Lifewords in Africa

June 13th, 2010

Sammy Kamore, Office Manager for Lifewords, writes: “Africa continues to be a continent of challenges. As we prepare to celebrate ten years of Pavement Project, please pray for all those involved in our Transform programmes, without whose work and dedication none of this would have been possible”.

  • Praise God that funds are available to carry through plans for a pilot of Choose Life and sister-curriculum Choose Wisdom in DR Congo this year. Thank God for the generous response of SGM Lifewords supporters in the UK who gave specifically to meet this need.

  • Please pray for the practical arrangements that still need to be finalised for this pilot. We particularly need to find good interpreters to help with the Teacher Training sessions. Please pray that the right people would be available and able to help.

  • Thank God for the success of last month’s Pavement Project Worker Training Workshop in Kampala, Uganda. Please pray for the newly trained workers as they begin to use the Picture Me process to counsel children. Ask for confidence with the process, for sensitivity to the needs of the children and to the Holy Spirit; and that children may experience freedom and transformation as a result.

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God Speaks Cuvok

June 10th, 2010

Sam Luscombe reports on the ongoing legacy of SGM Lifewords’ Power to Save programme, as the Cuvok people of Cameroon celebrate their first encounter with the Bible’s life words in their own language.

Eight years ago, I sat in the gloom of an African dusk, and listened as a Nigerian pastor shared his passion for God’s Word, his unswerving belief in its transformative power, and his heart for his people. Like millions of others around the world, Pastor Samuel was still waiting to receive the first words of scripture in his mother tongue.

It was an experience which touched me profoundly, and which has stayed with me ever since. So I’m always thrilled to hear about SGM Lifewords’ ongoing contribution to the task of making the Bible available to people like Pastor Samuel, who hunger and thirst to receive these life giving words in their own language. The SGM Lifewords global family is passionate about helping people to engage with and be transformed by the Bible’s life words: words for every human being on the planet, whatever language they speak. It’s this passion which has led to SGM Lifewords’ long partnership with Wycliffe/SIL. Joint initiatives, including Power to Save and Pioneer, have all been aimed at making God’s Word available in languages where access to the Bible is limited or nonexistent.

Both Power to Save and Pioneer provided translators with portions of Scripture which were easy to translate, in a format which could be quickly and economically reproduced. Simple sentence structures ensured their suitability as literacy aids. Illustrations were deliberately multicultural, and designed to be easy on the eye for those unfamiliar with printed visuals. SGM Lifewords has partnered with hundreds of Wycliffe translators around the world to typeset manuscripts, and to organise and fund printing.

As the needs of translation teams and the nature of Bible translation have evolved, SGM Lifewords’ role in these initiatives has changed. We’re no longer directly involved in the production of Power to Save and Pioneer materials. But we continue to make the manuscripts available, and translation teams can now adapt and print the booklets for themselves. Both Power to Save and Pioneer are still in use around the world – and it’s exciting to hear about the lasting legacy of these projects, and the difference “God’s Word in my language” can make.

The Cuvok people of northern Cameroon received God’s Word in their language for the first time this year as a result of that legacy. Ken Hollingsworth, a Wycliffe translator based in Cameroon, shares their story:

“The Cuvok have been part of the Wycliffe Bibleless People’s Prayer Project since at least 1987. Since that time, people around the world have been faithfully praying that God would raise up translators for the Cuvok people and give them his Word.

“A young man from a different language group in Cameroon had a burden for the Cuvok. He studied linguistics at Yaounde University and did a linguistic analysis of the Cuvok language, with the aim of preparing the way for Bible translation in the future. At about the same time, a Cuvok evangelist was taking part in a practical linguistics course for those interested in beginning a Bible translation project. With the support of the Cameroon Association for Bible Translation and Literacy (CABTAL), they began to work together to establish an alphabet and writing system for the Cuvok language. Teachers were trained and literacy classes established. But still the wait for God’s Word in Cuvok continued.

“Eventually, a translation team was identified. According to the plan outlined with CABTAL, they were to start work on the gospel of Luke, rather than the shorter gospel of Mark. But the people were eagerly waiting for Scripture. How could we ensure that they received God’s Word in their language as soon as possible?

