of Peru, this joint webinar activity has been happening since 2020. “We joined in celebrating the Month of Scripture, initially planning to hold webinars every Friday in September, with attendance ranging from 600 to 1,000 people each week."
Beginning September 1, Bible Month began hosting webinars featuring renowned speakers sharing the following topics:
1 Sep – Sermons from the Old Testament by Pablo Jiménez
On 29 September, to conclude the month-long celebration, the 15 Bible institutes will host a special webinar with 4 speakers:
Bible and Justice by Rosalee Velloso;
In addition to the scheduled virtual activities, the Spanish-speaking Bible Societies organised various activities at their respective Bible societies throughout September.
Forgiveness and Justice by Fausto Liriano.
Spanish Bible Institute
The Spanish Bible Institute celebrated Bible Month with the theme "The Secret Book". Historically, the Bible was a kind of secret book, read and distributed in secret for many years, due to pressure from the political and religious authorities of the time. In some countries this reality still persists today.
Among the planned activities is an exhibition of "secret, rare and curious publications", where participants can explore original documents, ancient Bibles, and persecuted and banned Protestant literature. They also held conferences on "The Bible for the Arab World" and "The Bible and Migration." In addition, they conducted simultaneous public readings of the Bible in two different locations.
The Bible and Migration.
Costa Rica Bible Institute
The theme of the Costa Rica Bible Society this year is "The Bible Calls You!". On the first Saturday of every month, they support public Bible readings and carry out the "Releasing the Most Inspiring Book" activity, where specially ordered Bibles are left in public and in crowded places.
The Costa Rican Bible Society also organised a Bible recycling programme, offering a "green bonus" in return (exchanging an old Bible for a new one with a bonus plant seed), which can be redeemed at the Bible Society's exhibition hall.Costa Rica Bible Society
One unique programme, the Bible Society of Costa Rica held a blindfolded dinner as part of project #74024, which provides sighted individuals with the experience of being served by blind individuals. There are also virtual webinars and an Artificial Intelligence (AI) contest for individuals over the age of 13, which encourages them to express their favourite Bible verses through AI-generated images.
Lastly, the Biblical Institute of Costa Rica held a Holy Family Gathering, which invited Catholic families to share and rejoice in the presence of Scripture on the day of St Jerome (Hieronymus). The event concluded the Month of Holy Scripture with various competitions and prizes for the winning families. These various activities aim to encourage people to be faithful in reading and interacting with the Bible, and to utilise new platforms and technologies in their efforts to explore and understand the contents of Scripture.
Throughout the month of September, the Argentine Bible Society encourages the spread of the Word of God in every city, by providing Bible resources and passages for this purpose.
Throughout the month, the Bible Society hosted virtual conferences with invited international speakers, discussing various topics around the Bible with the aim of guiding churches and believers to live "Centred on His Word." They also developed new publications aimed at believers, families, and churches, to help them put the Bible at the centre of their lives and ministries.
As a highlight of Scripture month, the Bible Institute is organising a Conference and Celebration in Buenos Aires, featuring a team of Toba and Wichí language translators, as well as Argentine Sign Language translators. At the event, the book "The Bible at the Centre", produced in collaboration with The Gospel Coalition, will be launched.
In celebration of Bible Month in August, the Mexican Bible Institute organised 4 programmes for children, 12 conferences for women, and 40 conferences for the public.
Mexico Bible Institute
The central theme was "Word, Light, and Life", and they held 7 face-to-face meetings in the cities of Mérida, Veracruz, Campeche, Istmo de Tehuantepec, Morelos, and Monterrey, which were attended by 2,116 people. The general secretary of the Mexican Bible Society was present at each of these activities, as this moment was an opportunity to promote the spread of the Bible through cross-subsidisation, so that every church and individual can obtain and spread the Word of God.
The culminating Scripture Month event was organised in a hybridwas attended by Dirk Gevers, Secretary-General of the World Communion of Biblical Societies (UBS), and Marco Martínez, Head of Member Relations at UBS.
Colombian Bible Institute
The Colombian Bible Institute celebrates Bible Month with the Catholic Church, honouring Saint Jerome of Stridon (Hieronymus), renowned for his dedication in translating the original texts of the Bible into Latin, giving rise to the Vulgate Bible.
Colombian Bible Institute
The Bible Institute presents four television programmes that focus on healthy relationships, addressing topics such as Scripture resources for families, love languages in couples, singleness and the desire for marriage, and responsible parenting. These programmes are broadcast on weekends during family-friendly hours. For young people, the "Don't Be Afraid" programme is offered, based on the comics produced by the El Salvador Bible Institute.
In addition, the Bible Institute coordinates school students to visit the UNIMINUTO factory, the company that prints the Bibles. Students had the opportunity to experience up-close how Bibles are produced, understand the Bible publishing process, visit the Bible museum, and highlight the importance of Bible translation.
The Bible Institute organised a visit to the UNIMINUTO factory.
In collaboration with the Catechesis and Biblical Animation Department of the Colombian Episcopal Church Conference, the Bible Society also organised four conferences during September. In October the Colombian Bible Institute will celebrate Bible Month with the Protestant Churches.
The Bible Institute also organised four conferences during the month of September.
Dominican Bible Society
During Bible Month 2023, the Dominican Bible Society chose the motto "The Bible, Source of Life", inspired by the verse from Psalm 36:9, which states: “You are the source of life for all creatures, in your light we see light.” (Bible in the current Indonesian version)You are the source of life for all creatures, in your light we see light.&rdquo
The celebrations begin on 1 September with a Bible Month Proclamation Service and a Pastors' Day celebration. For children, a "Bible for Kids" programme was held to bring Christian children from various denominations together to thank God for the presence of the Bible in their lives. Children are also invited to enjoy a variety of activities and programmes.
.
From September to October, conferences were held in various churches, schools and at the Central Building of the Bible Institute. There was also an intercollegiate Scripture competition.
From September to October, conferences were held in various churches, schools and at the Bible Institute Centre.
In the last three years (2020-2022), the Dominican Bible Society has had the honour of being invited to the Presidential Palace to commemorate and celebrate National Bible Day with the government. The president of the Dominican Bible Society, Lic. Carmen Checo, has always emphasised the importance of the Word of God as the light of the Dominican Republic and the world. In addition, the Ministry of Education also invited the Bible Society to fly the flag at the institution in commemoration of National Bible Day.
The theme of the Ecuadorian Bible Society for the 2023 edition of Bible Month is “In the beginning was the Word.” Among the activities highlighted are a Thanksgiving celebration, and workshops focusing on: Bible translation, trauma healing (trauma healing), biblical scholarship, and children's stories.
Other notable activities they undertook were a parade in Guayaquil to celebrate God's name and the inauguration of the complete Quichua Imbabura Bible on 25 September.
The Quichua Imbabura Bible was released on 25 September.
Increasing the Spread of the Bible
Undoubtedly, all of these activities organised in conjunction with the Month of Scripture significantly impacted the distribution and sale of Bibles, and this is reflected in the 2022 Scripture Distribution Report, which highlights the Central and South America region with the highest distribution of Scripture across the Communion (119.8 million Scriptures).
Thank God for the easy access to His Word and for the many creative ways thousands were blessed through the Scripture Month celebrations organised in over 15 countries.
