Welcome to DandenongBEC.org.au, the website of the Dandenong Bible Education Centre, a community resource in Dandenong, offering many Bible-related services and more.
Did you know that you can now also view our website at www.BibleCourses.com.au?
What does a demand for stew have to do with the children who attend Bible Explorers each Sunday?
On the occasion of the Bible Explorers’ concert on September 14 the children were performing a simple musical about the life of the Old Testament twin brothers Jacob and Esau. Through drama and song they were able to show the audience some of what they have been learning at Bible Explorers each week. In Old Testament times the oldest son received the “birthright” – the right to inherit a double portion of his father’s property and power. Jacob, the younger son, wanted his brother Esau’s birthright. When Esau asked for some stew when he returned from hunting in the fields, Jacob arranged to swap his stew for Esau’s birthright.
A happy afternoon was spent watching the children’s enactment of these Bible stories, seeing them being awarded their prizes and enjoying afternoon tea. Bible Explorers runs each Sunday from 11.30-12.30. We welcome new enrolments.
Have you ever wondered what missionaries do? What has that to do with the Bible anyway?
Here at the Dandenong Bible Education Centre we are very keen on mission work - mission work at home, here in Australia, and mission work in many poor countries of the world.
That’s why we want to show you more! Come along on our Open Day (with a mission focus) to learn more about what is happening around the world. We plan to be open from 11am - 2pm, so you have plenty of time to come and join in. Don’t forget to bring your children, grandchildren or the neighbours’ children, because there will be special activities for them. If you wish to have the children coming to Bible Explorers each Sunday, ask for an enrolment form. At lunch time, have a chat whilst munching on a sausage fresh from the barbeque.
On Open Day you can join the lending library for a once off fee of only $5. Browse through our free literature (both in English and some other languages) and take what you wish to read. Look at the Bibles, books, cards and gifts for sale. Of particular interest to many are the foreign language Bibles. One table will have items for sale which were handmade in Bangladesh - beautiful cross stitch bookmarks, necklaces and cards.
Above all, ask any questions you may have of the friendly staff. These could be questions about the Bible, or about overseas mission work. Enjoy yourself and learn more on October 11!
A “porta-BEC” has just opened in South Africa. What’s that? It’s a portable Bible Education Centre which has been created using a 6m shipping container in Port Elizabeth. This moveable centre can take God’s message of hope to those who need to hear it.
What a great idea!
Painting the logo at the porta-BEC
Following on from Open Day is Mission Sunday. Our usual church service begins at 9.30am, followed by morning tea and the New Life Class at 11.30am. The leader for this session has recently visited Bangladesh as a missionary so the class is sure to be full of interesting information. The speaker says that it will be suitable for young and old alike, so feel free to bring children. Those usually involved in the Bible Explorers’ classes will be joining in the mission Sunday activities. A multicultural lunch is planned to follow.
Did you know that it is estimated that there are over 150 million people in the small country of Bangladesh? Under one percent of these are Christian. Bangladesh is one of the poorest and least developed nations of the world. During monsoons about two thirds of the land is flooded. Whilst this helps to supply water for the rice crops, it makes life extremely difficult for those living there. Many of these people find it hard to feed and clothe their families. Some people earn money by using their creative talents to make items for sale.
At Open Day on October 11, 11am-2pm, there will be a table of items made in Bangladesh for sale. These will include beautiful cards, cross stitch bookmarks and jewellery. Come in and have a look!
Australia is not the only country to have a “Bible Education Centre”. In South Africa there are four. There is one in Cambodia and another in Korea. In Hyderabad, India, is a Bible Centre. Missionary workers from countries like Australia work in these centres with those who live there, to help others to learn about the Bible and find out that there is hope for the future. Often people in the poorer countries of the world feel the need of God more than those who seem to have plenty, like in Australia. However the need is just as great here – we all sin, and will all die, so we all need the saving work of Jesus Christ. With this hope we can live a meaningful life now and also look forward to eternal life in God’s kingdom on earth when Jesus returns. Maybe you haven’t visited our centre to find out what is being offered. See what we are enthusiastic about!
Open Day (October 11, 11am-2pm)
The Bible Centre in Hyderabad, India
Durban Bible Education Centre, South Africa
![]() Meal-a-Day Academy in Monrovia, Liberia |
![]() The Nalondo School for Handicapped Children, Kenya |
![]() Moinabad children’s home, A.P., India |
While it is most important to tell others of God’s message of hope as found in the Bible, it is also important to help with the physical needs of the poor. Jesus said that when you do good to others you are doing good to him! Overseas mission work includes many areas of help. Christadelphians run schools for the handicapped, homes for orphans, leprosy clinics, resources for the blind, nutrition drinks for children and so on. Information about some of these projects can be found on the websites listed at the bottom of this page. Want to know more? Ask us! Come to the Dandenong Bible Education Centre:
Open Day
October 11, 11am-2pm
| October 5 | Spotlight on the Bible: Josiah’s stand for truth | |
| October 12 | Mission Sunday | |
| October 19 | How archaeology helps confirm your faith | |
| October 26 | Christian living: pride and humility | |
| November 2 | Modesty - what guidance does the Bible give? | |
| November 9 | The Sermon on the Mount | |
| November 16 | Did God really write the Bible? | |
| November 23 | Global warming | |
| November 30 | Jesus: lamb of God |
p2pearth.blogspot.com
www.agapeinaction.com
www.thisisyourbible.com
www.meal-a-day.org
www.thechristadelphians.org/cbmsa
bethezer.blogspot.com
www.gladtidingsmagazine.com
www.cbm.org.uk
acbmcambodia.blogspot.com
www.korbible.net
Spring is a wonderful time of the year! With it we see the world come alive as it were from the dead of winter and the birds return while the leaves and blossoms appear on the trees.