“The Power to Save materials provided the perfect solution. I suggested that the team focus on the Luke portions contained in Jesus Christ Saviour of the World. Our goal was to have the booklets ready in time for Christmas, so that the Cuvok could read the nativity story in their own language for the first time. Due to a delay by the printer, they only received it shortly afterwards, but it was received with great joy! Finally, God speaks Cuvok through Power to Save. At last, the Cuvok people can encounter the scriptures in their  heart language.”

Stories like this one never cease to touch my heart. Imagine the impact of reading the Christmas story for the very first time in your own language! And what a privilege for us to be able to play even a small part in making that possible. Please give thanks with us for the ongoing impact of Power to Save and Pioneer. And pray that as the next chapter in this story continues to unfold, many more people will encounter the Bible’s life words in their own language for the first time.

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New literature display racks now available

June 7th, 2010

If you live in the UK, we are now able to supply you with a new literature display rack. We’ve changed suppliers and the new one is a little different, but still perfect for displayed SGM Lifewords booklets at the back of a church, in a waiting room, or wherever the opportunity might be.

Unlike all our other resources, we do have to charge for display racks, as they are supplied by a third party. Each one costs £39.94, including VAT, packing and postage*.

If you would like one, call the office on 020 7730 2155, or write to us with your address details and a cheque for £39.94, payable to SGM Lifewords:

SGM Lifewords
75 Westminster Bridge Road
London
SE1 7HS

*There is a postage surcharge for orders to the Channel Islands, Highlands, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

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Looking forward to Biblefresh

June 6th, 2010

Preparation for the multi-agency Biblefresh campaign for 2011 continues – the Biblefresh manual was launched at last month’s Christian Resources Exhibition (CRE), full of ideas for UK churches about how to engage with the Bible (and with Biblefresh!) through 2011. Find out more or get a copy at biblefresh.com.

  • Please pray for the ongoing preparations for Biblefresh. Pray for the organising Executive group (from various agencies) and for campaign manager Rob Cotton. Ask God for creative energy and ideas for all the agencies taking part; that UK churches may be provided with genuinely fresh stimulus to engage with the Bible’s life words, so that the lives of individuals and communities might be transformed.
  • SGM Lifewords own contribution to Biblefresh, a project called TWELVE was also launched at CRE, with a piece of “live art” created by Abi Spendlove. Abi “drew the Bible” on the SGM Lifewords stand for the week, using as an inspiration twelve words that map the Bible’s story. Thank God for the opportunity this provided to talk together with visitors about the “big picture” of the Bible. Pray for those who have been inspired to use the idea as a starting point in their own churches; ask that this opening initiative for TWELVE will provide a creative way for people to explore together the whole story of the Bible.

  • Several initiatives are planned for 2011 as part of TWELVE. Please pray for the team working to develop these. Particular practical needs are for creative artists to join the project; and also for guidance for those working to refine the manuscript for You Are Here – a “telling” of the whole Bible story, that will provide a resource for groups to read the Bible together over a number of weeks. Please pray for real inspiration as the team work on the resources, and refine the text and ideas.

You can find out more about TWELVE and follow the preparations for 2011 at 12words.org.

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Praying for good government

June 1st, 2010

As the dust settles in the UK after one of the closest general elections in decades, the new coalition government is facing big decisions about how best to govern and to work together. This month, join us in praying for our political leaders in all parties.

  • In 1 Timothy 2:1-3, we read that we are to pray “for kings and all others who are in authority.” Please pray for our new Prime Minister and Cabinet. Pray that they will make decisions for the good of the people and that they will govern wisely in accordance with God’s will.
  • In the wake of last year’s expenses scandal, many MPs stood down at the general election. With over two hundred new faces in Parliament, pray that this new beginning will help to restore trust and confidence in our political system.
  • Please pray for all Christians serving in parliament as they seek to put God first in the way they serve both their country and their constituencies. Pray that in the unique and challenging environment of the political arena, they will remain committed to living in and living out of the Bible’s life words.

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Living together in peace: a prayer reflection for June

June 1st, 2010

“It is good and pleasant when God’s people live together in peace!” Psalm 133:1 (NCV)

I’m not sure what outcome I was expecting following the general election, but as I made my way to the polling station and joined the queue of people determined to cast their vote, little did I realise that the ensuing week would produce the biggest sea change in politics for a generation. For decades we have had a system (and a media culture) fashioned on adversarial conflict and polarised by opposition. How will the “new politics” adapt to the need for cooperation, compromise, and collective responsibility across party boundaries?

