GOOD NEWS FOR EVERYONE
ISSUE 1, 2022
INTERACT
Good Things are Happening 50 languages by 2023
Partners in the Gospel Sharing good news in prisons
A New Beat Generation Exploring lament in the beatitudes
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CONTENTS 04 09 10 12 14 Good Things are Happening
50 languages by 2023
News
The latest news from the Lifewords global family
Partners in the Gospel Sharing good news in prisons
A New Beat Generation Exploring lament in the beatitudes
Get Involved
Lifewords and you
Issue 80 / 1–2022 Editorial team Jess Bee Kris Calver Naomi Chamroo Steve Bassett Photographs Lifewords unless otherwise stated
Cover photograph Dan Hardie Design S2 design and advertising Ltd Print Yeomans Creative
Lifewords is the operating name of Scripture Gift Mission (Inc), registered charity in England and Wales, 219055 Registered office 1A The Chandlery, 50 Westminster Bridge Road, London SE1 7QY Interact is free, available three times a year from your nearest member of the Lifewords global family of organisations (see page 15).
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WELCOME
“I am making everything new!” Revelation 21:5 (NIV) It has been said that “religious people” tend to love the past more than the present, or the future – so change is not necessarily what is expected from them. A challenging critique: perhaps we may recognise this sometimes in aspects of our Christian walk, where the desire to preserve and adhere to good things can sometimes delay much-needed change. The irony though, is that God is always making everything new. As followers of Jesus in this turbulent time, this great global “unfolding”, the wisdom we look for is to know what to let go of, and what to keep holding on to. Even when there is violence, fear, hatred, and despair in so many places – still there are new shoots of hope, love, and forgiveness, as Jesus – the same yesterday, today and forever – is seen afresh, and loved anew, in this era.
So, in this issue we are excited to share with you the opportunities we have to extend our resources to 50 languages in print and online, to tell you about partnerships like Junction 42 in the UK that reach into specific situations where people are hurting, and to inspire you with the impact of Jesus’ beatitudes right now in diverse cultures and places. This is the heart of Lifewords – reaching out to people with a Story from the Ages, that resonates now, and that shapes the future, where the Bible’s life words connect in new, transformative ways. As 2022 unfolds, may we learn from the past, embrace the present moment, and pray for the future to come. And may the world change this year, even as we ourselves change, to be more like the living Word.
In our ministry, we work through the power of our heritage, the challenge of the present moment, and the promise of the future. Every day, the old Story brings new hope. We are inspired by the work that has paved the way over 134 years; we strive to be faithful to those things that help pave the way for future generations. 3
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Good Things are Happening Words Jess Bee
“A huge network of faithful Christians sharing the Bible with others”
With nearly 8 billion people on the planet, speaking over 7,000 languages, what does it look like to share life words on a global scale? All over the world individuals and groups are using Lifewords Bible resources, sharing good news with thousands of others. People in Brazil are using Bible booklets with drug users, the homeless, and those with mental health issues; a new church in Pakistan is sharing evangelistic resources in Urdu; people in Poland are reaching prisoners and students. In South Africa people are meeting practical needs by
feeding the poor, alongside using Bible resources to offer hope of new life. Online, people are sharing animated versions of Finding Hope, and An Invitation. These are just snapshots of a global ministry – a huge network of faithful Christians sharing the Bible with others.
GLOBALLY RELEVANT For 134 years, Lifewords has been producing Bible resources so that this network of people can help others encounter the Bible. And since the inception of the Lifewords global ordering website in 2011, more and more people have been able to obtain globally relevant
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Bible materials in over 20 core languages of the world, and older titles in other languages for as long as stock lasts. “It has become an efficient and manageable way to provide Bible resources in the most demanded global languages,” says Jarek Jankowski, Bible Resources Director, “but at the same time this has inevitably resulted in a gradually diminishing total number of languages offered.” The current range includes An Invitation, Day by Day, Finding Hope, The Way to Life, and You Matter, some of which are also available as digital versions. “Digital resources allow us to reach many more people,” says Jarek, “especially in the pandemic, and where countries are closed.”
