Archive for November, 2010

Wycliffe and Me in Belfast

Tuesday, November 30th, 2010

Wycliffe and Me runs once a year around the UK – it’s a one-day event for you to explore how you can be involved, both in the UK and overseas, in God’s work of providing people with his Word in a language they understand well.

Ricky came to the Belfast event on 6 November, and tells us about his experience of the day:

I hadn’t heard much about Wycliffe Bible Translators until coming to study at Belfast Bible College a few years ago. On first properly hearing about Wycliffe at a youth event I was leading at, I really was inspired by both the great value and need for Bible translation. Nevertheless, I thought that this ministry was only for linguists or literacy experts and didn’t see how my gifts could fit into this kind of work.

Through talking to Wycliffe friends and going along to Connect meetings I discovered that there were many other ways in which someone could get involved in supporting translation and literacy. This is when I first heard of Scripture Use work; helping people to use and apply the Bible in their lives.

Exploring Bible translation at Wycliffe and Me

I was invited and came along to Wycliffe and Me in Belfast on 6 November. It was a great day of fellowship and sharing experiences – both of participants and staff alike. John Hamilton shared some thoughts from Luke 24:13-35 and talked about Vision 2025 to wipe out Bible poverty. I found this very interesting and challenging, giving me a desire to find out more about how I could help.

I also enjoyed listening to people’s experiences who had been involved in Bible translation and literacy work as well as support work, such as teaching and administration and of Scripture Use! I found the day very helpful and informative, a good relaxed setting to ask questions and find out more.

The day has made me think more about how the Lord may be leading me in the future and has inspired me about Vision 2025. I would recommend this to anyone who is interested or just curious about the ministry of Wycliffe to come along to a Wycliffe and Me event – it isn’t that scary…trust me!

The next Wycliffe and Me day events will be held in Autumn 2011, but you if you’re interested in finding out more you might consider Window on Wycliffe in February – 6 days of practical exploration of the work of Bible translation.

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The Dedication of the Chumburung Bible

Thursday, November 25th, 2010

Many people in Ghana are celebrating: today is the dedication of the Chumburung Bible! Among those gathered to celebrate are Keir and Gillian Hansford, who have worked with the project for many years.  Keir (pictured below) says:

“May the translation [of God's word] into Chumburung lives go on and on!”

Keir Hansford checks the Chumburung text with a colleague.

The New Testament has been available in Chumburung since 1988.  The language also has a dictionary and grammars, providing access to literacy. Now, after 21 years, the people will be able to read the whole of the Bible in their own language.

Having the entire Bible in their language will help many Chumburung believers grow in faith and love of God.  This includes the thousands who have recently come to know Jesus through the Jesus Film.

This translation project opens up God’s word to over 70,000 people.

But a further 300 million are still waiting for God’s word in their language. Find out how you can share God’s story.

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Posted in Africa, Events, Languages | 2 Comments »

Literacy Programmes in Bwisi

Wednesday, November 24th, 2010

The Bwisi language is spoken in Uganda, but is very rarely written.  Literacy levels are low.  Until recently, Bwisi lacked even its own alphabet; the Roman script provides an inadequate substitute, not least because Bwisi has only 21 letters.

Mugisa (10) reads fluently from Mark in the Bwisi language

Literacy, even for the educated, involved another language.  This is asserted by the results of a test about the Bwisi language, taken by government officials a few years ago:

The highest score that any teacher got was 21%! Others got 7%. Some got 3%. We thought we were educated!

So, when Mark’s Gospel was finished in Bwisi, low literacy levels meant that the demand for written Scripture portions was also low.  After the initial dedication, 5,000 copies of the newly printed books sat in storage.

Since the dedication, literacy programmes have grown.  Now there are primers and spelling guides available.  Kande’s Story, seminars and books about AIDS, are teaching many people in their own language. Passion for Bible translation has multiplied.  Around 3,000 more Mark’s Gospels have been sold.  And people pray for more:

We don’t want just this small part of the Bible [the book of Mark] — we want the whole thing. We are like growing toddlers who are not satisfied with drinking just a bit of sauce — we want to eat lots of meat!

