April 19, 2021

Dear Friends,

One of the big advantages of staying for a long time in the same ministry is to be able to observe staff grow, mature and assume greater responsibilities. Our real “capital” at the Bible Society is our dedicated, committed and competent staff team.

Tapping unexpected potential

In a recent zoom meetings with our Sales, Fundraising and Warehouse teams, I was very encouraged by their great commitment to the Bible cause and their determination to persevere in spite of the complicated and difficult circumstances due to COVID-19. But one of the things that struck me most during these meetings was to realize that some of the best sales and fundraising staff were initially employed in very simple “lowly” jobs, and over the years grew in maturity, stature and responsibility.

In my wildest imagination I could not have imagined that these people would gradually work their way up into these positions and excel at them.  This taught me to never underestimate the potential of a human being and that our most important investment is investing in people who, as they do their work and excel in it, can assume broader responsibilities.

One such young man was enabled to get his diploma, went on to graduate with a degree in theology from the Coptic Seminary and is now one of our most successful fundraisers.

Mark  (not his real name) was hired as a driver about 25 years ago and I frankly did not think of him as anything but a “driver”! During the millennium celebrations, we had such a busy time at the Cairo International Bookfair that he was asked to man one of the bookstands on a temporary basis. I remember coming to visit the Bookfair at the end of the day and when I saw Mark, he was busy selling Jesus’ films to eager customers from all sorts of different backgrounds. When he saw me, he had a big smile on his face and told me, “Mr. Atallah, I am so excited, today I was able to sell 50 Jesus’ films to people who I never would have imagined would be interested in them!”. He eventually obtained a Bachelor’s Degree and applied for the job of a salesman and was accepted. He is now a strong believer and one of our best salesmen!

Another person John (again not his real name) was a warehouse supervisor in one of our branch offices. He did not strike me as a person with much potential, but over the years, grew in stature and responsibility.  We helped him obtain an MBA and now he is one of our Senior leaders. These are only examples of our 210 staff members spread all across the country.

Long term experience and youthful enthusiasm

I thank God for the privilege of being able to have stayed long enough to see the development of these people and to be confident that the Bible Society is in good hands. Old timers provide stability, but most organizations need the fresh input of new blood to face the new challenges of these difficult days.

We thank God for providing us with several young, enthusiastic and extremely competent staff during the past few years.  Just last week we hired two young women to help increase our digital media production capacity and online impact.  During their interview process, it was clear that the salary we were offering was significantly less than what they could get elsewhere. But they both said that their commitment to God’s Word made them passionate to work for the Bible Society of Egypt.
 
Looking back with thanks

As we look back at 2020, we are thankful for the resilience, perseverance and commitment of our wonderful staff team who helped steer us through one of the most challenging years of our recent history!

Thank you for your continued prayers and financial support for us as we continue to try to make God’s Word available to as many people as possible.

Sincerely, 

Ramez Atallah
General Director
The Bible Society of Egypt