The online edition of the Quarterly Record, the magazine of the Trinitarian Bible Society.
Contents:
Thousands of Christians in different parts of the world still have not got
Bibles of their own. Millions of people in different countries are yet in heathen
darkness and need the light of the Gospel.
Although we can look back with thankfulness to the Lord for the many thousands
of additional copies of the Word of God that have been published and circulated
in the past year, the need for the future looms before us as we enter a New
Year. As the days of the New Year unfold, may our interests and desires be centred
upon the Lord Himself, the advancement of His Kingdom, and the spiritual needs
of our fellow men.
Throughout the world, in each of the continents, men and women, boys and girls,
need the Holy Scriptures. Some may be materially rich, whilst many others may
be lacking food, clothing and the many other comforts that we may take so much
for granted. But all our fellow men who are strangers to the Gospel – be they
rich or poor, living in the East or in the West – are "without Christ … having
no hope, and without God in the world" (Ephesians 2.12). They are at enmity
with God, spiritually bankrupt, dead in trespasses and sins, and on the broad
way that leads to a lost eternity.
How great, therefore, is the need for the work in which the Society is engaged!
How concerned we should be that the Scriptures of Truth are available and distributed
far and wide! How thankful we should be for our Bibles, and for the many spiritual
privileges that we enjoy!
Members and friends of the Society who have found for themselves the preciousness
of the Holy Scriptures, will be prayerfully concerned for the further spreading
of the Word of God. To them the Word has come with power. The incorruptible
seed has been sown in their souls. They have, "of his own will", been begotten
of God, "with the word of truth" (James 1.18). By His blessing, they have had
their hearts opened, and the grace of repentance granted to them. By the eye
of faith they now see in the pages of the Holy Scriptures, "the glory of God
in the face of Jesus Christ" (2 Corinthians 4.6). Whereas before there was in
Him "no beauty that we should desire him" (Isaiah 53.2), now they say of the
One who is the all glorious Subject of the Bible, that "he is altogether lovely.
This is my beloved, and this is my friend" (Song of Solomon 5.16).
They are sinners saved by grace. Through the great mercy of God they have been
richly blessed of Him for time and eternity. They were in the broad way that
leads to Hell, but have been brought into the narrow way that leads to Heaven.
They were dead, but they are now alive. They were lost, but they are now found.
Having themselves obtained mercy of God, their desire is that others also may
have set before them this same rich treasure, the revelation of the Grace of
God, in which the Lord Jesus Christ is pleased to make Himself known to sinners.
Their prayer is that even as they (unworthy, Hell deserving sinners though they
were) were brought to find Christ the Saviour in His Word, so might many others,
through the grace of the Triune Jehovah, also be brought to find the Redeemer
and enjoy the blessings of salvation that are alone to be found in the Lord
Jesus Christ.
Let us therefore go forward into this New Year with the prayer that not only
may many of the Christians who do not have a Bible be blessed with a copy during
the course of the next twelve months, but that also many of those who as yet
have no relish for the Word of God, many who profess to be atheists and agnostics,
many who are the blind followers of Islam, or who are under the darkness of
Romanism, or who are caught up in the snares of the cults and mystic religions,
may have the Word of Life set before them, and that it might yet be said of
many of them, as it was once said of Saul of Tarsus, "behold, he prayeth" (Acts
9.11).
Enclosed with the printed edition of the Quarterly Record will be found copies
of the Membership Renewal Form. (Friends in Australia should already have received
their copies with the previous magazine.) We urge all our friends to identify
with the Society by becoming members, or renewing their membership, and sending
the completed forms to the Society's National Offices, to their Auxiliary Secretaries,
or direct to the Society's Head Office in London. (Taxpaying friends in the
United Kingdom will note that the Society can benefit considerably, should it
be their wish to assist further in the work by subscribing under the Gift Aid
Scheme.)
The continued prayerful and practical support of all our friends in the UK
and overseas, members or not, is greatly appreciated. "For from you sounded
out the word of the Lord" (1 Thessalonians 1.8).
Membership Subscriptions for 2001 Are Now Due
We invite all our loyal friends and supporters to take this opportunity to affirm or reaffirm their prayerful association with the Society by completing the Membership Renewal/Application Form.
The completed forms may be obtained either directly from the Society's International Headquarters or your National Branch Secretary.
The following tapes of sermons preached at meetings organised by the Northern Ireland Committee of the Trinitarian Bible Society for the years 1998-2000 are available from the address below.
| Has God Preserved His Word? | -- The Rev. Malcolm Watts |
| The Relevance of the Reformers to the Bible Version Question | --The Rev. Malcolm Watts |
| The New International Version -- Is it Reliable? | -- The Rev. David Silversides |
| God's Enduring Word -- the Believer's Hope | --The Rev. Keith Watkins |
| The Reformed Doctrine of Inspiration -- Its Relevance Today | --The Rev. Hugh Cartwright |
| Bible Versions -- Is Communication Really the Problem? | --The Rev. John Marshall |
| Plain Reasons for using the Authorised Version Today | -- The Rev. David Silversides |
| The Scriptures Testifying of Christ | -- The Rev. Malcolm Watts |
| Becoming the Gospel of Christ | -- The Rev. Malcolm Watts |
Miss Claire Lucas,
73 Stramore Road, Gilford,
Co. Armagh, BT63 6HL
Cheques should be made payable to: "Loughbrickland Reformed Presbyterian Church"
By C. P. Hallihan
Introduction
The life, times, and ministry of William Carey form an heroic, epic page in the war diaries of the Church Militant here in the earth. His connection with the cause of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ on the Indian subcontinent was briefly touched upon in a recent "country article" in TBS Quarterly Record No. 553. The intent now is not to write a "Life of Carey", or "India, part 2", but to focus on Carey's connection with, and impact on, the whole work of Bible Translation, and indeed on the nature of a Bible Society. This, however, cannot be done without at least an outline of the man's life and work.
