North America (MNN) – Children’s Bibles can be a great supplementary tool when teaching kids about God. But one ministry hopes that a very special Children’s Bible could have a positive impact for families who have been uprooted from their homes.
Kurt Rovenstine of Bibles for China says they’re working with pastors in North America to distribute Mandarin translations of the Egermeier Bible Story Book to families who have had to leave their homes in China.
“Our goal is to distribute these Bibles to ministries that are reaching out to the diaspora and making them available as an evangelistic tool for people who come to the United States and still have Mandarin as their heart language, whose kids [are] still speaking Mandarin, as a way to introduce the Gospel to them.”
Right now, the ministry is developing networks with pastors to distribute the books when they arrive—hopefully by Christmas. Many of these pastors used to be church pastors in China.
Not just for children
This in-depth Bible Story Book may be written at a child’s reading level, but it is a deep look at truths of the Bible that would be beneficial even for new adult believers.
Rovenstine says they envision this outreach helping to establish relationships with Chinese nationals who are otherwise without community.
“They’ve left China for a variety of reasons and a church reaches out to them and gives them a place of safety and a place of where they can find truth.”
(Photo courtesy of Bibles for China)
Additionally, it could be key in introducing some people to Jesus for the very first time. This is especially true for children. Rovenstine explains that certain restrictions in China make it particularly difficult to tell children about Jesus. In North America, those same restrictions don’t exist.
Rovenstine believes that these books will have an impact on entire families when they are intentional about reading them to their children.
“This is a gift that we give to you if you will commit to reading it with your children on a regular basis in hopes that it would also sink into their hearts.”
Get involved
If you are a pastor or working with a church to minister to communities whose heart language is Mandarin, Rovenstine says, “Reach out to us. You can go to our website […]. And there’s a place where you can reach out to us and send us a message. And I’d be glad to connect with you and tell you what the program looks like because we want to get these out as quickly as possible.”
For more information about Bibles for China, click here.
Header photo by Aaron Burden via Unsplash.