INDISPENSABLE RESOURCES There are around 7.8 billion people living on Earth with over 7,000 languages being spoken today1– these are huge numbers but “we want to offer the Bible to as many people as possible,” says Jarek. “And despite the enthusiasm for digital resources, print is in demand, and indispensable in many situations.” One Lifewords resource can be produced in several languages, meaning that people can order booklets in several languages from one place, and be assured of a wide range of high-quality resources. The Lifewords 50 languages project is a response to this need – to offer even more languages in a core range of resources.
“We want to offer the Bible to as many people as possible” 1 www.ethnologue. com/guides/how-manylanguages
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GROWING THE REACH
“The Lifewords 50 languages project is a response to this need – to offer even more languages in a core range of resources”
The 50 languages project gives the 5 billion people who speak these 50 languages access to literature in their first language, and yet more people are covered by having one of the languages as their second language. “If we include the second language speakers,” says Jarek, “the number exceeds the total population of the earth!” So how do languages get chosen to make the “50”? It isn’t just a list of popular languages, although this is a factor. Jarek explains: “During our research we took into consideration not only demographics (for example, the number of speakers), but also other factors, like needs and opportunities, existing demand, accessibility of the region, potential partners, strategic role of the language. For example,
Croatian and Greek are minor languages, but products in the languages are often ordered by Europeans visiting the Balkans and Greek islands. Similarly, Bulgarian is a small language, but many Christian organisations are involved in social work there. Swahili is a first language for just 1 million speakers, but another 100 million use it as lingua franca.” The list is not set in stone – there is scope to respond to what is going on in the world at any given time. Pashto (one of two Afghan languages) is an example of this. Finding Hope is proving useful as Afghanistan undergoes much chaos and change with the resurgence of Taliban power. There are plans to add Dari (the second Afghan language) to the list also. “The Bible is not yet ready in Dari, and we also face typesetting issues with some language scripts,”
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says Jarek. “It’s a challenge, but we see a need and we are responding to it.” The plan is to produce one pastoral and one evangelistic title in each of the languages. These will be Finding Hope (now available in 15 languages), The Way to Life (available in 21 languages), or An Invitation (now in 31 languages). “Adding more languages to the core list will mean more work and will definitely bring some challenges concerning translations, choice of Bible text, and technical aspects, but we are experienced and thus well prepared for the job.” Last summer was very fruitful in terms of production, with 13 new titles being published in Bulgarian, Indonesian, Javanese, French, Gujarati, Sundanese, and Swahili. For some of these languages this was the first new resource in decades.
A NETWORK OF PEOPLE At the heart of the 50 languages project are the people who make it happen. From the team in Poland to the translators, typesetters, and printers, it’s an intricate network of skills and passions. “As much as possible we try to reach out to people who are passionate about spreading the Word of God while having the status of professional translators and proof-readers,” says Jarek. “We also reach out to organisations we work with. For example, in a recent Amharic translation, we got help from workers employed by Biblica – a global Bible translation agency with an office in Ethiopia. For our Bulgarian and Romanian resources, our translators and proof-readers come from a very respected organisation called Light in the East.”
“At the heart of the 50 languages project are the people who make it happen”
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“Along each step of the way committed people are using their skills, faith, and passion for the gospel to share God’s Word all over the world”
PRAY Give thanks for all the people who have encountered God through reading a Bible resource in their own language. Praise God for the 50 languages project – pray for the translation, typesetting, printing, and distribution process. Pray for the people who order and share Bible resources with others.
Once the resources have been translated, typeset, printed, and digitised another network of people play their crucial role: those who order booklets and download animations to share with others. Along each step of the way committed people are using their skills, faith, and passion for the gospel to share God’s Word all over the world. In Brazil, Mariza uses resources in Portuguese to reach out to her community: “There are many people with depression and other problems. I want to bring them a little hope,” she says. In India, one supporter uses resources in Bengali, he says: “I am a secret street evangelist. In many places in India persecution is very high, so we do hidden evangelism. There are lots
of Bengali people who have never heard about Christ. Through your resources we share Christ with them.” In Oslo, Norway, Henry uses booklets in English, French, Arabic, Hindi, Japanese, and Persian in street evangelism: “We use the resources to start conversations to share the gospel. Thank you Lifewords for being the bridge for us to communicate to the lost even in the pandemic.” In Poland, One of Us – Lifewords specially designed resource for homeless people – is used in a coffee house ministry where homeless men and those who are recently out of prison are offered a hot meal and personal hygiene items. “Good things are happening thanks to Lifewords. Praise God for all changes in people’s lives.”