Profile: beginnings
Eldest of five children, William Carey was born at Paulerspury, Northampton, England, on August 17th 1761, when the tide of the Evangelical Awakening was at its flood in the nation. As with some other notable Baptists, Bunyan before him and Spurgeon after, he began in rural obscurity with but an 'ordinary' education. Raised in a nominal connection with the (Anglican) Parish Church, he was remarked on as a youngster for a determination to finish any task, and steadfastly to acquire knowledge. He was also a diligent and thoughtful observer of the world about him. Apprenticed at sixteen to a shoemaker, Carey found the senior apprentice to be that despised thing -- a "dissenter" or "non-conformist". Conversation, argument and discussion with the Dissenter brought Carey under the good hand of God to faith in Christ Jesus. He was baptised in the river Nene, near Northampton, by John Ryland, and maintained the connection with Baptists ever after. Seeking, from the beginning, opportunity to preach, he thought best to equip himself for ministry by diligent daily Bible reading and the acquisition of the Biblical Languages as well as Latin, German and French. Much of his Bible study was without formal guidance, but was with assiduous reference to the languages of inspiration. He also responded to the demands of reading the Bible in such other tongues as he knew, which tends to prevent unconscious and unchallenged acceptance of understandings based on the 'accidents' of one's own language. All of this was accomplished while still working at his trades, with books conveniently sited for perusal whilst working. His life-long conviction as to the enduring sufficiency and self-attestation of the Scriptures was grounded here. When Erasmus in the sixteenth century published his New Testament Paraphrases for "women and cobblers, clowns, mechanics, and even the Turks,"2 he could not have envisaged this torch bearer two centuries afterward, this cobbler, this mechanic, mastered by the Gospel, compelled by the Word, carrying the vernacular Scriptures far beyond the Turks, to the pagans of India. As unwitting prophets, the Baptist Church at Olney called ('licensed') Carey, the shoemaker, schoolmaster, scholar, but, above all, servant of Christ, after some long deliberation and trial of his gifts, to preach 'wherever the providence of God might open his way'.
Profile: the sending
By connection with local Baptist Association meetings Carey became friendly with Andrew Fuller, and in their fellowship together was formulated a burden for the wider propagation of the Gospel. In 1792 Carey wrote "An enquiry into the obligations of Christians to use means for the Conversion of the Heathen," and in the same year preached a famous sermon, summarised as "Expect great things from God -- Attempt great things for God". Historians have compared the sermon with that of Peter on the day of Pentecost in terms of its world-shaking consequences. After a subsequent meeting in October of 1792 the 'Particular Baptist Society for the propagation of the Gospel among the Heathen' was constituted. By the following spring, in his 33rd year, William Carey was en route to India: he had married Dorothy Plackett in 1781, so the transference to India was 'en famille'. Carey was actually sent forth as an assistant to one John (Jack) Thomas, a zealous Christian returning to Bengal. Thomas' inadequacy in money matters reduced the little group to penury, needing employment in an indigo plant to support themselves. Carey's passionate pursuit of knowledge as a young man bore rich practical fruit in such situations, and his ability to bring wisdom to bear on so many matters, from indigo processing to printing house procedures, and later to college administration, should not be lost sight of as providing, in the Providence of our great God, the necessary infrastructure to his greater tasks. The lowly tradesman privately prepared of God soon proved to be the 'Paul' to his companion's 'Barnabas'.
For over forty years in India, William Carey laboured in the Gospel, preaching, preparing translations and publishing them; and then he died, June 1834. His relationship with the British authorities, the slow recognition of his scholarship by the academic establishment, his large contribution in righteousness and equity to the general needs of the population around him, as in his utter resistance of infanticide and the immolation of widows (suttee) cannot be explored here. Even the details of the Serampore College, founded 1818, and the stormy relationship with supporting friends in England must not detain us! The anguished story of his family trials -- insanity, bereavement -and the seeming total loss by fire of more than twelve years printing work and equipment, you must seek elsewhere. We must consider Carey in connection with the Bible.
Mission and the Bible
William Carey's understanding of that labour in the Gospel to which he had been so powerfully compelled can be summarised in two points.
Carey's Bibles
Just as the Gospel had been preached, and believed, in India before Carey's arrival, so also there had been Protestant labours of Bible translation into Indian tongues before that time. As early as 1688 a Dutch community in Ceylon had produced a Tamil New Testament. The missionary Schultze made, but never disseminated, a Telugu version around 1730, and later, around 1750, published a Hindi New Testament. These were but the harbingers of the astonishing flood of Bible versions that was now to come from Carey and the Serampore community. Various figures are given as totals of the output, but it seems likely that the number of Scripture versions which Carey directly sent out was twenty-one whole Bibles and seven New Testaments. Beyond that he certainly had a part in the planning and preparation of very many more, as the hand and name of some master painter can be seen in all the work of his 'school'.
The Bengali Bible was the first-fruits of Carey's work; a New Testament appeared in 1801, translated directly from Greek, beginning in 1796. Four times Carey revised the manuscript before print, with a Greek Concordance beside him, and in company with Ram Basu, a Bengali scholar (pundit) who had professed Christ under the earlier labours of Jack Thomas. These two worked with continual recourse to as many of the local population, hundreds at times, as would gather to hear, read and comment.5 Parts of the Testament were printed as soon as ready, and distributed, and it brings a part rueful, part affectionate smile to those here involved with new Bible projects to hear of their discussion as to which of the Gospels should be circulated first.6 The Serampore friends first issued Matthew, as containing a complete life of the Redeemer. A complete Bengali Testament did for the language what the early Luther versions did for German -- it was the fountain head of a literary language. Furthermore, it brought Carey to academic recognition, nothing that he desired for itself, but it wondrously enlarged his sphere of useful acceptance for the burden of his heart touching the multiplication and distribution of the Word of God. When copies of the Bengali Testament reached England, Andrew Fuller directed one to the second Earl Spencer, for the great library at Althorp, Northamptonshire, on which estate Carey had once been a very poor tenant. Earl Spencer not only sent a cheque for £50 towards the expense of producing the Old Testament, but ensured that a copy of the Bengali New Testament be presented to King George III.
