Bibles for China prepares to increase distribution of scriptures in 2017
As the demand for Bibles in China continues to increase, a non-profit organization is trying to meet the demand by preparing to distribute more scriptures in the country in 2017.
Bibles for China, which operates legally in the country, is an organization that distributes scriptures for free to Christians who are living in rural areas.
According to the organization's website, these Christians have limited access to Bibles because of their location and the lack of monetary resources. Their engagement with the Bible is often restricted to pages they have copied, passages they have memorized, or tattered scriptures that are shared among the villagers.
Bibles for China's Wendell Rovenstine told Mission Network News that the group is receiving more requests for scriptures from more locations in China.
"So next year [2017] is going to be an increased number of Bibles," said Rovenstine. "With the Bibles increasing, we just had our board meeting in Colorado Springs this month. Their real concern is that the Bibles are adequate, but the cry and the need...in China is, 'We need spiritual help tools. We need tools for our pastors,'" he went on to say.
The organization purchases and distributes Bibles to Chinese Christians at the cost of $5.00 each. Rovenstine assures donors that the money given to the organization will be spent wisely.
The ministry does not have to pay for physical locations such as an office or headquarters, and most of its operations are managed from Rovenstine's iPad.
"This is God's, [the money]. We just have an opportunity to receive funds from all over the world through our website, biblesforchina.org...we do not receive money at a central location. We have the money all sent to a bank," he said.
Some of the money has been used to support Christians in rural parts of the country. Rovenstine said that these believers feel the need to share the Gospel in urban areas, so the ministry is looking for ways to be an encouragement to them.
Bibles for China is able to distribute scriptures legally by working through the Chinese Christian Counsel. The Bibles are printed in the country at the Amity Printing Press, which operates as an arm of the Amity Foundation.