THANK YOU Thank you for your ongoing support towards the ministry of Lifewords. We are so grateful for your prayers, giving, and for sharing Bible resources with others. Visit www.lifewords.global/give to help us reach 50 languages by 2023.
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world NEWS New RISE Bible Clubs in Zambia
According to research done by churches in Zambia, 80% of church-going adults said they first encountered Jesus and made a commitment to follow him while they were of high school age (14-18 years). This research has led Christ Ambassadors Mission (CAM) to partner with Lifewords to launch RISE Bible Clubs in high schools in Zambia, following the success of the clubs in Kenya. Ten schools have been selected for RISE Bible Clubs in Lusaka, Zambia, with each school having one club of up to 10 students. CAM has identified five young adult volunteers to conduct the programme in the schools. The clubs have already received resources from Lifewords, including copies RISE Bible Clubs in Kenya of Inspiring Prayer, Why Me?, and Finding Hope – a total number of over 600 Bible resources. “The launch was scheduled for August last year, but due to the Covid-19 restrictions in the country, this has been put on hold until later this year,” says Clara Ngobolia, Lifewords Africa Director. “The volunteers have been introduced to the literature and will be inducted by February this year, just before they launch the programme in schools. Please pray with us for RISE Bible Clubs in Zambia.”
Celebrating 25 years of service Last November Cleisse Andrade, Lifewords Pavement Project Latin America Coordinator and Lifewords Brazil Director, marked 25 years with Lifewords. On November 4, 1996, Pastor Victor Cardoo and a small team, including Cleisse, embarked on Lifewords active ministry in Brazil bringing good news to so many in need. Clenir dos Santos, Pavement Project Global Director, remembers joining the team in June 1999: “I had the impression that Lifewords had existed in Brazil for a very long time, due to the good work and infrastructure. I was impressed by Cleisse’s organisation, leadership, and loyalty, which remains today. She manages the office in Rio de Janeiro incredibly well, and her dedication to coordinating Pavement Project in 12 countries is amazing.” In the last issue of Interact we spoke to Cleisse about Lifewords ministry in Latin America – her knowledge, passion and commitment to the region was evident. 9
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Partners in the Gospel Words Naomi Chamroo Photos Kris Calver
Junction 42, a local charity based in Newcastle upon Tyne, UK, is passionate about helping offenders and their communities be transformed by the hope of the gospel. Lifewords partners with Junction 42, and recently provided 20,000 copies of Finding Hope for their “Stories of Hope” packs, which were distributed to the thousands of local and national inmates.
“A lot of the men we work with are very visual learners, these booklets are short, with a sharp message that really captures the Bible verse”
“I went to prison, and at times my life was in real danger. When I was in prison I thought, ‘I’m going to get killed?’ And I was praying, ‘I don’t want to kill someone, and I don’t want to get killed.’ I was praying, praying, praying, and then I started reading the Bible … and loads of it hit me.” Nick is an ex-offender who was given one of Junction 42’s “Stories of Hope” packs, a collection of resources that gave him access to the Bible and helped him engage with God.