Certain writings about Carey mention Scriptures in forty languages and dialects as being the work of his hands. He, in his own times, deprecated such statements as exaggerated, not giving due credit to his fellow labourers, and confusing his editing, proofing and press-work, with the direct work of translation. His own works centred around the chief derivations of Sanskrit. He insisted that Sanskrit was the key, and that his hard wrought mastery in the language gave him a four-fifths grasp of the vocabulary and etymology of the chief languages of India. This was certainly true in philological terms, and he found Ooriya, Orissa, Gujarati, among several others, quickly yielded to his labours in the light of his Sanskrit ability. It was also the only language in which the 'high scholars' of India might condescend to read the Scriptures. For the common people the need was for Hindi. To this day Hindi is the language which binds the people of India in some common understanding. Carey published the Scriptures in Sanskrit in 1809, and in Hindi in 1811. He also mastered the Hindu 'theological' writings, inflaming yet further his longing to communicate the light of Truth to the people. It was his considered opinion that the impractical concepts of physics, medicine, chronology and geography which prevailed in the Indian mind were directly attributable to their idolatry, and inadequate concept of Creation.
Some further glimpse of the great mind of this dear man of God is found in his anxiety to compile as much as possible of his philological and lexical work into published grammars and dictionaries. This was so that those who came after could truly stand on his shoulders, and not lose time covering the same ground again. Oh, and by the way, he also struggled to manufacture a form of paper which was less porous, more resistant to insect attack, better able to keep its appearance, than the local product. A manufactory was begun and production of the paper was subsequently expedited by the use of the very first steam-engine to be erected in India. "Serampore Paper" became known all over India, and its production under that name continued long after any connection with the Mission or Gospel work of Serampore had ended. In among these labours Carey became known for his gentle but firm resistance to any interruption of his Bible work. He has been likened to Jerome, to Ulfilas, to Wyclif, to Luther, but saw himself only as a plodder, and would long for a native born Tyndale to further the work.
Bible Societies
As the Gospel had been preached and the Scriptures translated in India before the times of Carey, so also had there been 'Bible Societies' in existence. In 1780 a Society had been formed to put the English Scriptures into the hands of soldiers and sailors. Local, regional and specific associations for the circulation of the Bible came and went. In that setting the whole association of Carey's helpers in the home country, those who 'held the ropes' whilst he and his colleagues laboured, were necessarily an unformed "Bible society" as well as a proto-Missionary Society. Under the leadership of Fuller and Rylands they corresponded, and sought to encourage, support and even to direct the work. The difficulties, anxieties, suspicions and personal grief for Carey which this connection generated at times is a sad testimony to the susceptibilities of the human heart to Satan's strategic devices to hinder the publication of the Word of God, but we dare not dwell upon it now.
Many readers will know of the story of Mary Jones, and her foot-weary trek from Llanvihangel to Bala in search of a Welsh Bible to purchase with her slowly earned pennies. The effect of that upon Thomas Charles is, again, well recorded. Less widely realised is that among the gentlemen with whom he conferred in London, leading to the formation of the British and Foreign Bible Society in 1804, were some of Carey's 'rope holders'. Early transactions of that Society carry much reference to and involvement with the work of Carey, his associates, the Serampore College, and the next generation of labourers. When profound differences in matters of principle and procedure brought about a separation and the formation of the Trinitarian Bible Society as distinct from the BFBS in 1831, Carey was still alive! The double ethos of William Carey and Mary Jones shaped the formation of Bible Societies. (Alongside those mentioned, there continued to be many regional and national Societies and Auxiliary Societies formed throughout the nineteenth century.) That double ethos was to hold the ropes and provide support for those best able and situated to accomplish the task of Bible translation, and to provide for the spiritually needy throughout the World, accessible editions of the Bible.
Conclusion
"...as the credit of the old books (he meaneth of the Old Testament)
is to be tried by the Hebrew volumes, so of the New by the Greek tongue,
he meaneth by the original Greek. If truth be to be tried by these tongues,
then whence should translation be made, but out of them? These tongues, therefore,
(the Scriptures, we say, in those tongues,) we set before us to translate, being
the tongues wherein God was pleased to speak to his Church by his Prophets and
Apostles."8
The work of William Carey in connection with the Bible was securely rooted in his confidence as to the nature of Scripture. The Scriptures, by the Spirit of God, communicate their own authority, integrity and sufficiency: his task under God was to communicate the Scriptures! That he did this by preaching as well as publishing is beyond question, but it is that assured confidence in the Bible, the Word of God, quick and powerful, accomplishing that which the LORD pleases, to which I would direct your thought. Throughout this article there are boxed quotes from the extended introduction to the Authorised Version, "The Translators to the Reader", because I am persuaded that they reflect the same view of the power, part, place and profit of the vernacular Scriptures as Carey's, and indeed, that of the TBS. That this self-attestation of Scripture is best served by a simple dependence upon the original languages as the basis of translation is another continuity of conviction and practice that I perceive in common from AV to Carey to TBS. That those best fitted to do the work of translation are those 'in the field' is implicit in Carey's work and explicit in the procedures of TBS. That the best role for a Bible Society is as "rope holders", supplying all possible help to those manifestly called and equipped to do the work of translation sits as well in the present TBS as in early Serampore. That such help reaches to the physical, practical production of the finished Scriptures in the most suitable way (don't forget his labours with paper and print), and their wide distribution is a point which would secure the vote both of William Carey and the supporters of the TBS. That there is great need for servants of such gifts and calling to be thrust forth into the needy field of these present times is matter that I can only commend to your prayers, and equally to your thankfulness before the Lord; for He does continue to raise up those equipped in the Biblical Languages, burdened for the needs of their Mother Tongue, and sharing the convictions and principles of this Society, so that there are some thirty projects in hand at this time!
Endnotes
1 The Translators to the Reader (reprint London: Trinitarian Bible Society, 1998), p. 18.
2 These paraphrases were published over many years, from 1517 onwards, and translated into several European languages. Miles Coverdale superintended the translation of one such into English for Queen Catherine Parr. All Erasmus' editions had statements in the preface similar to the one mentioned above, ringing the changes on 'farmers, travellers, tailors, labourers' etc., but always including the Turks.
3 The Translators to the Reader , p. 10.
4 Ibid., p. 12.
5 Carey early learned that to ask someone to read aloud is the surest way of discerning whether or not they comprehend the meaning of what they read. It is a salutary exercise in any Bible Class!
6 Each of the Four Gospels has its own fierce advocates as to which should be first for circulation. Some will say why not wait until all is ready, but, as in Carey's time, production practicalities, and the sheer desire to disseminate the Light of Scripture Truth, usually lead to one or other appearing as forerunner to a Testament, then a Bible.
