0.7% Missionary Allocation and Bibles for Prisoners in Georgia
An allocation of £4,795 from the Down and Dromore Council for Mission in 2015 enabled the Bibles for Prisoners in Georgia project to go ahead.
In 2004 the Government in Georgia began actively reforming the penitential system. The Government programme ‘Books for Prisoners’ was introduced, allowing organisations to donate books to the 16 prisons throughout the country. The total prisons population had reduced to about 10,000 but the only Chaplaincy service permitted into the prisons was through the Georgian Orthodox Church. Now a relationship between the Bible Society of Georgia (BSG) and the Orthodox Church was developing and both members of the clergy and the Prison authorities were recognising the importance of having Scripture available to prisoners.
BSG were delighted that they now had an opening to place Scripture in prisons – not only in prison libraries, but to actually give a personal copy to prisoners. Different translations/editions of the Bible text could be distributed meaning that men, women and young prisoners were included.
The vast majority of the Scriptures distributed are in the Georgian language, but any Russian speakers receive a Russian edition if that is what they prefer. All are encouraged to engage with God’s Word and accept God’s life–changing message of salvation. It is a tough assignment: many of the prisoners have come from a hard background and been convicted for serious offences. Often they are from very poor families and nobody is caring or waiting for them outside the prison.
For the first time in twenty years (since its establishment) BSG had this opportunity to put the Bible into the hands of prisoners, but they did not have the funds to sustain it. With an initial budget of £18,531, they wanted to ultimately reach every prison in the country. An allocation of £4,795 from the Down and Dromore Council for Mission in 2015 enabled BSNI to meet most of the Georgian budget. As a result, the Bible Society there have been able to progress this ground–breaking ministry in prisons, providing a life–changing message to many prisoners.
Avtandil Guruli, Executive Director of the Georgian Bible Society says:
“We started the project at the end of 2014 with our own resources. Now we would like to express our profound gratitude to the Bible Society in Northern Ireland and the Church of Ireland which granted financial support ($20,000 / £13,700) for this Prisons Ministry project.” He goes on: “Having big experience in similar free distribution projects (for displaced persons, for refugees, for children in remote areas) we have never seen so many results – enthusiasm, changes and thankfulness. Because of the unexpectedly successful development of the project, we are motivated to prolong it at least into next year.”