Since 1993, the Lutheran Heritage Foundation has been answering God’s call in Matthew 28 to “make disciples of all nations” by translating the good books of our Lutheran faith into the languages of the world.
From humble beginnings (and with the generous support of the Schwan Foundation), LHF now has translations in 169 languages, which are provided at no cost to Lutheran churches, missionaries and individuals in more than 100 countries.
Every day, LHF receives requests for our good Lutheran books from people wanting to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with new believers both here in the United States and around the world.
But more and more, LHF has begun receiving new types of requeststhis time, for digital versions of these same Lutheran books.
In militantly Muslim countries like Somalia and Kazakhstan, it can be next to impossible to be a Christian sharing the faith. Possession of a Christian book can mean death for the giver and for the receiver. This concern for safety has opened a floodgate of requests for LHF books in digital form.
“The first Somali Christian I met was a young man called Ali,” said Rev. Mohamed Gurhan, LHF’s Somali translator who recently fled Somalia for fear of his life and the lives of his family. “He said that he knew me through a Christian mission website, which led him to convert to Christianity. I received two emails from a Somali woman and man living in Syria and Djibouti respectively, who both shared that they began to follow Jesus when they studied Christian materials on my website.”
Rev. Gurhan’s injuries from a stoning by Muslim imams in Somalia.
In isolated and impoverished regions of the world, including the hills of Southeast Asia, illiteracy prevents people from reading the books they receive from LHF. In countries like Cambodia, LHF has received numerous requests to begin producing audiobook recordings of our translations.
LHF is following the successful format the Somali converts shared, making as many titles available online as copyright permissions will allow, including ebooks and audio books of the titles shown below. LHF has begun experimenting with direct download functionality from the LHF website, Issuu. com (ebooks) and Spotify and Apple Podcast (audio recordings). Through these platforms, even those who live in highly persecuted areas or who cannot read can still access the Gospel!
LHF will begin with titles like these as we work to acquire other Lutheran titles.
Rev. Dr. A.L. Barry’s “What About...” series
LHF’s new digital venture includes new expenses. This work is only possible with the support of faithful Lutherans like the Marvin M. Schwan Charitable Foundation! LHF’s Cambodian team is spearheading our digital efforts, creating templates and procedures that other teams will imitate. Thus, we prayerfully request that the Schwan Foundation consider providing LHF with a $20,000 grant to support these budget needs:
● Equipment. Recording teams for each language will need access to quality microphones and computers with sufficient processing & memory.
● Subscriptions. Subscriptions to online platforms and audio providers enable LHF teams to create quality recordings and post them more widely.
● Training & talent. Costs include training in-house staff in the various platforms, who will then train international teams in audio recording and editing, as well as costs for native speakers to narrate.
● Website enhancement. LHF’s website will be expanded to incorporate ebooks and audio files.
These projects have already begun!
You can listen to LHF’s first audio books on Spotify:
● Go to Spotify
● In the Search window, type “Lutheran Heritage Foundation” and hit Enter
● Click on the Khmer (a Cambodian language) God’s Word For You
In these recordings, you’ll hear introductory music and different voices narrating various parts of the book, making these recordings more engaging for the listener.
“Martin Luther used the technology of his time - the printing press - to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ,” said Rev. Dr. Matthew Heise, LHF’s executive director. “Today, we seek to walk in Luther’s footsteps by using the technology of our day to introduce new believers to Christ, as well as to provide support and theological education to people all around the world.”