Find out how you can be involved.

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The Mad Cow: Learning to Read

Friday, November 19th, 2010

The work of Wycliffe Bible Translators is to make the Bible accessible to people in their heart language. As well as translation, this involves making the Bible available for different contexts, often involving audio or visual Scriptures, or storying.  In many cases, it means enabling literacy programmes.

Some particpants on the European Training Programme, studying Literacy and Scripture Use, displayed stories for literacy programmes, which they have developed as part of their course.

Collected were both small story books as well as big books for teaching.  Stories included such titles as Housekeeping in the UK, The Parable of the Sower and The Mad Cow.  Each storybook was developed individually over several weeks. The big books were group projects, which they managed to complete in just one and a half days!

An Illustration from The Mad Cow

Katya, a participant who displayed her work, was excited about seeing it finished and being admired:

‘If people from this  culture [in which books are prevalent] are excited, how much more someone in Africa!’

Literacy is just one of the many ways people are involved in Bible translation.  Have a look at the ways you can get involved.

Literacy and Scripture Use are avilable tracks on the Assignment Related Training Course, at the European Training Programme.

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‘World Class?’ Teaching opportunities overseas

Thursday, November 18th, 2010

“We studied the monkeys and chameleons that live around the school… a big step up from the woodlice and caterpillars which my class studied last year!” – Karen in Uganda

‘World Class?’ is an event running in Belfast on Thursday 20 January 2011 which aims to share some of the fantastic opportunities available in teaching overseas.

Would you like a new environment in which to teach? A different climate as winter sets in here in the UK? The chance to be involved in bringing God’s Mission to God’s world?

Take your pick from a computer trainer in Bangladesh to a speech therapist in the Philippines; from an English teacher in Brazil to a music teacher in Madagascar; from a theological education lecturer in Rwanda to a dorm parent in Kenya… and many, many more.

Having been a school principal in a boarding school in Côte d’Ivoire, West Africa for 8 years, I know all about constant staff turn-over.

“Teachers are high on our ‘most wanted’ list and we recruit staff for schools in many parts of the world.” – Mission agency website

This is not just for the younger generation! A couple in their sixties had this to say: “We felt we were useful and that God used our willingness to go, even at our age.”

Or what about teaching English as a foreign language?

“Teaching English can open opportunities to share with students outside class and get involved in local fellowships.” – Mission agency website

‘World Class?’ will be hosted by 14 Mission Agencies Partnership (MAP) agencies including Wycliffe Bible Translators in Belfast on 20 January 2011. It will be  a great opportunity to find out more about the range of opportunities for teachers overseas.

More details and how to register or email Lindsay at l.davis@eauk.org.

Find out more about teaching with Wycliffe.

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Under the Skin of the Scriptures

Tuesday, November 16th, 2010

Biblefresh has four aims: that the church might read the Bible together, be trained in applying and understanding, support Bible translation, and experience the Bible.  It is obvious why Wycliffe are involved in the third!

BiblefreshBut Bible Translation also offers a unique perspective which can change our interaction with the Bible:

“Bible Translation gets under the skin of the Bible. You discover that it is not so much a manual describing what is wrong with my life and how to put it right as a chance to sit at the Father’s feet and get his view of what he has done in history. It’s totally revolutionary stuff and the translator has had a chance to get closer than most of us to the meaning in the text,” says David Morgan.*

So, Wycliffe will host a series of evening classes throughout the Biblefresh year, aiming to train people in the local church to get closer to the Bible personally and to train others.

The classes will cover a range of fascinating topics, including how to understand what a passage is saying, how to approach the array of English translations available to us, how to relate the modern church to the Old Testament, as well as many more.

Find out more about Biblefresh Evening Classes.

Through the Bible in our language, we have a chance to sit at the Father’s feet.  But over 300 million people still don’t have the Bible in the language they understand best. Find out how you can give the story.

*David Morgan is the Director of the European Training Programme.

