Interview with Samuel Ekpo, Nederlands-Vlaams Bijbelgenootschap (Netherlands-Flemish Bible Society)

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First things first, let’s start with an introduction. Samuel, who are you?

My name is Samuel Ekpo and I am nearly 43 years old. Originally I’m from Nigeria,

and I have been living in the Netherlands for eleven years now. I’m a pastor at

RCCG (Redeemed Christian Church of God) Throne of David parish in Zoetermeer

and studied theology in Nijmegen and Amsterdam. I’ve been married for ten years

now, and politics is my hobby.

 

You recently started working at the Nederlands-Vlaams Bijbelgenootschap.

What is the NBG?

The NBG is a non-denominational institution founded in 1814 by the British and

Foreign Bible Society. So the organisation is already old! more than 200 years old!

Our Bible Society brings the Bible close to people in the Netherlands, Flanders and

across the world. For we believe that the Bible reveals Gods love. His love that

illuminates our way in life, and sets us in motion. Our three points of focus are:

Bible translation, Bible distribution and Bible engagement.

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We have a lot of materials, like the ‘Bijbel in Gewone Taal’, the Samenleesbijbel in

various languages, and so many translations. And we make materials for Sunday

school for children and youth. You can see all materials in our webshop. We also

support projects outside the Netherlands, for example in Honduras, Ghana and

other countries.

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The NBG has about over fifty staff members, it’s quite a large organisation, and a very professional one too. I was quite impressed, I didn’t know this before I started working here. People can also become a member of the NBG, and give a donation as a token of support for our work and projects.

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Many international churches may know the Bible society in their country of origin. How are those Bible Societies connected with the Netherlands-Flemish Bible Society?

All national Bible societies are connected to one another through the United Bible Society. Through this platform we try to see what we can do together as Bible societies in different countries. It’s about networking and strengthening our cooperation.

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What is your task at the NBG?

I am Relationship Manager Migrant & International Churches. My role is to create awareness that the NBG has all these resources that could be of benefit for the international churches in the Netherlands.  But we also want to know better what the needs of the international churches are and how as NBG we can meet those needs. We are open to new possibilities to develop further, in order to serve Bible distribution and engagement also among the international Christian communities in the Netherlands.

 

So basically, I am here to bridge the gap. In our history of more than 200 years the NBG has mostly been connected with the traditional Dutch churches, but we desire more presence of Christians with a migrant background in our work.

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The NBG hopes that our materials and activities can support the distribution of and engagement with the Bible in the Netherlands. We want to provide a platform where Christians from different backgrounds come together and exchange how we read the Bible, what the Bible means for us as Christians, and how we can share this message with the rest of the world. We hope that by joining our strengths, we can also contribute to the future of the international churches in the Netherlands!

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Thanks for the interview and we wish you many blessings for your work!