Of the 20 plus languages of North Maluku, there are now five New Testaments published and work is progressing in five other languages. With these scriptures now available, there is a big desire in the church for training on how to use the Word. Up to this point, the national language Bible has been used pretty much exclusively during Sunday morning worship services, and for some of the weekly small group gatherings. Most people in this area, though, do not read on a regular basis, and likewise most have never read the Bible themselves to see what God might be saying to them and their local fellowship.
You can have a part in helping the people of North Maluku begin to engage with God’s word. There are plans to hold workshops to train pastors and other church leaders to use the local scriptures for preaching and ministry. A music workshop is planned to help local musicians create songs in their local language. And, beginning now on the largest Christian university campus in North Maluku, there is training for Discovery Bible study, with the hope that this group can propagate this type of Bible study group in their home village areas. They want to seek out what God is saying to them, what their response should be to God’s word, and from there seek out how and with whom to share God’s word. We hope that God will raise up a pastor or two who can catch this vision for Scripture Engagement, and this fund can also help to pay the general costs for him/her/them to travel around promoting scripture use through the province. Come join us in getting the word out to this area of the world – come join the harvest!