Samstock is a Christian Music Festival held each year in Mosgiel, Otago and attended by around 750 young people from all over the South Island. It’s an event put together by young people for young people who come together to hear local, national and international bands and hear the gospel message expressed through the creative arts.
As a major sponsor of this great event, Bible Society was represented this year by Stephen Opie (Bible Engagement Advocate), Bruce Peterson (Projects and Events Manager), Silke Hendel (Marketing Manager) and our Otago/Southland Regional Services Representative Stephen White.
We were able to introduce young people to Bible Society’s ministry and mission as well as talk to them about the importance of reconnecting with their Bibles. We handed out over 350 Real Life New Testaments to teens who wanted one for themselves or wanted to share God’s Word with someone else.
We also held a text translation competition asking people to re-write 2 or 3 verses of the Bible into kiwi text language. Visit Stephen’s Blog to read more about it and see the amalgamation of the best entries.

Our overall competition winner, Sophie from Mosgiel, receiving her Audio Bible.

Sophie’s Samstock story

This year was my first time at Samstock, having just moved to Mosgiel, so I was really excited to check it out. I love the atmosphere of music festivals; everyone’s so relaxed and just keen to have a good time, and Samstock was certainly no different! Samstock was a chance for me to hang out with the sweet kids from my new youth group and get to know them a bit better, as well as listen to some incredible music. It’s always so inspiring to be able to hear what other musicians are doing, and the way they’re using their music to share what their faith means to them. I love it when a whole bunch of students who are passionate about God get together to just hang out. There’s something really special about that.
I was keen to enter the Bible Society’s Txt Translation competition, because I love the idea of translating the Bible into language that is easy to understand. Jesus is so relevant to our culture today, and it helps if the language of the Bible is too! I was so stoked to get the txt telling me that I’d won an audio bible. I had said to Mum just the week before that I really wanted to get one so I could put it on my iPod and go running while listening. It’s often hard to fit reading the Bible into my day, but with an audio bible, I can listen to it on the bus, in the car, and anywhere really. I’m so grateful to the Bible Society for their generosity, and for the way they’re reaching out to young people and helping us to understand the life-changing stuff in the Bible. I just hope now that my audio bible reveals more about God to me, and how the message of Jesus holds hope for the world. And I’m praying that I’ll be challenged, inspired, and changed.

Story reported by Sophie – Samstock supporter, Mosgiel