The Bible Society of Brazil (BSB) is bringing the transforming light of God to the world. Each year, more than 9 million Bibles are printed in São Paulo and sent out to more than 100 countries. The heart of their story is not told by the numbers, but in the countless lives their words have touched.
Scripture Is Born
Walk into the printing factory of the BSB and you’ll hear the hum and whir of the machines. Each has its own section of the factory floor and a specific job: printing, sorting, cutting, binding, stacking or packing, working together to transform a humble roll of paper into the Word of God.
This facility began operating in 1995 with a grant from the American Bible Society, which set the BSB on a new path of sustainability and spiritual impact. New electronic typesetting equipment and modernized facilities purchased with a loan dramatically improved capacity; a Bible that once took more than a year to print can now be ready in less than two months.
As a result, the Brazilian system boasts some of the fastest production turnaround times and largest output of all the Bible Society printing presses. From 1995 through May 2008, the BSB exported more than 19 million Bibles. Because of this, the BSB no longer depends on annual financial support from the United Bible Societies. Now it contributes to the global fund.
Lives Transformed
Paper undergoes dramatic change at the BSB printing press; so, too, do the lives of its workers. Célio Emerique, the general manager, says that taking care of his employees and working for the Bible Society is the high point of his career. “I am now making the Book of Books!” he says.
Neide, one of his employees, works on everything from stitching and gluing covers to notching out chapter tabs in Bible pages. Before the Bible Society, she sewed beads onto wedding dresses. But now life is better, she says, because “I get to spend all day working with God’s Word.” Angelica, a woman who works next to Neide, says that her faith has grown in the past 11 years. Because she works so closely with the Bible, she gains new insights about God every day.
Working Partners
The BSB operates through a number of ministry partnerships and provides Bibles, Scripture Portions and supplemental biblical growth materials to hundreds of organizations.
Located in the heart of São Paolo, CENA is one of the vital ministries that depends on the BSB for support. In a neighborhood known to many as “Crackland,” an area infamous for drug trafficking, prostitution and high rates of violence, many of the residents have found refuge in the love they receive from CENA and in the Word of God. According to Francisco, a staff member and former client of CENA’s, the BSB has been a crucial partner by supplying essential Scriptures. “Without this contribution, CENA would be unable to offer some of our programs,” he says.
