9th December, 2009
JEREMY REYNALDS
Assist News Service
Faith Comes By Hearing Audio Bible ministry has a goal of implementing two million Bible listening groups, and recording the New Testament in 2,000 languages by 2016.
“I have seen a real change in our spiritual life as we started to hear the Audio New Testament in our heart language,” said Negasi, a Bench evangelist. “Nobody was seen asking question in times of teaching before, but now, many questions are raised during the Bible listening sessions.”
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This international Audio Bible ministry is teaming up with like-minded organisations to reach and disciple the world’s poor and illiterate people with the Word of God.
According to a news release from Faith Comes by Hearing (FCBH),among the Bench people in southwest Ethiopia, there are more than 580 groups regularly gathering for a time of Bible listening and discussion. Local leaders say God’s Word has been a transforming factor: bringing understanding, instruction and hope.
“I have seen a real change in our spiritual life as we started to hear the Audio New Testament in our heart language,” said Negasi, a Bench evangelist. “Nobody was seen asking question in times of teaching before, but now, many questions are raised during the Bible listening sessions.”
There are more than 85 known indigenous languages in Ethiopia, FCBH said. The Bench people are a relatively minor group of about 173,000 people. Historically, this people group and their language were not recognized among the greater Ethiopian society.
“The language was severely abhorrent,” said Yonas, a Bench man, also speaking in the news release. “It was said to us even the computer itself does not accept the Bench language, but repulses it. It is miraculous to hear the Word of God in our own language. It is for us like waking up from sleeping.”
Remi Peythieu, a Faith Comes By Hearing coordinator for Africa, said the Bench people have been very responsive to God’s Word.
“These listening groups rapidly expanded among this people group,” Peythieu said in the news release. “Because when they get to the Book of Acts and hear how the disciples spread the message of Christ, they say, ‘We can do that!’”
“With only 300 Audio Bibles, the Bench people started more than 580 listening groups,” said Peythieu. “Typically, people think one Proclaimer equals one Bible listening group. There is a viralness and multiplication aspect that took hold here.”
FCBH said that gaining access to this area can be difficult, as there are neither roads nor electricity. But the Audio Bible is giving the Bench people access to the Word of God like never before.
A local worker who establishes these listening groups said in the news release, “The preparation of the Audio New Testament in their language created a new chapter of life for the Bench people.”
~ www.fcbh.org
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