The Christian Community in Rivers and Bayelsa States has been called upon to come to the aid of the Bible Society of Nigeria, Rivers Bayelsa Area from being scrapped or merged.
The call was made in Port Harcourt Monday by the Anglican Bishop of the Niger Delta Diocese, the Right Reverend Emmanuel Oko Jaja, Ph.D when officers of the Area led by its Chairman, Elder Omoni Ayo-Tamuno, BSN-SM paid a courtesy visit to him in his office.
Bishop Oko Jaja said, “It will be unacceptable for the Area to be merged on the excuse of her inability to distribute or sell 7,500 copies of the Bible within one year”.
He further said, “If all hands are on deck, this target will be achieved with ease” adding that the Niger Delta Diocese will do everything possible to assist the Area excape being merged “.
Dr Oko Jaja said that he would liaise with the relevant board in the Diocese to regularly patronise the Area Book Store to source for Bibles.
The Bishop, who is also a Special Member of the Society, promised to interface with other Bishops in the Niger Delta Province to support the BSN and advised that similar visits be made to them on the Bible Distribution matter.
He also promised to encourage all churches in the Diocese to work and cooperate with the Society to remain afloat and continue to exist as an Area.
Dr Oko Jaja gave his blessing to the Area for the 2023 Life Members Conference to hold at the Saint Cyprian’s Anglican Church, Port Harcourt, and agreed to play the role of Host Bishop.
The Niger Delta Bishop directed the Area to approach churches in the Diocese that owned schools to source their Revised Standard Version of the Bible from the Area.
He commended the efforts of the officers for their sacrifice to ensure that the Bible was available and accessible to Christians in their mother tongue and expressed shock on what the Society was passing through.
Earlier in his speech, the Area Chairman, Elder Omoni Ayo-Tamuno, BSN-SM had apprised the Bishop on the activities of the Area since its inception over 40 years ago, saying that although the Area is known as Rivers Bayelsa, the work was 99.9 per cent or even more in Rivers State.
Ayo-Tamuno intimated the Bishop about the real threat of merging the Area with neighbouring States if we failed to distribute 7,500 copies of the Bible by the end of 2023.
The Chairman disclosed that the National had taken the first step of not allowing the Area to attend the National Board Meeting this year.
He then appealed to the Bishop to use his good offices to impress on all clergy in his Diocese to always cooperate with the Area to achieve its goals and targets.
Highlight of the visit was the presentation of BSN literature to the Bishop.
