Partners
Prayer Partners:
9 Current
1 Needed
Total Opportunity:
$498,747 Funded
$0 Needed
Demographics
- Location:
- Central African Republic
- Speakers:
- 183,000
- Start Year:
- 2009
- End Year:
- 2012
CAR LP Cluster | Banda-Linda
Video Updates
-
Banda Linda- Why do your people need God's Word in Banda Linda? (0:27) -
Banda Linda- How has Bible translation changed people's lives? (0:24) -
Banda Linda- How may we pray for this project? (0:25) -
Banda Linda- How may we pray for you? (0:31) -
Banda Linda- How has the church responded to translated verses? (0:28) -
Banda Linda- What is the most difficult thing in the translation work? (0:44) -
Banda Linda - What is the biggest challenge in your work? (0:17)
This language group is participating in the CAR LP Cluster project.
Although most of those in the Banda-related groups attend church, use of other languages in the church has created misunderstanding and rendered much of the churches’ teachings irrelevant. For example, in Matthew 5:17 Jesus says He did not come to abolish the Law of Moses. Because the pastor read and explained it in Sango, the national language, people understood it to mean that Jesus did not come to condemn or destroy the traditions they’d inherited from their ancestors, even those that are evil. Currently, about 80% of the population considers themselves Christians, but many mix their Christian faith with ancestral rites.
Four of the nine translation programs are currently in progress: Banda-Linda, Bokoto, Mpyemo and Nzakara. The other five (Gbaya Southwest, Yaka, Kaba, Ngbugu and Lutos) will join in 2011 for the production of the JESUS film. At the end of the project, all the groups will have both the book of Luke and the JESUS film. The success of this project may spur some or all of the language teams to continue in translation to produce the entire New Testament, beyond the scope of this initial phase.
News from the Field
- May10
Nine languages of Central African Republic
Most people from the nine language groups, with a combined population of about 900,000, have known about the gospel. But have they personally, deeply known the truth of its message? Many misunderstand what the Scriptures say, because they are taught using French or Sango, the national language. - Feb27
Central Africa Cluster
This translation project in Central Africa Republic covers nine language groups. The goal is to produce Luke, the JESUS Film and Scripture booklets in the mother tongue. Central African Republic is described in Operation World as one of the most evangelized countries in the world. Protestant mission work started in the country in the years after WWI. Currently, about 80% of the population consider themselves Christians, but many people mix their Christian faith with ancestral rites.