Articles for tag: Pioneer Bible Translators

News Briefs for December 6

The 2024 Pressing on Conference will be take place in St. Charles, Mo., April 9-11. . . . Also, briefs from Mountain Christian Church, Common Grounds Unity Podcast, Great Lakes Christian College, and Hope International University . . . and the inductions of L.D. Campbell and Bill Greer into a hall of fame.

illumiNations: A Bible Translation in Every Language by 2033!

By Greg Pruett Consider the chaotic world around you. You might conclude we live in dark times. But in the less visible world of God’s kingdom, this could be God’s finest hour! We live in that historic moment when God’s Word will soon reach every language community on earth. In the 1940s, the visionary originators of the Bible-translation movement first started gaining traction with the idea that everyone should have Scripture in their own language. They had no idea the coming generations would document more than 7,300 languages in the world. Brave men and women gave their lives in rural

Interview: David Empson Discusses ICOM’s Roller-coaster Year

By Jim Nieman The International Conference On Missions’ executive director, staff, and this year’s president have had to overcome monumental challenges in planning this year’s event in the age of COVID-19. Work for the November conference essentially had to begin anew over the summer when ICOM announced it was switching to a hybrid format—both online and in-person. ICOM officials have promised the in-person portion will be safe and comfortable, but limited mainly to the popular exhibit area where so many friends and mission agencies connect. The virtual aspect, meanwhile, will be robust and comprehensive, so that as many as possible

The Pandemic’s Impact on International Missions (and What We All Can Learn from It)

By David Empson The church in America could learn much from how foreign missionaries persevered during the coronavirus while continuing to advance the cause of Christ. In early April, I received an email update from sisters Megan and Michelle Moss, missionaries serving in Tanzania. At the time, most Americans were still homebound and wrestling with internet issues, virtual meetings, and restaurant withdrawal. Mostly, we were wondering how long this pandemic would last. The Mosses wrote: ________ Many times, as missionaries, we really need you to be there for us. But right now, we’re seeing how God has equipped us in

GLCC Honors Chuck and Amy Emmert (Plus News Briefs)

Chuck and Amy Emmert were presented the Dr. Doty Divine Servant Award on Aug. 29 as a part of the Commencement service for the 2020 graduates at Great Lakes Christian College, Lansing, Mich. The Emmerts started ministry in the local church in 1975 while attending GLCC and served the Memorial Church of Christ (Livonia, Mich.), Novesta Church of Christ (Cass City, Mich.), and the Duplain Church of Christ (St. Johns, Mich.). Chuck and Amy graduated in 1978 and 1977, respectively. The Emmerts will conclude their ministry with the Duplain Church of Christ on Dec. 31 and retire. The Divine Servant

ICOM Changes 2020 Gathering to Both In-Person/Online

By Jim Nieman As the world has battled the coronavirus the last several months, representatives of the International Conference On Missions have repeatedly been asked the same question about their annual gathering, “Are you meeting in person or online in November?” The answer finally came this week. ICOM 2020 will be both. The gathering that attracts thousands of missionaries and mission-focused individuals each year will take place Friday and Saturday, Nov. 20 and 21, at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis. But (and this is important), some of the activities that draw the largest crowds—including main sessions and workshops—will take

Emmanuel Adds New Concentration to MDIV Program (Plus News Briefs)

Compiled by Jim Nieman and Chris Moon Emmanuel Christian Seminary at Milligan will offer a new concentration in Christian Spiritual Formation as part of its Master of Divinity program starting this fall. The concentration will provide a professional course of study focusing on the processes and traditions of practice that support a transformative, flourishing, and joyful life of Christian discipleship. “Spiritual formation is at the core of what we do at Emmanuel,” said Dr. Gary Selby, professor of ministerial formation. “As we prepare the next generation . . . , we aim to strengthen spiritual formation in a way that

Waran People Celebrate Bible Dedication (Plus News Briefs)

Compiled by Jim Nieman and Chris Moon Mac Silvey recently posted a YouTube video showing the Waran people of Papua New Guinea celebrating the dedication of the New Testament translated for them by Pioneer Bible Translators. The translation was a labor of love for PBT’s William and Robin Butler, as detailed in Greg Pruett’s article “To the Least and the Last” in our November issue. The celebration took place, but due to “issues and setbacks” at the printing plant, Silvey said, the actual printed Bibles didn’t arrive for another few weeks. _ _ _ Other News Briefs A Dallas Christian

Pioneer Bible Translators (Papua New Guinea): To the Least and the Last

By Greg Pruett When Al Hamilton was founding Pioneer Bible Translators in the early 1970s, William and Robin Butler were among the first missionaries he recruited. Al had heard William explaining a Greek assignment to a friend in the campus bookstore and, on his way out the door, tapped William on the shoulder and whispered in his ear, “Sounds like you would make a good Bible translator.” That comment planted an enduring seed. In 1975, at a snowy National Missionary Convention in St. Louis, William and his fiancée, Robin True, went forward to give their lives to the work of

Laura-McKillip-Wood

Partnering for Change

By Laura McKillip Wood The 75-year-old, one of few literate Roma women in Ukraine, had read the Bible for years in Russian and Ukrainian. She spoke both languages, in addition to her own dialect of the Roma language. When translators presented to her the story of the prodigal son, newly translated into the Roma dialect, a smile spread across her face. With tears in her eyes, she said, “I have read this story many times, but this is the first time I have understood it!” This reaction underscores the importance of a new project underway that partners a Ukrainian college,

Deaf Missions (U.S.): Seeing God’s Word Come to Life

By Mary Alice Gardner “Do not forget us, Lord; do not forget your Deaf people,” her prayer begins. She is in a huddle of a dozen people who watch her signs and nod in agreement. When the prayer concludes, each person stacks one hand in the middle of the circle. The top hand forms the sign for amen and on the count of three all hands rise, lifting the prayer to Heaven. So begins an ordinary translation day for the American Sign Language Version (ASLV) team headquartered at Deaf Missions in Council Bluffs, Iowa. While it might be an ordinary

Community Bank Donates Building to Church (Plus News Briefs)

A Christian church in Illinois recently was given a former bank building as a place to expand its food pantry. The Longview Bank and Trust donated its former branch building in Chrisman, Ill., to Chrisman Christian Church. The building is adjacent to the church facility. Larry Henson, chairman of the church, told the Independent News that the church planned “to convert the old bank into a new food bank.” According to its website, Chrisman Christian Church has a “Gather Round the Table” ministry that includes the food pantry and a backpack program that provides food to children each weekend during the

The Pocket Superhero

How to share Scripture with immigrants in their language   By Greg Pruett Weary from a long trip, I was tempted to ignore the Uber driver on my way home from the airport, but then I remembered missionaries are supposed to share the gospel. (Actually, we’re all supposed to do that!) A little reluctantly, I asked the man, “Where are you from?” “I’m from Dallas,” he responded. I could tell the story was more nuanced than that, so I probed a bit more: “Where are your parents from?” His answer intrigued me: “Ethiopia.” “What languages do you speak?” “I speak

More Than Bible Translation 

By Greg Pruett  It was my first day on the job back in 1994, and I was eager to get started. I walked onto the West African scene fully trained to translate the Bible””tomes of knowledge about Greek, linguistics, and missiology crammed into my mind. But when the sun rose on my first workday at Pioneer Bible Translators, my mentor didn”t escort me to a desk to show me how to translate. Instead, he walked me over to a well he had hand-dug for the village to show these Muslim people the love of Christ, and we started troubleshooting a

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