UPLIFTING INSPIRATION Junction 42 supports the work of chaplaincies in prisons, helping to encourage people like Nick on their faith journey and supporting them pastorally. Alongside this work, inmates are offered a pack of “in-cell” worship resources. “We send these packs to prisons all across the UK, producing 20,000 every three months,” says Mark Morgan, Junction 42 Project Development Manager. “A lot of the men we work with
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are very visual learners, these booklets are short, with a sharp message that really captures the Bible verse or the positive message that we want to get across.” As well as a copy of Finding Hope, the packs also include creative activities, a New Testament, and some uplifting messages to keep prisoners safe mentally, and to give them something to focus on besides being inside a cell for most of the day. Lochlan, a volunteer at Junction 42, talks about the impact these resources have had on inmates and exoffenders: “It helps keep their minds busy and gives them something to do while their days are long and sometimes lonely. The packs are uplifting and inspiring, and they look forward to receiving them. While we are putting the packs together, we get a buzz from knowing they will maybe make someone smile.”
WORKING TOGETHER Junction 42 is just one of hundreds of organisations that Lifewords partners with, providing Bible resources to help share good news. These on-the-ground groups are key to getting Lifewords resources into the hands of those who need to read them. So, how can Lifewords continue to help organisations like Junction 42?
“These on-the-ground groups are key to getting Lifewords resources into the hands of those who need to read them”
“More resources!” says Mark. “We’ve done six ‘Stories of Hope’ packs, so more resources that people can use to have that bit of inspiration, that bit of positivity. That will be the dream.” “The ‘hope pack’ helped me and kept me company while I spent my days inside, and it’s free,” says Nick. “What I find is a lot of people have had a worse life than me and they’re trying to find happiness, and I found it by connecting with Junction 42 – their resources helped me massively.”
Nick
Lachlan
Visit www.lifewords.global to read more about Junction 42. Mark
PRAY Give thanks for Junction 42 and for the work they do with prisoners and ex-offenders. Pray for the Lifewords partnership with Junction 42, and for more fruitful working relationships with other organisations. Pray for Nick, and all those that this partnership reaches. Pray that they would find freedom, forgiveness, and new life as they encounter the Bible’s life words. 11
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Rob Eric
In 1950s and 60s USA, a band of secular writers, artists and poets emerged with a deep dissatisfaction with the status quo. Through Jack Kerouac’s On the Road, Allen Ginsberg’s Howl, amongst others, the so-called “beat generation” captured the cry of that young generation. Their influence spread across music, arts, and culture – from Bob Dylan to Billie Holiday to the Beatles, right through to today. Words Steve Bassett
Murima
“Maybe it is time for a new beat generation of holy seekers to rise up”
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One might critique it from a moral or religious perspective, but whether one likes it would be to miss the point that the beat generation tapped into a longing, a human ache of their times. And right now, around the world, isn’t there a longing inside for something more, for a better way to be human? Maybe it is time for a new beat generation of holy seekers to rise up, where the “beats” are the NINE BEATS of the beatitudes. In these words, spoken by Jesus, we hear the whispers of another world. “Blessed are the poor, blessed are those who mourn, blessed are the meek…” (and so on, see Matthew 5) speak to us as a welcome, not a weapon; they’re tender not toxic,
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inviting not divisive – words that can transform our lives. “What if there really is a call for a countercultural move for the world? I really believe the beatitudes are that,” says Collective collaborator Eric Wilson. “This message is so profound, so impactful, that it can tap into whoever you are, wherever you are.”
