October 26, 2004

Dear Friends

Not long ago, I (John) attended a lunch gathering of some staff from various NGOs that have offices in Hong Kong. Several members of one of Hong Kong’s larger English-speaking churches were also present.

A Chinese businessman at my table wanted to know where the Amity Foundation gets its funding. Among other things, I mentioned the Bible-printing company, which is under the same organizational umbrella as Amity and must certainly contribute some revenue. “Oh,” said another person at the table, “you mean the printing house in Nanjing.” “Yes,” I said. (The Nanjing Amity Printing Company is a joint venture of the Amity Foundation and the United Bible Societies.) The businessman raised his eyebrows and said, “You mean the Bible is being printed in the mainland?”

I opened my mouth as if to reply, but nothing came out. I was dumbstruck that a Hong Kong Chinese Christian would be totally unaware of the Bible ministry that has been carried out in the mainland by the Chinese Christian Council since almost immediately after the Cultural Revolution ended (i.e. for the past 25 years). But it seems to be true.

During the summer, while the Hong Kong Bible Society joined the effort to build a network of volunteer support for this event, they called on our office to assist with some of the tasks. I became the coordinator for recruiting English-speaking volunteers in the city who could serve as attendants in the various exhibition halls. That gave me the unique opportunity to get acquainted with some wonderful people, and in the end we all had an enjoyable and enlightening experience.

The Bible has been in China for over 200 years. A copy was often presented by Westerners as a gift to Chinese rulers. However, it was not until the 19th century that the complete Bible was translated into Chinese.

In the 1970s, a violent reaction against all things old or Western (the Cultural Revolution) took place in China. All church ministries were stopped, many Bibles were destroyed, and the Bible was almost lost in China.

At the close of that period, churches reopened, and in the 1980s the Amity printing press in Nanjing began printing Bibles. Over 35 million Bibles have now been printed in China—all legally! In fact, for the three years before Amity’s printing house was set up (1983 to 1986), the People’s Liberation Army printing press in Nanjing was made available for the CCC’s use. Except for the United States, more Bibles are now distributed annually in China than in any other country.

Amity prints several types of Bibles, including complete Bibles that sell for about one dollar, bilingual English-Chinese Bibles, and illustrated children’s Bibles. They also print hymnals and other religious materials. Presently, CCC offices located throughout China all have Bible distribution centers, so Bibles are sent all over—even to very remote areas. In addition to Bibles provided for sale, over half a million Bibles have been distributed free of charge in poverty-stricken areas.

Chinese Christians are rightly proud of the progress that has been made in legal Bible distribution in China.

In your prayers for China, remember the great and dire need the church has for more trained pastors and lay leaders. Also, please pray for the continuation and acceleration of the gradual trend of the Chinese government of opening to the outside world and addressing human rights and religious freedom issues. The Chinese Church needs the prayer, moral support, and encouragement of the worldwide body of Christ.

In God’s Grace,

John and Kim Strong

P.S. There are plans for the Bible Ministry Exhibition to be taken on tour in America, possibly next year, though we don’t have any details as of yet.

The 2004 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 86