7 The Translators to the Reader , p. 16.
8 Jerome, ad Lucininum, Dist. 9., ut veterum , in Ibid., p. 25.
9 Ibid., p. 28.
Life of William Carey, Shoemaker & Missionary by George Smith C.I.E., LL.D. First issue of this edition 1909, reprinted 1913, 1922. Although I have given no direct quotations from this source, it has been of great help, with fascinating appendices and footnotes. It is in the public domain, available on the Internet; URL <http://biblebelievers.com/carey/index.html>, but beware -- as hard copy it runs out to 70 double-column pages of a 9-point typeface!
By David Allen
There are many Zambians in prison -- some spiritual but many physical. Quite a number of our readers and the Society itself have received correspondence from inmates of the Mukobeko Maximum Security Prison in Kabwe, Zambia. Dr. David Allen, the Society's new Regional Representative, has recently returned from a preaching trip to Zambia, as reported in Quarterly Record No. 552. He was able to meet with Pastor Christian Kasumo of Bethel Baptist Church in Kabwe who, along with his elder, Mr. Gilbert Bwalya, has conducted a ministry within the prison since 1997.
There are 982 prisoners in the Maximum Security Prison, of whom some 241 are on death row and a further 30 are serving life sentences. Since 1994 there has been a Reformed Baptist Church, based upon the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith, within the prison. This church is known as The Bible Christian Church. Its members, some 82 strong (22 of whom are on death row), are able to meet every day for morning prayers in two sections of the prison, and then the whole group gets together on the Lord's Day for their worship services. The elders and deacons of this Church are all in the condemned section. Given the confines and restrictions of prison life, we must pray that they may endeavour "...to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace" (Ephesians 4.3).
These prisoners are not without daily needs. They mainly request good Christian books, Bibles, soap, cooking oil and sugar. Bethel Baptist Church, Kabwe, together with the support of other Zambian Churches, is able to meet most of the material needs. However, of the 82 members, 60 are without Bibles.
Pastor Kasumo and Gilbert Bwalya normally visit the prison every Saturday, and are able to distribute literature to the inmates. They have been able to pass on literature taken by Dr. Allen on behalf of readers in the U.K., and to convey our Christian greetings to the saints in prison.
Many of these believers are unable to read English and need Bibles in Bemba and Nyanja, their native tongues. There is a need to get reliable vernacular translations into Zambia, particularly for work amongst the 45% of Zambians who still live in traditional rural villages. In addition, there is little discernment with regard to Bible Versions, and because of the difficulty and expense of purchasing them, Christians are willing to accept any version, including the Watchtower Bible! We would encourage your prayer that the Lord would raise up men and women to undertake the work of preparing the Scriptures for these most needy people.
By D.C.S. Cooke MA(Oxon.) FCA
Collections to support the Lord's work have a long and honourable history. During the reign of Jehoash king of Judah, "Jehoiada the priest took a chest, and bored a hole in the lid of it, and set it beside the altar, on the right side as one cometh into the house of the Lord: and the priests that kept the door put therein all the money that was brought into the house of the Lord" (II Kings 12.9). The money so raised was used to repair the Lord's house, and so to further the Lord's work.
Nowadays, when cash is used as a medium of payment far less than formerly, it is easy to despise the humble church collection in favour of some more sophisticated means of giving to Christian charities like the Trinitarian Bible Society. Such an attitude would be a mistake: draft figures for the year 2000 indicate that over £80,000 was donated by churches to the Society from funds that had almost entirely been raised by this means.
There are a number of significant advantages to this method of giving:
You may not already be aware that giving by collection does not necessarily exclude you from maximising the value of your gift by use of the current tax breaks available. On the contrary, money given in a collection in the UK can make use of the Gift Aid Scheme (so long as you are a tax payer paying at least as much in income or capital gains tax as would cover the tax being reclaimed). The requirement is that the monies must be separately identifiable, and this is usually achieved by their being placed in a separate envelope with the donor's name and address on it. Your church treasurer (not TBS) will then be able to reclaim the tax on the gift, before passing to the Society the proceeds of the collection, together with any tax recovered by this means. It will be appreciated that this compromises to some extent the anonymity of the original donor, but again, not as far as TBS is concerned. Please ask your church treasurer for further details of how he is operating this scheme.
Secure Online Giving
By David Larlham
Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding. Proverbs 23 v.23.
Our published Consolidated Accounts for the year ended 31st December 1999 reveal that sales of Bibles, New Testaments and a wide variety of other Scripture portions produced gross receipts of over £1.3m, and that after deducting cost prices and sales expenses the net contribution towards the Society's other charitable activities was just under £189,000. This represents a net sales margin of just under 15%, which may seem low compared to margins for conventional publishers. However, it must be remembered that the Society will always want to put quality of service before profit, and that it is our privilege to provide a very great variety of material to a wide range of customers. In that context, a 15% margin is very gratifying. As long as we aim to be able to supply anything from 50,000 Bibles to an African enterprise, to a single Scripture bookmark to an elderly lady in the outer Hebrides, our accounts may not present a conventional picture to the financial analyst.
Such a diverse strategy is not doggedly pursued simply because we do not want to let down any dear saint who might ask us for help -- whilst we are always pleased to supply a single bookmark to anyone who requests one, we have also learned by experience that certain of our more inexpensive and colourful items, such as bookmarks, Bible postcards, calendars and posters, are a valuable entrée into bookshops and other retail outlets.
But, some might say that profitability is irrelevant, the Trinitarian Bible Society should simply be the last bastion of principle, making a vigorous stand for the truth, a charitable trust more concerned with maintaining its commendable traditions and standing out from the crowd than with making money. Far better, then, for us to soldier on, they would say, only producing Authorised Version Bibles, preferably in black leather covers, with a typeface reminiscent more of Charles Dickens than the 21st century, even if that means that we have to close down before much longer, than to give an inch, to pander to the whims and fancies of this treacherous world!
