Wycliffe Bible Translators

Hi all:

The last group I want to feature from my "Organizations I Support" section is Wycliffe Bible Translators (WBT). This great group was founded by Cameron Townsend in 1942 and named after the English reformer and martyr, John Wycliffe, who was the first person to translate the Bible into English.

Here is a mission statement and progress report from their website:

WBT is ... dedicated to seeing God's Word become accessible to all people in the language that speaks to their heart. In its 70-year history, Wycliffe has been involved in more than 600 translations, representing greater than 77 million people.

Today Wycliffe consists of more than 6,000 personnel working in partnership with expatriates and nationals worldwide.

They have two websites, one for Wycliffe USA

and one for Wycliffe International.

I first heard about Wycliffe as a child when my dad sponsored translators working in Papua New Guinea. Later I went to several fund-raising banquets sponsored by Wycliffe Associates,

which featured missionaries on furlough telling stories of their translation work and often humorous culture clashes with native speakers!

Wycliffe's current exciting and achievable goal is called Vision 2025. From their website:

More than 270 million people worldwide still need God's Word in their language. Without the technological developments of the past decade, and a renewed willingness to try new methods, this task would have likely taken more than a century to complete.

Wycliffe's Mission is to see a Bible translation program in progress in every language still needing one by 2025—Vision 2025.

Vision 2025 is a vision for all of God's Church. It is not a program or campaign. It is a call to commitment. A call to action.

We believe God is calling for a greater sense of urgency in translation work. We believe God is giving us a humanly impossible vision. But we also believe it can be realized, if we work under God's direction in worldwide partnership with others.

If you are interested in the worldwide ministry of Bible translation, our desire is to help you find an avenue for involvement. Perhaps you feel God calling you toward service as a volunteer, short-term or long-term member. Or maybe you'd like to support translation work through prayer or giving. Whatever your interest, we want to find a place for you.

What a great project with which to be involved. Click on the links in the above paragraphs (or here for a neat summation of translation #s with and without Vision 2025) for more information on ways you can help!

hrh