China: Paper for Large Print Bibles
Imagine loving your Bible so much that you were willing to hide it in a pigsty to keep it safe. For some Chinese Christians who lived through the Cultural Revolution this was the reality. They risked everything so that God’s Word would not be lost, preserving their Bibles for the generations of Chinese believers who came after them.
Today, many of that same faithful generation can no longer read the Bible they protected. Their eyesight is failing and the print in their old Bibles is simply too small. They long to keep reading Scripture for themselves, but they just can’t see the words anymore.
Will you help provide the Bible paper needed so that Large Print Bibles can be printed for them? The paper for one large print Bible costs just £2.20. Your gift of £33 could provide the paper for 15 Large Print Bibles for elderly Christians in China.
When no one is there to read God’s Word aloud
Many of these older brothers and sisters still live in rural villages. Years ago, several generations of a family would live together, so grandchildren might have read the Bible aloud to their grandmother or grandfather by the flicker of an oil lamp. But today, so much has changed.
Younger people have moved to the cities in search of work. Construction and other manual jobs are hard and often poorly paid. Wages are just enough to live on, and sending money home to the village can be difficult.
So, many elderly Christians are now on their own. They may still have a Bible – maybe the very Bible they hid and treasured during the years of persecution – but the print is too small. They can no longer read the promises that carried them through their hardship. And yet, they remain pillars of faith within the Chinese Church.
That is why Christians in China are asking us for help.
“With this Bible, I can read God’s Word more often…”
Unofficial figures suggest there may be as many as 100 million Christians in China, and around 60% live in rural areas, so the need for Large Print Bibles is huge. In Zhejiang, one of China’s 22 provinces, 66% of the total Christian population are elderly. Whilst some may not need a Large Print Bible, and some may have already received them thanks to your previous support, many are still waiting for a Large Print Bible.
Behind that big number are real people, like Shi Yuying. Shi is 98 years old and has walked with Jesus for more than three decades. Her hands are weathered, her back slightly bent – a life of hard work is written in every line of her face.
“I used to have a Bible,” Shi said with a smile, “but the print was too small. I could barely see the words.”
Despite failing eyesight and limited education, Shi held on to her faith, praying, listening and learning whenever she could. She longed to read the Bible again for herself.
In July 2024, thanks to support from Bible Societies around the world, including here in Northern Ireland, Shi received her very own Large Print Bible – a Bible she could finally read.
“With this Bible, I can read God’s Word more often, pray more, and draw closer to Him,” she said. “In everything I do, God’s Word reminds me not to follow my own will, but to follow His.” Shi now has what her heart longed for. But there are many more like her who are still waiting.
Will you help provide the Bible paper needed so that Large Print Bibles can be printed for them?
Here in Northern Ireland, many of us know or have known older people who love their Bibles – people who have prayed for us, encouraged us and shown us what faithfulness looks like. Our brothers and sisters in rural China are just like that. They have prayed, worshipped and witnessed through years of hardship. Now, in their later years, they are simply asking: “Please, Lord, let me read your Word again.”
Would you prayerfully consider responding today, so that many more like Shi can have a Large Print Bible of their own?
Thank you for standing with the Church in China and for your continued support of Bible Society Northern Ireland. Your generosity is helping to ensure that God’s Word is available – and readable – for all.
Pray with Us
- Pray for the team at Amity Printing Company, the world’s largest Bible printing press, as they print Bibles for export and for use in China.
- Pray for each Christian who receives a copy of the Bible, that they may read and understand the Word of God, and be transformed by it.
- Pray for the continued blessings and good relationships between the Chinese authorities and UBS as they print and distribute Bibles across the country.
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