By St Ann Parishioner
KOTA PADAWAN — The ONE2026 Campaign & Biatah Audio Bible Launch was successfully held on Feb 7 2026 at St Ann Catholic Church, bringing together Church leaders, government representatives, and faithful from various denominations in a spirit of unity and thanksgiving.
The launch was honoured by the presence of invited guests, including Church leaders, representatives from different Christian denominations, and community partners. Attendance was estimated at about 1000 people, comprising members of various Protestant Churches as well as parishioners of St Ann Catholic Church, reflecting the strong ecumenical support and wide community interest in the Biatah Audio Bible initiative.
The event marked a significant milestone in making the Word of God accessible to the Biatah-speaking community through audio format, allowing parishioners to listen to Scripture in their own heart language. This initiative is especially meaningful for elderly believers, those with limited literacy, and younger generations who engage more readily through digital and audio media.
The program began with registration and the arrival of invited guests led by traditional dancers, reflecting the rich cultural heritage of the Biatah community. Highlights included praise and worship, a video presentation on the language translation project, sharing on the translation process, a cultural presentation, and the official launch ceremony. During the event, Audio Bible Proclaimer devices were handed over to six Church leaders representing different Christian denominations, symbolising a shared mission to spread God’s Word across communities. The launch was formally launched by Archbishop Simon Poh, with three ceremonial gong beats followed by a public listening of the Gospel reading from John 1:1–17 in the Biatah language.
In his keynote address, Archbishop Simon Poh highlighted the profound spiritual significance of listening to Scripture. He reflected that voice is the vibration of air broken into pulses like heartbeats, and that listening to God’s Word is akin to listening to the heartbeat of Jesus. His message reminded the faithful that human beings do not live by bread alone but also by every word that comes from God, emphasising the transformative power of Scripture when heard and received with faith.
The Biatah Audio Bible recording was carried out from Mar 31 to May 20 2025 at St Ann’s Baruk. It involved a total of 19 participants: 12 parishioners from St Ann, six members from the Anglican Churches in Kampung Quop, Kampung Sungai Duuh, Kampung Duras, and Penrissen area, as well as a pastor from Goodnews Fellowship. The 2014 edition of the Biatah Bible was used in recording the entire New Testament.
Technical recording was conducted by staff from SIL (Summer Institute of Linguistics), an international organisation whose main objective is to translate the Bible into the heart languages of minority communities worldwide, so that Jesus may be brought closer to all people. The project was endorsed by Archbishop Simon Poh and carried out in collaboration with the office of Faith Comes By Hearing (FCBH). The launch itself was co-sponsored by FCBH and St Ann Catholic Church.
The ONE2026 Campaign is an annual program organised by Protestant Churches to mark the beginning of the Lenten season. It brings together Protestant Churches not only from Asia but also from the United States, reflecting its international reach and shared commitment to promoting access to Scripture. The presence of Asian directors of the ONE2026 Campaign at the launch underscored its wider regional vision to promote Bible access in diverse ethnic languages across Asia.
The Audio Bible initiative aims to deepen spiritual growth by enabling individuals and families to encounter Scripture in daily life — whether at home, during travel, or in moments of prayer. Listening together also fosters communal faith, strengthens understanding of the Gospel, and helps bridge generational gaps within the Church. In Sarawak, oral Bible initiatives already exist in several languages, including ban, Melanau, Kayan, Penan, and Bidayuh (Bau and Serian), placing the Biatah Audio Bible within a growing movement to make Scripture accessible through hearing.
The launch concluded with a training session on the use of the Proclaimer devices, followed by a fellowship meal and cultural presentations. Overall, the event was not only a technological introduction but a pastoral milestone, affirming the Church’s commitment to ensuring that the Word of God is accessible to all people, regardless of language or literacy level. Through the Biatah Audio Bible, the faithful are invited to draw closer to God, discovering that listening to His Word can become a living encounter with Christ ; comforting, nourishing, and guiding them in their daily lives. – Today’s Catholic
