Kenya (MNN) — Bible translators need your prayers as they meet this week in Kenya.
Today is day two of unfoldingWord’s Church-Centric Bible Translation Forum, a gathering aimed at strengthening global collaboration in Scripture translation. The event brings together nearly 100 leaders from 18 countries and 28 language groups in Nairobi. Read about last year’s CCBT Forum here.
“Some of them work in countries that have religious opposition, all the way up to death threats and assassinations,” Dane* with unfoldingWord says.
(Graphic courtesy of unfoldingWord)
Kenya provides the neutral territory needed to facilitate a meeting of this size. Dane says, “We chose Kenya because it’s a very welcoming country, and it seems much easier for many of our global partners to get visas to Kenya than other parts of the world.”
unfoldingWord supports church-planting work among every people group by equipping believers with open-licensed biblical resources and training to translate God’s Word into their heart language.
“If we tried to do all of this translation work ourselves, we would immediately exceed our capacity. That’s why we are equipping an [independent] network of church planters and disciple-making ministries across the world with church-centric Bible translation tools, technology, and training,” Dane says.
“That network continues to expand, and as a result, hundreds and hundreds of new languages are being engaged in a formative process for them, individually and for their people.”
Learn more about unfoldingWord’s approach here.
“We’re not alone”: building a global family
The Church-Centric Bible Translation Forum builds upon unfoldingWord’s global church planting network, connecting believers near and far. The four-day meeting is comprehensive, offering education, training, and opportunities for collaboration and networking.
“Almost half of the people coming are new, and so it will be an introduction to how church-centric Bible translation works,” Dane says.
In addition, “They’ll have testimonies, and breakout sessions on overcoming barriers, security, funding, technology, and all of those kinds of things.”
(Graphic courtesy of unfoldingWord)
Believers gain more than practical skills at the forum. “What they tell us is, ‘It’s very difficult what we do, but when we meet brothers and sisters from other parts of the world who do this with us, we realize we’re not alone,’” Dane says.
“When they get to meet each other for the first time, face-to-face, it’s like this family that they didn’t know they had.”
Pray that the Holy Spirit would fill all the presenters and breakout leaders. Pray for the work that God is doing and is about to do through church planters and Bible translators.
Believers in Benin tell unfoldingWord, “We see Muslims giving themselves to Christ, imams giving themselves to Christ, kings giving themselves to Christ. Give us more. We want to keep going.”
Consider partnering with unfoldingWord to support this work. A $45,000 matching grant will double every gift made through December 31.
*Name withheld for security purposes.
Header and story images courtesy of unfoldingWord.
