A team translated Langham Preaching materials into the ‘Shona’ language.
This Christmas season, we want to bring to your attention areas in the world where Biblical preaching resources are extremely scarce – such as the rural parts of Zimbabwe.
Langham Preaching has been operating in Zimbabwe for ten years. But the team realised their impact was hindered by only having English resources.
Many people in Zimbabwe, particularly in rural areas, cannot read and understand English. So, a team started translating the Langham Preaching training materials into a language called ‘Shona’. This meant the first ever seminar delivered exclusively in Shona could be held in Gutu. This is a rural village several hours south of Harare, in September.
Significant progress
Verengerai Mavesere leading the first ever Langham Preaching seminar in the Shona language.
The 16 people who attended the training in Gutu contributed towards the costs of the training by providing the trainer with maize and sorghum (a cereal crop) for him to sell on his return to Harare.
Langham Preaching asks each country it works in to raise local funds, whether that is a large or small amount of money.
The attendees made significant progress in just three days, and hugely appreciated being trained in their own language.
The pastor of the host church for the training said he would like to “implore Langham to be more aggressive in taking this training to rural folk”.
Affordable alternative
Training attendees clutch their Shona language preaching materials.
“There is a great need as many cannot afford to go to Bible colleges and this is an affordable alternative”, he explained.
Only Level 1 of the Langham Preaching materials has been translated into Shona. There are plans to translate the resources into Ndebele, the second indigenous language of Zimbabwe spoken predominantly in the south.
The Shona people gave what they could for their Langham Preaching training. Please give what you can this Christmas to support Langham Preaching’s training in rural areas around the world!
