Erna Yulianawati: Every parent longs for their child to grow up in the fear of the Lord. The fear of the Lord begins, amongst other things, with the child’s habit of reading the Word of God. Do not force your children, aged 9–12, to read the Bible in the same way as we parents do. Provide them with reading material appropriate to their age. This is the background to LAI organising the ‘Read the Good News in Full for Children’ programme in various regions, one of which was Banyuasin, Palembang, on 6 June 2023. 

This outreach event was attended by pastors and Sunday School teacher representatives from 23 churches, as well as a mission team from GKSB Palembang who travelled with the LAI team. Participants came from various hard-to-reach areas. Some participants were forced to return home due to heavy rain in the area and the difficult road conditions leading to GKSBS Sumber Makmur.

The event was opened by Reverend Waluyo, a pastor at GKSBS and chair of the Inter-Church Cooperation Board for the Banyuasin region, and lasted for two hours. This was followed by an explanation of LAI, an introduction to the TB2 Bible, and concluded with an explanation of the programme and what is expected of congregation leaders and Sunday school teachers. Churches received KBUA books based on data regarding the number of Sunday school children aged 9–12. A total of 250 copies of the KBUA were distributed, accompanied by a guidebook. In addition, TB2 Bibles were also distributed to pastors and church leaders.

May this programme be successfully implemented by all churches in Banyuasin. May the children find joy in getting to know God’s Word and experience God’s love in their lives.

The joy and enthusiasm of God’s people in Palembang were evident in their faithful participation in the Thanksgiving Service and TB2 Bible Distribution event, which lasted for three hours. May this partnership between LAI and the churches in Banyuasin and the surrounding areas lead to more of God’s children reading the Bible and, ultimately, experiencing new life in Christ.