Our History
Brief History: The History of Bible Society Fellowship is traced from the story of a Girl called Mary Jones who lived many years ago in the 18century. The story goes...Mary Jones was a young Welsh girl who longed for a Bible of her own. It was a vain hope as money was scarce. But her desire grew and she became even more determined; she started saving money so she could buy her very own copy.
It took six years but finally Mary had enough to realise her dream. She was 15 and needed to walk to Bala, over 25 miles away, to buy her Bible. Excited, she set off in bare feet and finally reached the home of Thomas Charles – only to be told he had no more Bibles for sale. Heartbroken, she began to weep. Her despair touched Mr Charles, who found her a Bible, and made him think what could be done for others such as Mary.
Thomas Charles was central to the founding of Bible Society. His tale of Mary saving her pennies and then walking across Welsh mountains helped inspire others to a vision of God’s Word being made available all across the world. Four years after Mary received her Bible, the British and Foreign Bible Society was founded in London in 1804.
1844-1869: A period of voluntary unorganized Bible Translation work
1869-1958: Bible Agency Work was done in kenya by British and Foreign Bible Society (BFBS).
1958: BFBS Opened an Agency Office in Nairobi to serve East Africa
1970: The Bible Society of Kenya (BSK) was registered as a Society in Kenya
1977: BSK became a full member of the United Bible Society
You probably have a Bible of your own. This true story of how Mary Jones got her Bible may help you to appreciate your Bible in your own language more than ever. The Bible Society sells ordinary Bibles at low prices so that everybody can afford to buy a Bible in their own language.