We venture to suggest that both extremes are wrong: we should neither be profit-driven, nor afraid to change where change would enhance the work. We must not sacrifice all that the Society has stood for over the last 169 years, nor have we any desire or mandate to depart from the bedrock of the Authorised Version and translations similarly produced in other languages, but we would be foolish to ignore sound business principles and to refuse to take advantage of any modern ideas or methods that are in accordance with Biblical principles. After all, we have no qualms about using computers or e-mail in our day-to-day affairs, and we employ a Graphic Designer in order to make our product range as attractive as possible, within the bounds of Scriptural taste.
What can we do more to make our Sales side more productive, to generate more funds for the Editorial work -- the vital efforts to superintend new and better translations in other languages, as the Lord directs -- and to underpin a more concerted assault upon the mountain of requests from all over the world seeking free Bibles and other Scripture portions, by way of our Grants programme?
Have you visited your local Christian bookshop lately? It is often, sadly, the case, that you will find very few, if any, Authorised Version Bibles, let alone anything else the Society publishes; we are regarded by some in the trade as very much a 'one item publisher' in English, at any rate. Do the Christian pastors and ministers where you live and worship uphold and advocate the Authorised Version, so that many locally are likely to want to buy one? These are two very telling factors that impact upon our sales figures and the prayerful planning that we need to undertake.
In explaining more about the work of our Sales Department and the Sales Officers, we desire that you bear all these issues up before the Throne of Grace, and cry to the Lord who gave us His infallible Word, to the end we might have much wisdom in determining the best way forward.
As well as the two Sales Officers featured below, these aspects will involve the combined skills of our Office Manager Mark Wilson, our Production Manager Mike Thomas, our Graphic Designer Stephen Talas, our Warehouse Manager Ian Docksey (who is also well versed in computers and their capabilities), and, of course, our General Secretary and his Assistant. Indeed, it could even be said that there is not a person who works for the Society whose opinion or ideas could not be helpful or valuable in seeking to present ourselves as one of the best sources in the world for obtaining the most accurate and reliable translations of the Scriptures in English and many other languages -- not only should that be true in the past, it should be our aim, under God, for this century and many to come, if He tarries.
The nature of the work
It will be clear to most people that a Sales Department performs a very straightforward
function in principle, receiving orders by a wide variety of means and fulfilling
them as quickly as possible, stock permitting. There are no strange or wonderful
practices or techniques to describe! However, it is useful to highlight some
major considerations that might not be immediately apparent.
First of all, we divide up the enquiries into those emanating from the United
Kingdom, and those from elsewhere in the world. Customers in the first category,
looked after by Jon Hickman, are pre-eminently bookshops (which we estimate
take perhaps 70% of our UK trade), churches, missionary societies and individuals,
with a smattering of enquiries coming from schools, colleges, the occasional
library, or other publishers. For the rest of the world, which is the responsibility
now of John Cook, our enquirers tend much more to be Christian groups, churches
and organisations, missionaries, evangelists, and of course, our various overseas
branches.
Unlike the secular realm, where an item has a fixed price, with the occasional
special offer or discount, we try to encourage those who buy from us for evangelical
outreach or free distribution, by negotiating attractively discounted prices.
It is recognised that customers in many countries abroad are quite unable to
afford British prices, so here, too, we endeavour to strike an acceptable figure
that will at least cover our costs with a small margin, yet will also, we believe,
often represent a substantial acquisition to the purchaser, and will be the
more valued for that reason.
However, when all is said and done, there are many occasions when we supply
Scriptures at far below production costs, in order to meet a specific need.
It has even been known for the Society to sell Bibles at the cost of a chicken
apiece! Of course, where there is no ability to contribute at all to the cost,
we are only too pleased to consider providing Scriptures free of charge as a
Grant.
Orders are received by letter, price list application, telephone, fax or, more
and more often these days, by e-mail. Sometimes, orders from abroad can be complicated
for various reasons, and that may impose an extra degree of urgency. It is our
aim to turn orders from the UK round in 24 hours, and from abroad within 48
or 72 hours. Packing and transit times are additional, so where a number of
countries are concerned, the total time taken can be several months. Normally,
the least costly method of dispatch is selected, commensurate with the customer's
needs, but sometimes time constraints or customer choice dictate a more expensive
route.
Most orders are dispatched from Tyndale House, here in Wimbledon, but occasionally
considerable time and cost savings can be achieved by arranging dispatch of
very large consignments direct from the printers, particularly if the recipient
is in Europe and we print in, say, East Anglia.
One area that we are currently considering most prayerfully is e-commerce,
where goods are ordered entirely by computer over the Internet. Much work needs
to be done to investigate the benefits, not forgetting security issues, and
to ensure that our website and a dedicated order line can deliver a good service,
bearing in mind the link with the stock database, and also such delicate issues
as steering clear of any suggestion of trading on the Lord's Day. You might
think that would be a straightforward, non-negotiable issue, but taking into
account different time zones around the world, it can become quite complicated!
Payment for orders is often in advance in the UK for non-trade customers, but
there are extensive trade credit arrangements, particularly for most foreign
sales. Price lists are expressed in US, Australian and Canadian dollars as well
as in Sterling. Once a customer pays by credit, that raises the system of monthly
statements and debt chasing, regrettably a major headache with some customers!
All accounts are entered on our database, and there is then quite an amount
of checking and processing involved.
There is a showroom on the premises, and we receive a regular flow of visitors,
quite often from abroad. Sometimes they know little or nothing about the Society,
and they may not be believers, so there is opportunity for our Sales staff to
explain what we do and perhaps to witness. Please remember such occasions in
your prayers. It is not unknown for people to come in with large sums of money;
on the foreign sales side we have to be particularly careful how customers have
sourced their currency to pay for goods, because of their national government
regulations. We need much wisdom and tact in assessing such situations.
There is a regular stream of correspondence seeking information on our products,
perhaps questioning why we do not deal in other English translations or particular
languages, and all these enquiries help to keep the Sales Department busy, whilst
making the job more interesting.
For some years now, we have made a point of attending various religious exhibitions,
conventions and other opportunities to promote our wares. This has achieved
a great deal and, under God, has certainly led to a very good number of new
enquiries and customers. We also work hand-in-glove with our representatives
who act as agents to bookshops in the UK. A good deal of research and planning
is continually in hand to examine and improve our marketing initiatives and
we will appreciate your prayers that such might bear much fruit.
