By Dr. Sigit Triyono

 

Bible translation projects for some ethnic minority groups in some parts of China are still ongoing and being checked regularly by the Translation Consultants of the World Fellowship of Bible Societies (UBS). They are very well coordinated by UBS China Partnership in cooperation with CCC and TPSM (national-level Church Institutions in China).

 

Challenges facing the Protestant Church today include: Since the Covid-19 pandemic, attendance at Sunday services has declined slightly. This is due to the impact of the habit of attending services online. Some Christians in China continue to do so today. Specifically, Church leaders in Kunming said that the number of people baptized before the Covid-19 pandemic could reach 300 people every year. Today, the average is only about 100 people.

 

Another challenge is that most Christians in China are old. More church ministries are run to meet the needs of older people. On the other hand, young people are attending church less and less for various reasons. This has resulted in a decline in the interest of young people to enter theological seminaries in general.

 

I am asking if it is possible to bring young people in Indonesia to study theology in China and fulfill the need for pastors in China. This is considering that there are many theological schools in Indonesia (around 300 schools) and there is still a lot of demand. The TSPM chairman replied that the schools in China are very open. Many international students come to study in China. However, to become a church pastor in China is currently not possible, due to Chinese government policy that requires all Chinese churches to be served by Chinese nationals.

 

Meetings with leaders of the Catholic Church in China, whether in Beijing, Shanghai, or Kunming, were largely informal. The Bishops shared some of the commitments resulting from the previous meetings with UBS that still need to be followed up. The Archbishop also expressed his gratitude for UBS' support in the procurement of Bibles to meet the needs of Catholics in China. The UBS delegation shared that the partnership with Catholic families in reaching out to the youth has become more synergistic with the publication of the New Testament book Identity: Identified initiated by the UBS Asia Pacific Catholic Affinity forum.

 

Identity: Identified was published in response to Pope Francis' call in 2018 and outlined in the Christus Vivit document to reach out to young Catholics. As a special edition, this New Testament comes with 24 articles that address the struggles of young people. The book also comes with links to YouTube videos, websites, and apps. The English version has been published and launched by the New Zealand Bible Society in 2022. The first edition was presented to the Pope by a delegation of UBS leaders in February 2023. The book was relaunched by the Malaysian Bible Society and adapted by the Indonesian Bible Society in late 2023.

 

The Indonesian version of Identity: Identified has 25 articles and was presented to the Pope on September 6, 2024 during his visit to Jakarta. It is hoped that the book will also be adapted into Mandarin in collaboration with the Catholic Church in China to serve as a growing companion for young Catholics in China.

 

On Sunday, September 15, 2024, the UBS delegation attended Sunday mass at the Cathedral of the Diocese of Kunming, Yunnan Province. The mass was attended by about 500 people. The atmosphere of the service was very solemn. Before beginning the homily, Archbishop Joseph Ma introduced the UBS delegation one by one and expressed his gratitude for the visit and for UBS's assistance in procuring Bibles for Catholics in China.

 

In the dialog after the service, the Archbishop shared many things about the history of diocesan ministry in Yunnan Province. Among them was the relocation of the Cathedral from the city center to a new location that was able to provide a very large area of land, without leaving the characteristics of the building. The construction of the Cathedral was also assisted by the Chinese Government.

 

The Archbishop expressed his pleasure and is always open to working with UBS. For 39 years, UBS has faithfully and sacrificially served the Catholic Church in China by providing Bibles for Catholics. With the situation and conditions in China, UBS is able to provide concrete assistance for the worship needs of Catholics. It is said that one of the things that makes the UBS ministry easier is that it does not touch on political issues.

 

From Yunnan the UBS delegation next visited theological seminaries in Nanjing and Kunming. These two theological schools are also supported by the Chinese Government. The need for Bibles for teachers and libraries has been strongly supported by UBS.

 

Nanjing Union Theological Seminary is the largest seminary in China and was formed from a combination of 12 seminaries. It has been serving the churches in China for 72 years. They are very proud of the six Doctors of Theology who graduated from their seminary last year. Their theses focused on very interesting and contextual topics. The seminary also has faculty with doctorates from overseas universities, both in America and Europe.

 

The Kunming Theological Seminary accepts students representing various ethnic groups from Yunnan province. The students are future church ministers who are prepared to minister to the diverse ethnicities in China and preach in the language of each ethnicity. Of course, these ethnically diverse people of God also need the Bible in their mother tongue, the everyday language that they understand and relate to. This is where the work of translating the Bible into the various ethnic minority languages in China becomes a necessity and a must.

UBS provides concrete assistance in the translation work of Chinese churches by sending translation consultants periodically. The assistance also includes publishing and distributing Bibles in ethnic minority languages. This assistance from UBS is a joy for the students and faculty.

The UBS delegation also visited and dialogued with Amity Printing Company (APC). APC prints Bibles to serve the needs of Christians and churches across China. On average, APC annually prints 15 million Bibles, of which 3-3.5 million are specifically for Chinese Christians.

In closing, the visit of the UBS delegation in order to increase synergy with Chinese government partners, Protestant churches, Catholic churches, and seminaries in China has made a good and positive impression on both parties. This cooperation will continue in order to keep the Bible ministry in China running consistently. The various challenges and struggles faced by partner churches and seminaries in China are on the prayer agenda for all UBS members. Concrete cooperation between the churches in China and the Bible Institute in each country is also very open for follow-up. All this for the sake of the vision of spreading the Good News to all corners of the earth.