Solomon aptly described this glorious season, saying:
“For lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth, the time of singing is come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land.”Song of Solomon 2:11-12
Spring is an excellent reminder that things do not always continue as they currently are. Just as the cold of winter doesn’t last all year, so this world will not continue in its present state for ever. There is a Godly springtime coming when “the Lord will be king over all the earth” (Zech 14:9) and “the dead in Christ shall arise” (1 Thess 4:16). If we want to be a part of that glorious new age, we had better be preparing for it now. The farmer who doesn’t prepare for spring during the winter months will not be able to harvest a crop. So, too, if we do not prepare for the return of Christ, we will not be a part of the wonderful kingdom of God on earth. Want to know more? Join our classes and courses or just come in to chat. We are normally open Monday to Friday 10am-2pm, as well as Sundays and evenings for courses.
We can all easily and safely buy a Bible in English these days. However this has not always been the case. Join us on September 7 to view “The Forbidden Book”. This documentary tells the history of the Bible, and how God has preserved His Word for thousands of years to countless generations.
It was shot on location throughout Europe, and brings to life many important places of Christian history. You will learn how God's Word was originally scribed in Hebrew and Greek.
Discover how the Word was preserved through the 1,000 year period known as the Dark and Middle Ages, when possession of scripture in any language other than Latin meant certain death at the hands of the organized church. As you travel back in time, you will feel as if you are actually meeting John Wycliffe, the first person to translate the Bible into English. You will see the door where Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses, that started the Protestant Reformation. You will visit Erasmus's illegal printing shop, which is a book store today. You will find that William Tyndale was burned at the stake. His Crime? Printing the Bible in the English language. Learn how the printing of the 1611 King James Bible came to be.
Find out more – come on Sunday September 6 at 11.30am and watch this informative DVD.
At our shop, we have free copies of the “Glad Tidings” magazine. If you would like to read them, please contact us for a free six-month subscription to the magazine. When you have finished reading them, why not pass them on to a friend who can also enjoy the variety of articles about many different subjects in the Bible?
The oldest recorded age of a person in the Bible was the age of Methuselah. He lived in the time before Noah and the great flood. This old man was very old – but how old? Find out by adding the numbers below:
Total: _____
Now multiply your answer by the number of days Jonah was in the big fish (Jonah 1:17) and you should have found out Methuselah’s age. Check in your Bible to see if you were right! The answer is in Genesis 5:27.
We stock Bibles and literature in more than 70 languages other than English. However there are so many languages in the world and we couldn’t stock them all. If you want a particular Bible we do our best to order one in for you. However if we can't find a Bible in your language try looking at the following websites:
On these sites parts of the Bible or the entire Bible are available to download in various languages including:
| Afrikaans | Albanian | Arabic | Armenian |
| Awadhi | Belorussian | Bengali | Bosnian |
| Bolivian | Bulgarian | Catalan | Cebuano |
| Chinese | Croatian | Cuzco | Czech |
| Danish | Dutch | Ecuadorian | Esperanto |
| Estonian | Farsi | Finnish | French |
| Gaelic | German | Gothic | Greek |
| Gujarati | Haitian-Creole | Hebrew | Hindi |
| Hungarian | Icelandic | Indonesian | Italian |
| Japanese | Kannada | Korean | Kurdish |
| Latin | Latvian | Lithuanian | Malayalam |
| Manx | Maori | Marathi | Nepali |
| Norwegian | Oriya | Portuguese | Polish |
| Punjabi | Quechua | Russian | Romanian |
| Serbian | Slovak | Slovenian | Spanish |
| Swahili | Swedish | Tagalog | Tamil |
| Telugu | Thai | Turkish | Ukrainian |
| Urdu | Vietnamese |
| September 7 | Video: “The Forbidden Book” |
| September 14 | Sin and repentance |
| September 21 | Spotlight on the Bible: Hezekiah |
| September 28 | A visual tour of Israel |
| October 5 | Spotlight on the Bible: Josiah’s stand for truth |
| October 12 | Mission Sunday |
| October 19 | How archaeology helps confirm your faith |
| October 26 | Christian living: pride and humility |
Saturday October 11, 11am-2pm
Focus on mission work