What new things are we considering to heighten our profile? We have thought
about reintroducing a full colour brochure. A link with a well-known international
computer-based bookseller is another attractive possibility, as is more explicit
product information in the Quarterly Record (perhaps coupled with promotional
offers), more proactive contact with churches sympathetic to the Society, the
introduction of e-commerce, and perhaps even TBS gift tokens! These ideas cover
a wide spectrum: some are very new, some are well tried but not yet tested by
the Society. In some cases we hope to implement new initiatives as soon as resources
allow; in other aspects we are seeking wisdom and guidance from the Lord, and
we welcome your prayers in this vital area. One area where we can always seek
to expand is to provide much more information on our various publications to
our many supporters around the world, particularly the non-English material.
These are certainly exciting times for the Society, very far removed from the
suggestion of a moribund organisation, as mentioned near the beginning of this
article. For our Sales staff particularly, now featured below, we trust it will
be an encouraging period during the coming months; for you, our supporters,
we trust that changes made will be for the better, more helpful, and, most of
all, to the glory of God.
Jon Hickman
UK Sales
Jon is a recent recruit, starting at Tyndale House on 3rd April last year.
He grew up in a godly household in Sussex, at Lower Dicker near Hailsham. His
parents attended the local Strict Baptist Chapel, which was thriving under the
fifty-year pastorate of Mr. Sperling-Tyler. Jon has five brothers and two sisters,
including two sets of twins, and he himself has a twin brother.
Whilst it can be difficult, looking back, to determine when a person comes
into a saving knowledge of the Lord from such a background, Jon feels that the
Lord used the big disappointment of a failed relationship at the age of only
nineteen to turn him to Himself, when he could so easily have rebelled against
all his parents held dear. Certainly he then began to know the fear of the Lord
that is the beginning of wisdom, began to pray from the heart and to read the
Scriptures with new appetite and zeal.
Six years after that life-changing experience Jon married Jenny, in 1972, and
praises God constantly for such a suitable partner. They attend Hope Chapel,
Redhill, Surrey, and after Jenny suffered a serious illness, she was baptised
there and welcomed into membership. Strangely this led to quite a few years
of spiritual anxiety and soul-searching for Jon, before he, too, was drawn by
love to the Lord and was baptised.
Jon's secular work for many years since leaving school had been in commercial
insurance, progressing through the ranks to be a fire and accident inspector,
then a consultant until taking early retirement in 1998; he then joined a small
local firm for two years as an office administrator, until company reorganisation
led to redundancy.
For many years Jon had been well aware of the Society, and indeed the members
of the church where he spent his childhood years have always been good supporters.
When at Redhill, Jon often heard Society representatives, including Terence
Brown and David Crowter, giving talks on the work, and he was happy to become
involved in a church-based Christian book distribution charity. This enterprise
links in well with the Society, sending out our Bibles and calendars and other
materials to over twenty countries around the world. Historically, single requests
from Ghana and Nigeria have formed the bulk of the work, but nowadays many other
nations in Africa, Asia and Eastern Europe have been the grateful recipients
of their consignments.
When made redundant Jon enquired about vacancies here, and over a period of
some weeks the Lord seemed to engineer the opening for UK Sales Officer; he
has settled in quickly and is happy to make the role a more proactive one, and
to be involved in the front line of any new marketing initiatives. He has grown
used to computers over the last few years!
Jon has five children, two of whom are married now, two still completing their
education and one living and working from the family home in West Sussex.
Foreign Sales
A tribute to Henry Smith!
For many of our readers, particularly those abroad, the name of Henry Smith
was long synonymous with our Foreign Sales Department. After ten years with
the Society, Henry left us very recently, so recently that when this article
was originally drafted, it included a few paragraphs about him. Although it
may seem odd to include just a segment of those paragraphs now that he has left,
we feel that to do so represents a fitting tribute to his efforts, and also
encapsulates some ongoing principles which his successor, John Cook, will need
to observe.
It is a feature of dealing with customers from abroad, where different customs
and standards prevail, that we meet certain suggestions or methods of doing
business that are a challenge to the well-taught believer here, who desires
to maintain a good testimony. Henry's maxim was to 'pursue righteousness' in
all that he did, bringing everything into subjection to Christ. This has undoubtedly
proved an invaluable maxim on numerous occasions. He was keen to learn what
customers really need (not necessarily what, through lack of awareness, they
might request!), and to do his best for them accordingly. There might be opportunity
to offer enhanced discounts to some needy countries, and Henry had liberty to
apply that where appropriate, within certain guidelines.
There can also be communication problems, both physical and linguistic, and
Henry had access to a number of helpers within the Society's orbit who can assist
where needed; he enjoyed the challenge of assessing the individual's situation,
and the excitement of negotiating a solution that meets the needs of the buyer,
whilst fitting our own requirements, too.
Henry was often to be found in our showroom helping visitors to the Society,
and such people do not always have much of an idea about our distinctives, or
the textual basis which we follow. He could usually provide some helpful information
on these aspects, often enlisting the aid of a specialist colleague. There have
been instances of 'operational problems' that can arise through face to face
encounters, and we are careful to attend to these in a righteous fashion, not
being unaware of some 'hidden agendas' that might be involved.
Certainly the challenges and opportunities highlighted above are still with
us, and it is a testimony to the high regard in which Henry was, and is, held
by us here at Tyndale House, that we could do a lot worse than ask ourselves,
when confronted by some situations, "What would Henry have done?"
John Cook
Foreign Sales
Although John has only just joined us, he does not mind being featured in this
article. He has known several of the staff here for some years through Brethren
Assembly meetings, and was encouraged to apply for the recent vacancy by Paul
McGill, our most experienced packer. This seemed to be providential in view
of an earlier exhortation by another Christian friend to apply here, after John
was made redundant by the timber brokers and traders in Woking where he has
spent the last five years of his career.
From November 1964, after leaving school in Southampton, where he was born,
John has worked for a succession of shipping, trading and commodity companies,
moving to London in 1967 and remaining in the capital until 1995. His experience
in the disciplines of customs clearance regulations, commodity contracts, letters
of credit and office administration in a sales environment will prove invaluable
in our Foreign Sales Department. Other assets are a degree of fluency in French
and considerable computer skills.
John's father has exercised a major influence upon his spiritual pilgrimage.
