ORLANDO, FL — Wycliffe Associates, an international organization that empowers mother-tongue Bible translators and partners with local churches in the advancement of Bible translation, is providing equipment for Christians to print the Scriptures in their own language in places where it’s illegal to own a Bible.
Print On Demand (POD) is a Wycliffe Associates project that provides high-speed, digital printing systems that Christians can use to discreetly print custom quantities of Scripture as soon as it has been translated.
“Putting the Word of God into the heart language changes their lives through the power of the Scriptures. They need it in their own language,” says Tim Neu, Interim President and CEO of Wycliffe Associates. “Without a printed Bible in their own heart language, believers can’t study God’s Word for themselves.”
In countries where some have been waiting for generations for a Bible in their language, Wycliffe Associates’ Print On Demand units make the Scriptures readily available.
“Even when national Bible translators finish their work, in many cases there are still no Bibles unless we provide Print On Demand equipment,” says Neu
The equipment also can serve isolated Christians in places where their lives are constantly at risk.
“Christians in other countries where the Bible is illegal and culturally taboo, do all they can to find and keep portions of scripture,” says Neu. “We in America take it for granted the right and privilege to have a Bible in our car, home, and work without consequence.” We must give them the capacity to print the Scriptures—so they can experience the fullness of God’s Word in the language of their heart, just as fully and freely as you and me.”
A single mobile POD unit costs $2,000, and Wycliffe Associates trains workers to run and maintain the equipment. In safe areas, the organization also can place larger, high-capacity printing equipment for $25,000 per system.
“We’re eagerly trying to provide at least one mobile Print On Demand unit for every national Bible translation workshop,” says Tim Neu.
Currently 798 Bible translation projects facilitated by Wycliffe Associates are underway. To date, the organization has placed 127 Print On Demand units.
About Wycliffe Associates
One of the world’s leading Bible translation organizations, Wycliffe Associates was organized in 1967 by friends of Bible translators to accelerate the work of Bible translation. Wycliffe Associates empowers national Bible translators to provide God’s Word in their own language, partners with the local church to direct and guard translation work, harnessing their passion and desire for God’s Word, and engages people from all around the world to provide resources, technology, training, and support for Bible translation.
Because millions of people around the world still wait to have the Scriptures in the language of their hearts, Wycliffe Associates is working as quickly as it can to see every verse of God’s Word translated into every tongue to speak to every heart. Wycliffe Associates is directly involved with speeding Bible translation by providing technology, training, resources, logistics, networking, expertise, volunteers, discipleship, church planting, and support. Wycliffe Associates staff and volunteers are currently accelerating Bible translations in 108 countries. For more information, please see www.wycliffeassociates.org.
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