In November 2017, a middle aged woman came into one of our bookshops, looking for a competition booklet. When asked which one, she said, “All of them!” She explained, “When you opened this bookshop in 2001, you advertised a Bible Contest. It was the first time for me to open a Bible, and I have been reading the Bible ever since! Now I want my children to study the Bible like I did!”

The BSOE now has 18 bookshops, “Ministry Centers,” that are providing an essential nationwide network for making God’s Word available and affordable and understandable to all in Egypt. The presence and ministry of our distribution network has ensured continuity of service. The establishment of these well-known Bible distribution centers has done much to increase local fundraising income. In these past years of change and instability and unpredictability, our presence has been all the more essential in providing the encouragement of the Scriptures to all.

Strategically placed across the country, the infrastructure and personnel for each bookshop are already in place. However, the net income from sales and local fundraising is not enough to cover the running expenses. Subsidy is needed to close the gap and maintain operation, in order to preserve this network which effectively distributes God’s Word throughout Egypt. This project provides subsidy to cover the difference between the expenses incurred in our bookshops nationwide and the income we get both from fundraising and sales through these bookshops. The financial report and accounting is done according to the average of the 17 main bookshops (the other one is in a monastery and has minimal expenses, and we haven’t added this into the calculations).