From his earliest days he recalls being taken to the local Gospel Hall by his
God-fearing parents: the Lord had worked remarkably in his father's life, turning
the wartime injuries and disablement sustained in Burma into an instrument for
making him spiritually whole. Soon after the War John's father was saved and
baptised, and there was cause for the angels to rejoice over his mother, too,
around that time.
Throughout his schooldays John attended the Gospel Hall services with his parents
and three brothers, but it was not until he was sixteen, around the time of
starting his first job, that he became convinced of his need for personal salvation.
As so often happens, the Holy Spirit opened his heart under the faithful preaching
of the gospel, and he was enabled to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and be
saved.
John endured much bullying both from boys at school and those in the neighbourhood;
however, he found joy in the worship of the Lord during the breaking of bread
and wanted to go on for the Lord. However, tribulations were soon encountered
and faith was to be tested. Firstly, John had to endure without cause continuous
bad treatment from one who was in charge at work, and this led to what he felt
was unfair dismissal from his employment. Secondly, there were differences of
opinion in the assembly over the question of evangelism, a subject in which
he was most interested. This led to his being more taken up with that problem
than with Christ.
As a result of these issues, John became disillusioned with life in Southampton,
and after a while was prompted to depart for work in London. John also left
off attending the assembly, but the Lord still fulfilled His purpose in that,
as in I Thessalonians 3 v.10, the Lord perfected that which was lacking in his
faith. Also the Lord fitted John to be more able for personal evangelism through
this experience. After some ten years in the spiritual wilderness, he returned
into fellowship at the local Gospel Hall in Southampton, and experience has
proved until this very moment the truth of our Lord's words, "in the world ye
shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world"(John
16.33).
Shortly afterwards, John began to worship at the assembly in Hammersmith, West
London, and, in the purposes of God, John met his future wife Hazel there. Latterly,
for some twelve years now, he has been attending Hounslow Road Gospel Hall,
Hanworth, near Feltham in Middlesex where he lives. It is during the last twenty
years that he has come across the four current members of the staff of the Society
with whom he is well acquainted.
Although John has had to endure some painful episodes in his working life because
of the volatile nature of the international commodity trading market, he has
found, by contrast, how pleased his Saviour always is with those who have a
mind to work for Him. For several years he has been involved in door-to-door
outreach and tract distribution in the neighbourhood, thereby becoming familiar
with the Society's extensive range of Scripture leaflets. He is also responsible
for booking midweek speakers at the Hall.
John's other interests include photography and gardening. It is not unknown
for such skills to be put to good use at Tyndale House! John looks forward to
many years in the work of the Society, God willing, and will certainly come
across a much wider spectrum of the Lord's people than he has known hitherto,
all united by a love for the Word of God and its publication and distribution
in accurate translations around the world.
From Braga, Portugal
Your parcel with your Grant of a further thirty small Portuguese Bibles arrived today. Again, the parcel reached us in perfect condition. We are sincerely grateful to you for your generosity. The Bibles will be of great help and encouragement to some of our Bible course students. Again and again we come across those who do not have any portion of the Scriptures in their possession and we are very pleased to be able, in some cases, to send them a Bible. In other cases we send a New Testament or a smaller Scripture portion. Thank you once again for your generous Grant and may the Lord bless you in all aspects of your vital ministry.
From Ipswich, England
The Calendars were distributed to individuals, and in Old Peoples' Homes, School Offices -- and Kitchens (!) where they have been much appreciated, Garages and other commercial premises including two Hotels for the Reception Desks. From the Calendars, plus other local literature, folk have attended our Church Services. Also given to about fifty young Mums at our Tots and Tinies Group. One person uses the Daily Texts as the "text" when giving Epilogues, etc., at Coffee Mornings, etc. Isolated believers are very encouraged by these Calendars.
From Peterhead, Scotland
On behalf of our school I would like to thank you very much for the Bibles. It was very kind of you. These new Bibles will be very useful in our classes as we lost our last lot in the fire. Many boys and girls approached us personally and thanked us for them. We know they will be treasured and pray they will be read. Many teachers and head teachers commented on how lovely the Bibles were and were impressed with the work the TBS are doing. In all the schools where we gave out the Bibles we told them of the work of your Bible Society and how you have provided the Bibles for them. It would be interesting to know something of the history of the TBS for other years, if you have any printed matter on this.
We have enclosed some thank you cards that were sent out from one school. I
wonder if I might take this opportunity to mention a school in Aberdeen. The
head mistress has asked if the TBS might be able to provide every child in the
school a Bible as it is their centenary this year and they felt that it would
be something special to mark the occasion. They would need 260 Bibles if this
is possible. If this is possible it would be better to have the Bibles delivered
to the school because of the number and if you do go ahead please could you
let me know first so I can inform the school and prepare labels.
From Inverness, Scotland
In reference to your kind donation of Bibles to our primary school, please
find a photograph of the children receiving their Bibles. The Bibles were given
to them on their last day at our school last year. I would like to take this
opportunity to thank you again very much for your generous donation of Bibles
to our school.
From a prison in Lugansk Province, Ukraine
Peace, health and grace be unto you in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Glory and gratitude be to God for your spiritual missionary work in God's harvest fields. Heartfelt gratitude for two parcels with the Bibles and Golden Thoughts calendars which had been safely delivered and were distributed among our needy brothers in all twelve blocks of our prison. Your spiritual and invaluable brotherly aid can be compared with golden wheat which yields fruit in due course. Quite a few people now turn to God, repent of their sins and accept Christ as their personal Saviour and Lord. A study of the Bible as the Word of God is instrumental for the spiritual growth of former sinners. Every saved human soul is more precious than all the riches of the world. We pray here every day to our Heavenly Father and we remember you in prayer, dear brothers. May the Lord keep you and help you.
From Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
I received your help. I want to thank and to inform that these arrived in good
hour because we are beginning an evangelistic work in a section of our city.
There are already twenty-one converted. We will also use part of this material
for discipleship. I am praying for you, you also pray for us. Know that we need
a lot of help to continue in this ministry. Pray with me that I will have more
openings, that I have more time in the work, and for the health of some companions.
Thank God for his infinite grace in Christ Jesus our Lord.