Cooperation is a frequent theme in Paul’s writing in the New Testament. The call for believers to relate together as the “body of Christ” is engagingly simple, yet profound – and often profoundly difficult to live out in practice. As a community of faith our “togetherness” comes, not from political necessity or even necessarily from similarity, but from our inclusion together in the heart of God as Jesus makes us “at one” with the Father, and each other. We may be as un-alike as hand and toenail, or ear and foot, but together we are part of one body, sharing each others joys and sorrows; learning to live at peace with one another and in the world – as agents of the gospel of peace.

James Willby
SGM Lifewords

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Pigs and Tiaras

May 27th, 2010

Creative Director Steve Bassett writes from Rio de Janeiro where he and the Pavement Project team are filming with workers and children, documenting the impact of Pavement Project after a decade in-use …

I settle in, and spend a couple of days filming what we call GVs (General Views) of the city. Oh my word it is stunning. The statue of Christ the Redeemer is actually shrouded in tarpaulin and scaffolding as a result of the recent flooding here. In itself, that is a powerful visual metaphor – Christ there but unseen, looking over the city with outstretched arms yet hidden from view.

I get to film at the Candelaria Cathedral. This is an historic place and relevant to our subject because it was here, in 1993, that police shot eight street children dead (you can read about it here). There is a mosaic artwork on the pavement where they fell, red shapes set out in the manner of a police murder scene. Which is what is was. And I film these grotesque shapes and see the traffic sliding past, and I see someone sleeping on the cathedral steps perhaps oblivious to the significance of the place. The vulnerable trampled once again. I film my feet walking across the shapes and feel a shiver in the air. This is part of the reason we are here, to keep telling the stories that come up from the streets.

Coming back last night I walked down the beach to the hotel. As I looked over the bay to the moonlit hills I was aware again of what a privilege it is to be here: but not just because of the scenery. The hillside opposite glinted with hundreds of lights, the lights of the other side of Rio. The favelas sit uneasily around the city, each one teetering like a diamante tiara in the coiffured hair of Rio’s middle and upper classes. It is a privilege to be here because I get to meet people that spend their lives reaching out to the children of those hills, of the streets, of the vulnerable edges. These people are the real deal. They are not interested in anything except getting the job done, and making a difference. I like people like that. They inspire me and challenge and amaze me.

And the next morning I see an extreme example of this dedication. Monday dawns with a trip out of Rio to Lixao (lee-shoe), where we have a partnership with a church that runs a centre to offer food, hygiene, care and education to the children of the area. And Pavement Project is part of what they offer. What makes this project special is that the children and their families are born, live, work and in all probability die on the enormous and hideous rubbish dump that dominates the area. The stench is overpowering. The filth and grime is devastating – they say it gets into your skin, that you can’t get it off. I can easily believe that.

People here live in the most basic shanty shelters – cardboard, corrugated metal, bits of wood, paper, anything to form a kind of space for their families to shelter in. They work every single day on the dump, scavenging like the birds for anything that might be worth a few coins. They haul their find back to their homes and pile it up outside – and take the best INSIDE so it won’t be stolen. The result is an appalling mess of rubbish where people sleep, live, cook, eat. I saw one lady sweeping her ‘step’: she said, “We may be poor but we don’t have to live in the dirt”.

But the reality is an almighty struggle and it gets worse. This gaggle of human shelters is on a swamp, which they families share with the pigs. Scores of them. Huge, squealing, smelly pigs. Pigs that roam around the children, that go inside the dwellings when they can, that drop their mess anywhere and everywhere.

I film a grandmother sat on the side of the path with two enormous pigs, stroking them as if they were poodles. She and her daughter and grand daughter live and work their whole lives here, foraging through the waste and detritus no-one else wants.

I feel a million miles away from our base in Waterloo! But I am so encouraged that we are helping to make a significant difference here on the margins, and that’s the story I hope we will be able to tell through this film.

We’ll be making a DVD available from July, for use as part of our PP10 celebrations. Order your copy to show your church or small group, and sign the Tell Ten Pledge here to help spread the word about Pavement Project. Keep your eye on the PP10 section of the website for more downloads, and online materials / Steve’s footage from Brazil.

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Posted in Children, News, Pavement Project, SGM Lifewords, Trauma counselling | 1 Comment »

Stories of life words at work

May 24th, 2010

It’s always exciting for us to hear about the ways in which SGM Lifewords materials and programmes are impacting people around the world with the Bible’s life words. This week, join us in celebrating and giving thanks for some of these stories.

