LHF offers reprinted Spanish Bible/catechism

The second edition of the Lutheran Heritage Foundation’s (LHF) popular Spanish-language Bible with Small Catechism — titled Santa Biblia in Spanish — is available from the Synod Recognized Service Organization.

After the first-edition inventory of 20,000 copies printed in 2008 was depleted, LHF continued to receive orders, prompting production of this second edition of 20,000 hardcover and paperback Bibles.

Those pre-ordered volumes have been shipped, and now LHF is taking new orders “from churches, Hispanic ministries and individuals who want to share the Word of God with their Spanish-speaking neighbors,” states an Oct. 14 news release from LHF.

“This combined volume, with the Bible and Luther’s Small Catechism in one book, is ideal for helping someone understand the Lutheran faith,” said Rev. James Fandrey, LHF’s executive director. “The Bible, with its hundreds of pages, can be overwhelming. The catechism helps explain Scripture in a way that’s understandable to even the newest Christian.”

Almost 15,000 of the Bibles have been shipped overseas, to countries such as Spain, Argentina, Chile and the Dominican Republic. In the United States, they have been distributed through pastors, missionaries, Hispanic outreach ministries, staff at pregnancy centers, mobile dental vans, detention centers at the border with Mexico and others.

Partial funding for LHF’s Spanish Bible-catechism project has come from Lutheran day schools and Sunday schools — “place[s] where people realize the value of the catechism every day,” according to the news release.

“These Bibles couldn’t have been printed without the generous mission offerings of children from across the United States,” said Fandrey. “The quarters and dollars sent by students who adopted LHF’s ‘Amigos en Christo’ mission project have combined to make a big difference in the lives of their Spanish-speaking brothers and sisters in Christ.”

Through that project conducted by LHF in 2009, Lutheran day school, Sunday school and vacation Bible school students have given $17,500 to date to support the Spanish-language Bible with Small Catechism. Each year, LHF sponsors such translation projects for children to adopt.

Additional funding came from Brookfield Lutheran Church in Brookfield, Wis.

“In the Psalms, we’re urged to ‘declare God’s glory among nations,’ ” Fandrey said. “Brookfield Lutheran Church has taken this to heart, setting aside a portion of their offerings for mission work. And we see that the Holy Spirit is working through their gifts.”

To order the Spanish Bible with Small Catechism, call LHF at 800-554-0723 or visit its website, www.lhfmissions.org. To support the ongoing work of the Lutheran Heritage Foundation, a donation of $10 per Bible is suggested.

LHF, with offices in Macomb, Mich., Is “a mission organization dedicated to translating and publishing books of the Lutheran faith into the languages of the world,” according to the release. It conducts such work in more than 75 countries and 90 languages.

Posted Oct. 20, 2010