Brian and Donna Renes

The Bible is for everyone. In working with the United Bible Societies, every task aims to fulfill that mission.

Our goal is to make the Bible available to everyone in their heart language.

The United Bible Societies is a network of national Bible Societies around the world (shown in the photo above). We currently train and support over 400 active Bible translation projects. In 2021, we focused on starting many more, especially in Africa and Asia. The UBS is committed to supporting all churches as well as reaching into areas where no church yet exists.

Can you imagine not having a Bible? What would church be like with scripture readings in a foreign language? That is the reality for millions of people. This is a type of poverty that affects hearts and souls.

One way to reach the far corners of the world is through the digital distribution of the Bible. Getting a print copy of a full Bible takes years and can be an extremely difficult task to accomplish. In 2021, we put more effort into making partial Bibles available digitally. In other words, if a few books of a translation were completed and checked we put them in apps so that anyone, anywhere could immediately download that part of the translation. In some cases, this was only one or two books of the Bible. Over and over we hear that churches are grateful for these portions and that is confirmed in the number of downloads we see.

Around the world, there is an increase in digital distribution. With it becoming more common for people to use their phones to read the Bible, we continue to put effort into making that a smooth process. Easy, digital, and free access to the Bible is great but it also means that there is less income for Bible Societies. They depend on the sale and distribution of print copies to fund much of their work. During the pandemic, those sales have been more difficult, which results in it being harder to keep current projects running and harder to fund new projects.

In 2021, most of my time training and giving support was online. Some of those hours were with larger groups and various teams, and at other times with a single project. Virtual meetings fill my days.

How can you help? Prayer comes first. It is the foundation for translators and critical for advancing mission. Efforts would fail if not for faithful prayer partners. The message would not go out. Financial support is also needed. It is always needed. More can get accomplished if there are funds for the equipment, the salaries, and training events. Each of us has a part in making a difference. Thank you for your interest in and support of Bible translation.

Your partners in mission,
Brian and Donna Renes