  • Neil Bennett of the Catshill Baptist Church, Bromsgrove, writes: “Thank you for allowing us to order these amazing resources. We are planning to use them at our up and coming fun day on June 12th. SGM Lifewords have provided us with resources many times over the years, and we have seen lots of people come to faith as a result of engaging with them”. Please pray for Catshill Baptist Church, and for all those planning outreach events this summer.
  • Last year, SGM Lifewords in Europe assisted the Russian branch of the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students (IFES) in the production of Identity, a special student edition of the Gospel of Mark.  These gospels have been put to use across Russia and the Ukraine, with life-changing results. A student at the State University recently shared how receiving one of these gospels had helped him discover his place in God’s story: “I received a gift of the Gospel of Mark and immediately started reading it together with my roommate. Despite the fact that there was a lot I did not understand, it was interesting to study and discuss the truths of the New Testament. This week my roommate and I both repented and turned to God. I decided to change my life completely and follow Christ.” Give thanks with us for this testimony. Give thanks for our ongoing partnership with IFES, and pray that it will continue to bear fruit in the form of transformed lives.
  • Claire (not her real name) had spent a lifetime addicted to drugs. Through SGM Lifewords partner the Christian Enquiry Agency, she requested a copy of Inspire resource The Little Book of Help. Having read through it, she then asked to be put into contact with a local Christian. They contacted the CEA to report that Claire had started attending church, had become a Christian, and was taking part in a discipleship course. Give thanks for Claire, and for the impact the Bible’s life words have had on her life. Pray for the CEA and other organisations like them who are seeking to help people encounter the Bible’s words for the first time.

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Drawing the Bible at the Christian Resources Exhibition

May 19th, 2010

Last week SGM Lifewords hosted an artist in residence at the Christian Resources Exhibition at Sandown Racecourse, Esher. Beginning on Tuesday morning with a plain white stand, including walls, floor and furniture, artist Abi Spendlove had turned the space into a riot of colour by closing time on Friday.

Twelve words that sum up the story of the Bible were used as a starting point for the illustration. Visitors to the stand were invited to add their own words, and guide the evolving artwork. Some chose words that had personal meaning to them, others added theological truths or Biblical principles. The result was a vibrant visual conversation about the Bible and the story that it tells.

The live art event was part of TWELVE, a SGM Lifewords project that will explore the story of the Bible through the creative arts as part of the Biblefresh initiative. Over the next year, a series of artists will create an anthology of artworks on the theme of the story that the Bible tells. Downloadable resources will be available for reading the Bible in community, and the TWELVE journal will provide fresh thinking through articles and conversations about the Bible.

You can find out more at 12words.org, and view a gallery of images.

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Happy Birthday Pavement Project!

May 16th, 2010

Since its launch ten years ago, Pavement Project’s unique Bible-based counselling process has helped to sow the seeds of hope, possibility and change in the lives of thousands of the world’s most vulnerable children. This week, join us in giving thanks for the faithfulness of Pavement Project workers around the world, and in praying for the tenth birthday celebrations planned for later in the year.

  • As part of our work to highlight the work of Pavement Project in 2010, SGM Lifewords staff are in Brazil this week filming Pavement Project workers and partner organisations in their work with children-at-risk. Please pray for all those involved in planning and coordinating this initiative. Pray that when completed, this film will be effective in sharing the story of Pavement Project with people across the globe.

  • Throughout 2010, SGM Lifewords staff and supporters will be hosting birthday parties in celebration of ten years of Pavement Project. These will be a great opportunity for all those involved to give thanks for all that has been achieved. Give thanks with us for the thousands of children whose lives have been transformed through their encounter with the Bible’s life words. Pray that the next ten years will prove to be just as fruitful, as we continue to expand the work of Pavement Project across the globe, and explore opportunities for its use with new partners and in new contexts. Find out more about celebrating PP10 and download church resources and more at www.sgmlifewords.com

  • Pavement Project workers and staff are at-work all through the year, and all around the world! This week please pray for Clara Ngoblia, Pavement Project Co-ordinator for East Africa, who will be running a Worker Training Workshop in Kampala, Uganda from the 17th to 22nd May, in partnership with VIVA. Give thanks for this ongoing partnership. Pray that this workshop will be a source of encouragement and equipping for those seeking to reach out to children-at-risk in Uganda.

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