International (MNN) — After 200
years, a ministry dedicated to spreading God's Word has a new name. International Bible Society-Send the Light
will now be known as Biblica, said Vice President for Communications Steve
Johnson.
"We really felt like it was time
to rebrand the organization, to cast a vision now for a third century of
ministry," he said. "Over the last year and a half or so, we've gone through what is really
more than a re-branding exercise: it's the casting of a new vision… We wanted a new
name that really communicated that the Bible was front and center to everything
we do everywhere around the world, and we really feel like Biblica captures
that vision."
Biblica currently works in 46
countries around the world and hopes to reach more people with God's Word in
their native language. It also has a
renewed vision for making God's Word available to victims of disasters and
victims of the AIDS epidemic.
"When you look at the AIDS
pandemic in Africa, for instance, you understand that really the only thing that
will ever curb that epidemic is behavioral change rooted in the Word of God,"
Johnson explained. "So one of the
things that we want to do is make the Word of God available to those who are at
risk."
Biblica also plans to meet the
need for God's Word created by rising numbers of global disasters.
"Whenever tragedy and crisis
strikes, people are uniquely open to the Word of God," Johnson said. "We view our role as a ministry to equip
the church and equip believers to be reaching out with the Word of God at the
times when people are the most sensitive and the most open to it."
In the process, Biblica will also
target areas where the church and the need for the Scriptures are expanding
rapidly.
"God is operating in the global
south in unprecedented ways," Johnson said. "When you look at what's happening with the church in Latin America, in
China, and in Africa, the church is just exploding in those areas and many
more. So we want to be very sensitive to
our growth and expansion particularly in the global South, in parts of the
world where it's clear that God is working but at the same time, the need for
God's Word is more severe than it has ever been in history."
Biblica remains committed to its work
of quality Bible translation.
"We want to be the best
translator of Scripture in major language groups in the world," Johnson said. "We want to make sure the Word of God is
presented in a way that's crystal-clear and yet uncompromised in its accuracy."
Basically, the ministry of the
organization will not change; it will expand. Johnson said it's important to improve name recognition for the new name
both inside and outside the church, so that people remember Biblica as "one of the key
providers of Scripture resources anywhere around the world."
"We want to make sure that
anybody who has a need for the Word of God can receive the resources that they
need through Biblica as a ministry," he explained. "A part of that is just getting the word out."
Pray that God will use Biblica to
build His Kingdom by sharing His Word all over the world.
