Streams of Prayer for 19 April 2022
The Streams of Prayer for 19 April 2022, is a circular from Wycliffe Global Alliance. Wycliffe Caribbean makes this available.
Church
The current theme for Streams of Prayer is Church. As an Alliance, we believe that the purpose of the local church is to glorify God as it seeks to remain faithful to the mission of God, to draw people to Christ and to make disciples. The Alliance and all who are part of it have the opportunity to serve the Church and complement its ministry. One of the seven Participation Streams is Church (See Statements regarding Wycliffe Global Alliance’s relationship with the Church).
As an Alliance, we seek to listen to and learn from churches worldwide in order to build strong relationships for mutual encouragement, strengthening, and equipping. These relationships usually include a focus on Bible translation and/or related ministries with language communities. Together, we seek to find the meaningful, unique and complementary roles in the mission of God that he leads each church and organisation to fulfil. So join us as we pray for Alliance organisations engaged in the Church Participation Stream and for the Church as it participates in the Bible translation movement.
Connecting churches and translation: South Africa, Angola
Team members of Wycliffe South Africa will travel in Angola and meet with various churches from 19 to 29 April. With the churches in the Malanje Province, they look to finalize agreements for Bible translation partnerships in a cluster of languages in the province. They will join churches in the Huila cluster to launch the first translated Scriptures on 21 April. Give praise that translators in this cluster finished the first phase of Bible translation in these languages: oluHanda, oluCilenge and !Xun. The team will also meet with the Kamukuio cluster team regarding the next phase of translation in the Humbe, Kuvale and Kwandu languages. Please pray for God’s protection on the team as they travel a great deal within the country. Pray for good meetings and the bonding of hearts over God’s Word.
Adult literacy training for churches: Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea Bible Translation Association (PNGBTA) Literacy Department staff members are working together with churches in the Aiyura Valley to conduct adult literacy training in Tok Pisin. Several attempts to conduct this training last year were restricted by COVID issues. Pray for wisdom for pastors and leaders of the Valley churches as they identify people from their congregations to participate in this training. Those who attend will learn to read and write. Pray for Mara Iyama, PNGBTA’s Literacy Coordinator and trainer as he coordinates and conducts this training. Praise the Lord for this partnership with churches in this effort so people can gain valuable life skills in literacy and knowledge building.
Two new personnel for Bible translation: Papua New Guinea
Local churches commissioned two new staff members for Bible translation ministry on 11 February and 20 March respectively. The Papua New Guinea Bible Translation Association (PNGBTA) welcomed Murunga William to serve in the Human Resources Department and Mosley Rurupit to serve in Area Programme Management for Central and Gulf Provinces. Praise the Lord for the partnerships developed between the new staff members, their families and their home churches. Pray that God will lead more churches and individuals to support and encourage them in their endeavours in Bible translation.
Customisable training programmes for churches: Singapore
Wycliffe Singapore developed customisable training programmes with components that can be adapted to meet the needs of churches. This type of training can help churches in Singapore grow in their understanding and skills related to missions, specifically Bible translation. The programmes were designed for Wycliffe Singapore teams to work alongside churches and provide the specific resources and materials on missions that they need. Pray for unity and wisdom for the churches and the Wycliffe Singapore team as they work and learn together and adapt the training materials to meet each other’s needs. Ask the Lord to prepare the path ahead to reach many people with his Word.
Taking part in the mission of God: France
The mission of God is a glorious privilege gifted to churches both large and small everywhere in the world. Wycliffe France is focused on Prayer and the Church, two of the seven Participation Streams open to all Wycliffe Global Alliance organisations. What do French churches see God doing through Bible translation? How can they make their own contribution? These two questions encompass the thrust of the message of Wycliffe France to churches throughout France and provide a challenging adventure for the newly-trained team of six volunteers and staff who receive invitations to speak in churches. So pray for the five churches in Paris, Quimper, Nimes, Valence and Pau that have arranged services. Also, pray for the stamina of the volunteer team. Finally, pray that God clearly shows these church congregations how they can participate in what he is doing around the world through Bible translation.
Serving churches: Togo
Staff at Wycliffe Togo develop partnerships with churches in order to share the Bible translation vision and help churches to discover their place in the mission of God. As they visit different churches for Sunday services, pray that God will help them to serve effectively. Thank God for the church in Lomé which is hosting a workshop in April on the principles of translation. Ask God to strengthen and encourage people in the church during this time. Pray that all involved in the workshop will grow in their ability to accurately translate the Word of God.
First translation workshop: Peru
Abby Méndez, serving in mission with the El Salvador Miramonte Baptist Church, works among the Chuquibambilla community and church in Peru. In November and December 2021, she developed the first translation workshop. Several people from the Nomatsigenga language group participated. They began working on draft translations of the books of Joshua and Judges. It was an enriching time of learning for them since it was the first time they had the opportunity to translate and transcribe part of the Scriptures using a computer. Thank God that despite some challenges they encountered, they finished drafting the book of Joshua. The workshop helped to boost the importance of Bible translation. It also gave the community an opportunity to consider creating a group of translators. Pray that Bible translation will continue and that the community of Chuquibambilla will be receptive to God’s Word.
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Valrie McCarthy
Proclaimer Officer
Wycliffe Caribbean
7A South Avenue
Kingston 5
JAMAICA, W. I.
876 754 9334, 908 2970, 582 6592
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