International (MNN) — Roughly half the world's population is
illiterate. Oral cultures make up most
of those illiterate populations, which makes storytelling key to learning.
Ken Edwards of Faith Comes By
Hearing says that approach to evangelism is what's behind their "Every Church, Every Village"
program. "We provide solar powered
audio Bibles with the complete New Testament, a word-for-word reading in a
dramatized format so that they can listen to the Word of God in their own
language and understand what God is saying to them."
The Proclaimer was developed
primarily as a playback device for poor and illiterate people who may not have
any other source to hear God's Word.
The units are free. What's the catch? Edwards says, "We are able to provide
these without cost to the churches for their short term trips. All we ask in
return is to make sure they get used. Also, since we have donors that have generously supported this
project;,we need to be accountable to them. We are asking the churches to give
us some feedback on how they were received."
For example, more than 100 groups have taken Creole
Proclaimers to Haiti. These groups range from medical professionals,
feeding ministries, rebuilding and construction experts, and well-drilling teams
to dental specialists, grief counselors and water filtration teams.
One aid worker named Ty took four Proclaimers
along with his water purification group. While there, he met Pastor Gregory and
gave him a Proclaimer.
"Pastor Gregory, once an orphan himself, now
is the pastor for the surrounding community and neighboring villages,"
reported Ty. "His orphanage, normally home to 80-100 orphans, now is home
to over 1,000 families–mostly children who have evacuated Port-au-Prince. I
can only imagine the stress he is under to lead in a trying time."
"With a massive influx of refugees, the
immediate need to provide hope and direction to new refugees and existing
community through God's Word was just as vital as clean water," he said.
Ty continues by describing what happened when they
turned on the Proclaimer.
"The expression on his face was priceless. I
could feel his excitement radiate from him. As a desperate but faithful pastor
of a devastated, overcrowded community, he now had a way to communicate to
the masses who were not only thirsty for clean water but thirsty for God's
Word."
During the first year of the Every
Church, Every Village program, more than 6,500 Bible Listening
programs have begun in 80 countries.
The short-term mission trip
season is right around the corner. FCBH has Scripture in 435 languages to choose
from. If your team can take some
Proclaimers with them, please allow at least three to four weeks to receive them. Click here for more details.