EXPLORING LAMENT Last September, NINE BEATS took part in the Beatitudes Bash, a virtual celebration of the counter-cultural values of Jesus found in the beatitudes. Curated by Shane Claiborne and Red Letter Christians, a range of international ministries led sessions online. NINE BEATS provided three contributions
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@JASONIZDABEST
A N ew Beat Generation
@COCO.GLITCH
@JASONIZDABEST
of music, story, spoken word, and thought-provoking conversation. From the USA, we led a beatitudes liturgy; from Birmingham, UK, an exploration of how the beats touch our lives; and a webinar, “The beatitudes as a manifesto for life” shared some personal stories. Lament (“blessed are those who mourn”) was a compelling theme. Rob Taylor, NINE BEATS Artist Liaison, opened the subject up: “Lament is so needed now – we’ve lost so much, and we don’t want to rush to the next blessing. What if the beats invited us into lament as a blessed thing? The beats are counterintuitive, because if we don’t lament, that can define who we are. How much of the pain in the world is because we’ve not allowed hurt to be healed, not expressed grief, not moved on with those wounds?” As Collective members shared the pain of loss shared by millions, the power of Jesus’ words to heal was summed up by Murima Thodi, Digital Lead for NINE BEATS: “Encountering the beatitudes in this new and very challenging way, it’s given
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me the confidence and the safety net to address those feelings we don’t like to look at. There’s something so beautiful about allowing yourself to be in a vulnerable space of acknowledging grief, loss, all those not-so-great emotions, because when you sit in them you grow, and you can move past them. It’s important to create a space within our own lives where we can be ok with not being ok.” Throughout 2022, the project will offer a range of live and online resources and conversations that invite individuals, groups, churches, and faith communities to explore the wisdom of the beatitudes – and to put it in to practice. Join the new beat generation and take a step on the way of the beatitudes, the way of the nine beats – the Way of Jesus. Find out more at www.ninefoldpath.org and watch videos of the events on the NINE BEATS YouTube channel, www.youtube.com/NINEBEATS
Left: Wild Goose Festival in North Carolina, USA Right: R Manor Music in Birmingham, UK
“How much of the pain in the world is because we’ve not allowed hurt to be healed?”
PRAY Praise God for NINE BEATS and how it helps us explore the words of Jesus. Give thanks for the opportunity God gives us to lament. Pray that we all would find healing as we acknowledge grief and loss. Part of this article first appeared in Keep the Faith magazine.
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GET INVOLVED LIFEWORDS AND YOU
Together Again
Meeting supporters at CRE
Connecting with one another in person after a difficult couple of years is more important than ever, so we’ve been focussing on how our resources can help churches as they gather together in person once again. We had a wonderful time at the Christian Resources Exhibition in Sandown, UK, connecting with supporters old and new, sharing our range of resources, and supporting pastors, leaders, and teachers by equipping them with our inspiring booklets. Throughout 2022, we will be out on the road visiting churches, and meeting pastors, ministry leaders and individuals to talk about our print, online, and in-person resources, and to find out how to tailor our resources to meet your needs. If you would like us to visit your church or ministry, please email: elizabeth.king@lifewords.global.
“It was so good to be back at CRE and to be able to connect with people and have conversations about Lifewords, our work and our resources. People seemed really open to what we had to offer, and it highlighted the need and the opportunity in churches and communities for creative ways to explore and engage with the Bible.”
Matt Currey, Lifewords UK Development Manager “It was encouraging to see so many friendly faces at CRE. We had a lot of meaningful conversations with individuals and churches, reflecting on the past year’s impact, as well as speaking about what we are hopeful for in the future.”
Murima Thodi, Lifewords UK Digital Communications Lead
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New resources for Easter Last year we launched a new Easter booklet resource, The Easter Journey, and now this year we have a new double-sided Easter card – featuring evocative images and text – for you to share alongside the rest of our print and digital range, which includes Day Three: Believe the Women, and Witness: Easter Voices. The Easter Journey and Day Three: Believe the Women are available both as booklets and animations, and are ideal for sharing in-person or on screen during a service or assembly, or as part of an Easter event. To browse our Easter range, including digital and downloadable resources, visit www.lifewords.global/easter THE
THE JOURNE SundY ay
EASTEREA JOST URER NEY
EIGHT DAYS – a story of Love, Sacrifice and Redemption
Palm Sunday to Easter
CONTACT US Get in touch with the Lifewords global family. Find us online at www.lifewords.global, or contact your local office.
AUSTRALIA australia@lifewords.global
BRAZIL projectoc@lifewords.global
CANADA +1 905 683 6482 info@sgmcanada.ca
KENYA
Witness The Easter Journey 2021
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Easter Voices
+254 20 2730100 kenya@lifewords.global
INDONESIA +62 81294210986 indonesia@lifewords.global
INDIA +91-9538811181 india@lifewords.global
POLAND europe@lifewords.global
UK & INTERNATIONAL OFFICE #D3BTW Day Three Believe
+44 (0) 20 7730 2155
THE STORY OF THE DAY THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING
the Women
uk@lifewords.global
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