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God’s word the biggest prize in Egypt

Author: Simon Bartz, 25 March 2021

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A boy works on a Bible quiz in Egypt. All photos: Bible Society of Egypt

‘My favourite book is Acts, an adventure story that tells how God fulfils the Great Commission. Because of that, we have our church here in Egypt. I feel I am part of this adventure story.’

That’s what 15-year-old Daniel* said after taking part in a national online Bible competition for teenagers in Egypt in 2020.

Daniel was one of more than 1,500 participants from 15 regions who each read an abridged version of the Bible and were quizzed on the contents.

With churches closed for most of the year, the competition was a way for Christians to stay connected. Many shared and discussed their daily readings via WhatsApp groups.

Among the nations of North Africa and the Middle East, Egypt has by far the biggest Christian population. Around one in ten people are believers, and the majority belong to the Coptic Orthodox Church.

A girl with her Bible Society Scripture book in Egypt.

Thanks to the generosity of Bible Society supporters, Bible mission in Egypt takes place on a big scale, with special emphasis placed on children and young people.

The kind giving of people like you ensures that every year the Bible Society of Egypt produces high-quality Bible-related material for children. Scripture-based colouring books, children’s books, and drawing and exercise books bring joy to many tens of thousands of children, and Bibles are also distributed at schools.

During lockdown in 2020, a competition booklet was sent out to 120,000 primary school students. Several parents shared that activities like this encouraged adults and children to read the Bible together.

‘It is a blessing to do this together, especially since our kids read much better than us, and they help us to understand,’ said one parent. Some people gave copies of the Bible and quiz booklet to their neighbours – participating in Jesus’ Great Commission that Daniel referred to.

When the booklets were completed they were sent to Sunday school teachers and children's leaders, who graded them and awarded prizes of quality illustrated Children’s Bibles and Scriptures.

The Bible Society of Egypt doubled the number of prizes in 2020. And even the children who did not win a prize often learned something even more important – a greater understanding of the Bible.

‘The book of Nehemiah tells how the people got together to build a wall around Jerusalem. I’ve learned you shouldn’t give up in any circumstances. Even if someone says something unpleasant, I don’t want to give up. The books of Esther and Nehemiah were the most interesting, because the stories were fascinating,’ said Anna*, an 11-year-old participant in one of the Bible quizzes.

Thanks to the kind giving of Bible Society supporters, our colleagues in Egypt hope to expand their work in 2021 to reach even more children and young people. Thank you so much for supporting Bible mission in Egypt.

Please pray, perhaps on our Middle East (and North Africa) Prayer Tree, that God’s word will touch the hearts as well as the minds of the children and young people in Egypt, so their lives will be changed by Jesus.

*Not their real names. In many countries names are changed for security reasons.

Support Bible work in North Africa and the Middle East


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