Participation > Wycliffe Associates

Hands-On Support: The ministry of Wycliffe Associates

Imagine the difficulties of a lone town doctor who finds himself or herself discharging many of the duties of the paramedics while at the same time trying to tend to patients. Better yet, picture it going on for a few years, because there is no paramedical support staff. Such an unlikely scenario, actually, is reality in many parts of the field as a Bible translator juggles the language work and other exigencies like the construction of his or her own house.

Juggle, that is, until supporters like the Wycliffe Associates folks roll up their sleeves and start work on their house, freeing language specialists to wield the skills they trained so long to exercise.

Construction is but one among many tasks Wycliffe Associates has taken up in answer to the overwhelming need for support people in the translation mission. Founded in 1967, not by Wycliffe Bible Translators but by WBT's friends and supporters, Wycliffe Associates is a lay ministry which amenably meets the specific, practical needs of Wycliffe team members that may otherwise detract from the language effort. Engineers, accountants, office workers and child caretakers are just a few of the countless servants who also grease the wheels of Bible translation.

The reader more familiar with Wycliffe Bible Translators may at this point have trouble distinguishing between Wycliffe Associates and the support team which itself is a part of WBT. WBT, after all, includes translation supporters like teachers and doctors--so a computer technician could very well serve in either WBT or Wycliffe Associates. The tenor of work in Wycliffe Associates is more short-term or voluntary.

Wycliffe Associates members primarily serve in the States, and if they should labor overseas, it would most likely be short-term. Wycliffe Associates volunteers are often gap-fillers. Many WBT members, on the other hand, will remain in work for years.

The following is a brief--and by no means exhaustive--catalog of the diverse ministry opportunities in Wycliffe Associate.

• The construction team of superintendents, architects, engineers and other volunteers provide missionaries in the field with indispensable facilities such as translation centers, housing and schools.



• HELPS, the acronym for Harnessing Every Lay Person's Skills, is a non-construction volunteer program that primarily helps the SIL center in Dallas. Opportunities for short-term service abound, from those in maintenance to office and kitchen support.



• The skills bank offers a ready supply of professionals such as mechanics, medical doctors and attorneys, who avail their time and services either for free or at a reduced rate for Wycliffe missionaries passing through their town. Anyone interested may request placement on a skills list.



• The hospitality roster lists those willing to open their home to Wycliffe missionaries who are on the road, thereby reducing traveling expenses. This is also an opportunity for a lay person to be blessed with the testimony of the visiting missionary. The Korean Relations Office Director Sunny Hong experienced enriching fellowship and conscientious care from a woman in Michigan whose name she had found in the roster. Having undergone chemotherapy not long before Sunny's stay, she nonetheless went out of her way to make Sunny feel at home.



• Area ministries coordinate banquets and Bible Translation Updates in different regions (say, northeast or southwest) of the USA. Banquets can be as large as 700, where speakers, like missionaries on furlough, give presentations. A banquet served as former Wycliffe USA President Roy Peterson's first exposure to WBT. Updates are smaller and more informal, often held in homes and churches for a more intimate time of q-and-a and addressing of translation issues. With video presentations and refreshments, attendees receive updates on Wycliffe's current efforts and are introduced to involvement opportunities in Wycliffe Associates and WBT.



• Chapters organize believers at the local level. Local communities host informational gatherings to get the word out about Bible translation and also launch creative fundraising strategies to support Wycliffe missionaries. One chapter in Oklahoma City sold greeting cards to this end in 1997.



• The Prayer Watch program spurs on a nationwide support network of prayers via e-mail and a 24-hour telephone message line that communicates prayer requests regarding Wycliffe's endeavors. For telephone watchline requests call (714) 639-9322 or (800) 998-7729. To be placed on the Watchline distribution list, e-mail your name, address and e-mail address to wa_prayer@wycliffe.org. You will automatically receive new prayer requests by e-mail every week.