Literacy

I learned this past week that approximately 29,000 people in our county did not complete High School or a GED. Hundreds do not read well enough to read a newspaper. Literacy is a necessary step for those who would be able to read the Bible. If you can’t read the newspaper, or the bible, or help with your child’s homework, how awkward it might feel to be a part of a Sunday School class or group in which you were “assumed to be a reader.” It might be the reason some people stay away. Might you become a bridge toward someone being able to read in this community? Volunteers may become involved in literacy efforts throughout the county. Basic skills programs through the community college can assist you in your efforts to volunteer in this way.

Hundreds of language groups across the globe do not have the Bible in their own language in any form. Imagine the work necessary to communicate the Gospel of Jesus Christ with those people. It requires going to the people, learning the language, and translating the scriptures. This work continues in many places today. In addition, efforts often include developing means of biblical story-telling and developing audio-visual means for sharing the story of Jesus. The Jesus film has been translated into many languages and has had a powerful impact in communicating the Gospel. Your support of world missions through your local church makes an impact in these ways. You can be a bridge to help bring the Good News of Jesus to unreached people groups.

Poverty throughout the world is often linked to war, ethnic and cultural division, the absence of education and resources for learning, along with geophysical factors such as land availability and climate that often undermine efforts to develop communities. As we consider ways to address such issues in our own community, we would do well to recognize that the message of Christ is for every economic group, every nationality, and every person to hear. You can be a bridge to bring that good news to others. And as we do so in the name of Christ, we bring glory to God and discover joy in our own hearts as we do it.