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Posted in BibleFresh, Events, Training, UK | 1 Comment »

Mobilising the North of England

Wednesday, November 10th, 2010

Kat has just got back from the North of England with the North of England Mission Agency Partnership which is made up of 10 or so different mission organisations.  Wycliffe Bible Translators are working within this partnership so that Christian students at universities in that area come to understand the part that they play in God’s mission of spreading the amazing news of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Representatives from each of the organisations meet up once a term to pray together and to plan events in university Christian Unions.   One set of events that takes place each year is a tour of the universities in the North of England, alternating east and west every other year, this year being the turn of the North-East which will be visiting Newcastle, York, Sheffield, Durham and Leeds.  At each event we share information with students on how they can be involved in God’s mission, both where they are at the moment and also in the future.

Last Friday 5th November marked the start of the tour.  So far, at Newcastle, York and Sheffield, we saw encouraging numbers coming to the CU meetings and had many great conversations.  In each of the meetings we had a time of sung worship, heard stories from people involved in mission in the UK and overseas, and a speaker shared on an aspect of God’s mission.

Still to come are events in Durham and Leeds, so please pray for many useful conversations, for God’s word to be shared faithfully and that each of the students will be encouraged to seek God’s plan for every aspect of their lives.  If you’re a student from Durham or Leeds you may have heard about this from your CU, and it’d be great to see you there!

If you’re not a student but aged 18-30 and you’d like to organise an event in your area then email Kat at connect_uk@wycliffe.org for more information, we’d love to share the amazing things that God is doing through Bible translation with you.

Fiund out more about joining with other 18-30s excited about Bible translation.

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Wycliffe International Day of Prayer

Tuesday, November 9th, 2010

“If people stop praying, there’s no point in us going back there. The battle is so fierce that unless you have an army of prayers and supporters behind you, you don’t stand a chance.”

Theresa’s thoughts on translating the Bible in a nominally Christian group of islands in Papua New Guinea.  Read more of her story here.

Wycliffe have held an annual day of prayer for the past fifty years.  Today we have another chance to partner together, praying that we would see people from every nation, tribe and tongue reading and believing God’s word.

The scope of our prayers is huge: praying for missionaries, for ongoing translation projects, for people who do not yet have the Scriptures, as well as for those who already have them.

If you’d like to join in with praying for what God is doing around the world there are several ways you can do this:

Find out more about how you can be involved with the ongoing work of Bible translation.

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From Orphans to Sons and Daughters

Thursday, November 4th, 2010

Eddie Arthur, our UK director, has been posting some of the videos from Lausanne 3 (the third Lausanne Congress on World Evangelisation, about which we blogged here). Below is one from a series on Scripture in Mission, on the priority of making the Bible accessible to all.

Why not share this, and other videos in the series, with your church, house group, prayer partners and friends?

You can find other videos from this series here.

Find out more about how you can give the Bible story.

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John Eliot: Apostle to the Indians

Wednesday, November 3rd, 2010

Did you know that the first Bible published in the Americas was not in English? It was in fact in the Algonquin language of the Massachusetts Indians, and this was the work of an English missionary named John Eliot who arrived in Boston on this day 378 years ago.

Eliot, who began his work across the Atlantic as the minister of a small church congregation, became the first Christian missionary to dedicate his life to ministry among a Native American people group, learning the local Native dialect to assist him in this task.

Having learned the language, he also saw the necessity of giving the story of God’s love to the people in a more permanent way than just through his own personal ministry. To this end, he worked on a translation of the Bible, which was published in 1663.

Yet, in oral cultures, a translation into a people’s heart language means little without literacy. So, Eliot taught them to read.  His concern for the linguistics of the people led him to publish a book, ‘The Indian Grammar Begun…for the furtherance of the Gospel among them’. His linguistic work is recognized as a major stepping-stone in the formation of linguistics as a scientific discipline.

When, in the Indian Wars of the 1670’s, many editions of the Algonquin Bible were destroyed, Eliot, rather than despairing at the destruction of his work, set about revising and republishing the Bible in that language:

‘Up, and be doing, and the Lord will be with thee’!

Eliot’s work in translation and linguistics began over 300 years ago.  But today, more than 340 million people still do not have a single word of Scripture in the language they understand best.  Find out how you can give the Story.

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Posted in Events, Missionary life, People | 1 Comment »