There cannot be Christianity without the Written Word of God ,(The Bible).
This assertion was made yesterday by the President of the Rivers Baptist Conference, the Reverend Robert Okparanta when the Executive of the Bible Society of Nigeria Rivers/Bayelsa Area led by its Chairman, Omoni Ayo-Tamuno, visited him in his office.
Reverend Okparanta declared “the Bible is the only and major weapon/tool that makes the Christian Religion the most outstanding and living movement”.
The Rivers Baptist President asks, “if Church Heads, Pastors and Christians do not support the Bible Society of Nigeria who do we expect to do so?”
He continued, is it members of other religions we expect to promote the activities and programmes of the BSN”,
He added” it is our responsibility as Church Heads, General Overseers and Christians to do so”
Dr Okparanta assured the Society that he would advise the over 400 Churches in the Rivers Baptist Conference to support and promote it’s activities and programmes.
On the alarm raised by the Society to merge the Area with neighboring states or scrap itif it failed to sell a minimum of 10,000 Bibles before the end of the year, Reverend Okparanta promised to make contacts to save the ugly situation.
Earlier in his speech the Chairman of the Area, Ayo-Tamuno, BSN-SM had congratulated Dr Okparanta on his appointment as the President of the Rivers Baptist Conference.
Ayo-Tamuno appealed to Dr Okparanta to call on his counterparts who are Heads of Churches, Bishops, General Overseasers to purchase their Bibles from the Area Book Store.
He also stressed the need for Schools owned by the mission to source the Revised Standard Version of the Bible from the Area which would help to meet the Bible distribution target.
Highlight of the visit was the presentation of the BSN literatures to the President.