From Buenos Aires, Argentina
Thank you very much for this material, safely received, though it had to be
fetched at International Postal Customs, with payment of $7.60 as cost for storage:
they delayed in notifying me, otherwise -- usually -- I get these parcels, free
of any charge. Thank you again. Although somewhat soon, I have distributed about
twenty, and am keeping the rest in the Church Library till December or so.
From Salta, Argentina
Greetings to you in His precious Name. On Saturday past, we were very happy
indeed to receive the two packages/boxes from you. When the news was communicated
to the assembly the next day, there was more rejoicing! We do THANK YOU so much
for this gift! It seems the calendars become more precious every year! The boxes
came through without a bit of trouble, without paying anything, in excellent
shape, and so nice and early. It takes our breath away to see all this happen
and we are SO glad! Thank-you! Our God is good! As you know many folks here
await their calendar (unsaved folks). We see them "coming along" spiritually,
slowly but surely. We have seen two ladies recently who have secretly come to
Him but one so very afraid yet of testifying! The group of people who are searching
for the Lord is growing. They think nothing of stopping work to ask questions.
One colleague spends hours in the streets now, compared to years before! Two
weeks to-day we hope to be at the Conference, where several North assemblies
will be represented, and no doubt will be able to give out all the rest of the
calendars to those folks who also await their portion every year. The three
French go to Canada and California, USA, the English mainly to Canada, and Portuguese
here. All are much appreciated indeed. May our Lord give/supply you all your
needs, in abundance, and much encouragement especially. We all salute you in
His Name.
From Lima, Peru
Thank you so much for your faithful support and prayers. We received the thirty
Bibles that you sent to us on Monday after a time with customs. Thank you so
much for sending the Word of God. Many of our deaf cannot afford a Bible and
it is going to be a great blessing to be able to place one in their hands as
a gift from God, as it was intended. As we give them out, we will be taking
pictures with our digital camera and e-mailing them to you. May the Lord richly
bless your labour of Love in disseminating the Word of God. We will be in touch.
God Bless!
From Yucatán, Mexico
Thank you for the materials which we received in good condition. Those who received the literature were really pleased. I have kept a few New Testaments for whatever emergency, such as being able to give a Bible to a family who came to the service; I will continue distributing them in this way. Thank you for the help you have given us by sending us this material. We would be grateful to receive some more material that we could distribute.
From Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh
Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. By the grace of Almighty God and through your prayers here ministry is doing well. And I hope same with you. I have received our Bible bag last month. Thank you very much for your loving kindness upon our church ministries. We distributed some Bibles to non-Christians. This year we dedicated one church ministries branch church which opened in one village called Kajuluru. At that time we invited one Government state minister as a chief guest. On behalf of Trinitarian Bible Society we presented that Bible to him. We are praying for his salvation, kindly keep in your prayers about his and his family's salvation. Please pray for our ministry and try to send more Bibles, Telugu tracts and Sunday school materials. We are waiting for your reply soon. Thanking you very much.
A letter to a colleague at TBS (New Zealand) from Hastings, New Zealand
Our very warm greetings to you and your fellow-brethren that we met in Hastings in the precious Name of our Lord Jesus Christ. We count it a real joy and honour for the short time we spent together. We do want to convey our very real and sincere thanks to all concerned for the generous gift for the purchase of Bibles for distribution. Our funds were zero and we had given away our last Bible the night before. We were much cast upon the Lord to meet the need for His work. Within an hour we received a gift to buy one box of Bibles and then your gift the next day. What a wonderful God we have! One who hears and ANSWERS prayer. Our hearts well up in thanksgiving and praise! We did not know how or when, nor through whom the need would be met, but it has pleased the Lord to use you as a channel of blessing. Simply, thank you in His Name. (We had told nobody of our need.)
Today it is bitterly cold after the
storm of thirty-six hours ago; resultant high seas and therefore the shipping
arrival and departures have changed. One colleague has gone away to the Port
early this morning to meet a ship that was to have been in yesterday. A short
time ago, it still had not arrived. The next day, Lord's Day after we met you,
he was able to bring four Chinese seamen to the Gospel meeting. One professed
salvation and although his English was not that good, he understood the message
and of course can convey it to the others in their own tongue. We were so encouraged.
We have a very large chart on display in the Hall too, so that helps and we
also have it in printed form. We have written acknowledging and thanking you
for all the Golden Thoughts Calendars you gave to us. We are so very grateful
for these too and also the box of Bibles. The TBS Bibles are such good quality;
we just appreciate everything so much.
From Christchurch, New Zealand
We have recently received the sixty Bibles you sent us. I would like to thank you very much for them. We are a very young church. Some of members can't read and others cannot afford to buy Bibles; it has been a huge blessing to us to have your support. I wish you all the best in your endeavours. God bless you.
From Hohoe, Ghana
Thank you very much for sending me the free gospel materials for my work. I
distributed them to those I know are in need and who can read and understand,
during my house to house preachings. In fact at a certain house the people nearly
broke my neck as they clamour for the scripture booklets. Only the Bibles and
Testaments could not meet the demands as those who could not have theirs even
became annoyed with me that I left them out by not giving them one. But I promise
them that if by God's grace I receive another consignment they would also have
theirs. Really, people are hungry for the Word of God and we must satisfy them.
A frustrated and troubled sister to whom I have sent the booklet "The Love of
God" wrote back telling me that it has healed her broken heart. Before, she
thought of ending her life because nobody cares. But now she is happy to know
that God loves her. Thank you and God bless all.
From Accra, Ghana
Greetings in the precious name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. I write to inform you that we have received the Bibles that you sent over to us. I am taking this opportunity to express our sincere thanks to you for coming to our aid.
Although certain phrases and expressions used in these letters may not be doctrinally accurate or in the proper English form, we reproduce the letters essentially as received, knowing that the Lord is using His Word to the glory of His Name and the furtherance of His Kingdom as the Scriptures are distributed among the nations of the world.
Quarterly Record Online Production Team
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for further information about the Trinitarian Bible Society and our Constitution
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Headquarters or Branch nearest you.
Copyright © 2001 Trinitarian Bible Society. All rights reserved. The Trinitarian
Bible Society permits reprinting of articles found in our printed and online
Quarterly Record provided that prior permission is obtained and proper
acknowledgement is made.