Oasis International

Final Update from Accra, Ghana

We are incredibly grateful for your prayers for the Holy Bible: Africa Study Bible, New Living Translation meetings. Yes, this Bible now has its official name! The committee made this decision, along with perhaps hundreds of others, over the last 48 hours. The caliber of members present is astounding. Our Methodist Bishop, Dr. Asante, was President of Trinity Seminary for seven years. He is now the head of a Ghanaian denomination of over 3 million. This is typical of the group; however, it's clear that rank and position is of little importance here. Rather, the focus is on quality decision-making and raising up disciples of Jesus.

Dr. Tite Tienou is brilliant as our committee chairman, moving the discussion along gently but diligently which allowed the group to accomplish an amazing amount of work. In his opening address, he began by saying that he did not believe in African time; rather, everyone was going to be on time. And, they were! Beyond that, everyone was on task through hours of intense discussion with energy and passion to the very last hour. Amazing.

One delegate, a bishop and president of the association of all Christians in his country, who I'd not previously met, admitted to me his skepticism before arriving. He wondered, "Was this going to be a show or a rubber stamp conference where the those from the West pulled the strings?" To his pleasant surprise, no. The project was, indeed, African led. Africans made the decisions. Africans led the way. They talked, we listened. We earned his trust, and in so doing opened up hundreds of churches to the project's potential. Praise God! Dr. Gladys Mwiti stood up at the end of the meetings to offer a special thanks to Oasis, saying again how the whole process was an encouragement; she said African delegates were validated, encouraged, and blessed by how we handed the leadership of such a vital project over to them.

As I thanked the committee for coming, I shared with them three thoughts that I also gladly share with you. First, I restated my belief that each one of them had a purpose in being here. That was confirmed in our days together. Dr. Jusu with his doctorate in educational development. Dr. Gladys Mwiti with her doctorate in psychology. Dr. Turaki with his specialization in African beliefs and religions. Whether the discussion was on the problems of human trafficking, church history, or the comparison of Jesus' parables with African stories, we had an expert at our table.

Second, I characterized our meetings with three simple statements:

One Mind One Heart One Voice

The delegates found one mind in each discussion, through friendly interaction and debate which added depth and power to every subject. They were all of one heart in their passion to equip their people with God's truth. They spoke with one voice in each and every conversation, coming to a powerful consensus. I lack the words to describe how encouraged I was by this.

Finally, I explained how deeply moved I am by their involvement. (Hundreds of years of pastoral experience was in the room.) They each spoke with a pastor's heart, desiring to bring God's truth to their people.

I am looking forward to our service of prayer and dedication tomorrow.

To God be the glory!

Dr. Matthew Elliott, President of Oasis International

[Update from Tuesday night, June 14.]

Update #2 from Accra, Ghana

Today was full and exciting. The first order of business was a devotional by Dr. Tite Tiénou of Burkina Faso, who is the Committee Chairman. He spoke very movingly from Psalm 1, pointing out that if we truly meditate on the Word of God, it will permeate our lives, affecting everything we do.

Then, we spent time getting acquainted with one another. The group hails from Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, Egypt, Nigeria, Chad, Zimbabwe, Burkina Faso, Mozambique, Sierra Leone, and the USA. The diversity and unity of the body of Christ is wonderful!

Jeff Wright, the CEO of Urban Ministries, Inc. (UMI) gave background on his company. UMI feels that their primary audience—the African-American church—will be very interested in this Bible.

I, then, shared the background story to the development of the New Living Translation—the English Bible text around which this Bible content will be created. This included discussion of the two main types of translation: formal equivalence (i.e. translations like the King James, Revised Standard, New American Standard, and English Standard) and dynamic equivalence, like the New Living Translation.

Next, we turned our attention to the vision statement for the project. If you'd been the proverbial fly on the wall, you would have been interested in the discussion about nearly every significant word in this statement. What do we mean by “African,” “scholars,” “understanding,” “church,” “around the world”? The answers seem obvious, but the nuances and connotations are myriad and important.

We discussed the project's goals and the variety of writers and editors, who should participate in this project. In all, the hope is to find 50-250 individuals who will help to write and edit the notes and articles. A key element in the process is soliciting questions from church members across Africa to ensure that the study Bible addresses real issues that people are facing, with emphasis on obtaining young reviewers to help evaluate the content and style of the notes.

The committee spent the remaining portion of the afternoon prioritizing topics for major articles (2-4 pages a piece) in the Bible. The issues that rose to the top as priority were the following (though they will undoubtedly be amended and expanded as the writing begins):

• Involvement by Christians in politics, democracy, government
• Ethics, integrity, and morality
• Sexuality and homosexuality
• Prejudice, discrimination, tribalism, racism, xenophobia
• Work ethic and time management
• Money and possessions; managing personal finances
• Marriage and family life
• Environment and creation care

We came to the end of the day energized by the process and the prospect of what lies ahead. We each made new friends, and I am now ready (at 9:45 GMT) to hit the sack!

Mark D. Taylor

Tyndale House Publishers, President

[Update received Monday evening, June 13.]

Update #1 from Accra, Ghana

We began work on the first Protestant Bible with helps and applications written by Africans for the African context. This is a momentous project - one that has great potential to impact the church in Africa. This week the Coordinating Committee meets in Accra, Ghana to determine the parameters for how the project will unfold.

I have just turned on my mini water heater for a hot shower after my 24 hour travel day. What a day it has been! People are arriving in Accra all day from all over Africa. Those of us who arrived already shared a good meal. Together we represent all ends of Africa from North to South and East to West – Egypt, South Africa, Kenya, and Nigeria. We shared fellowship over fried plantains, jollof rice and some mighty hot and spicy paste with our meat.

Some came at great personal sacrifice. My friend and former New Testament classmate, Dr. Atef, came from Egypt which continues to experience great political and economic turmoil the day after graduation at his seminary – where he presides as President.

As I arrived I was thinking about how God has chosen each one of these people – there is a story for how each got here in a unique way.

We were welcomed at the hotel by a team from the national paper, wanting to understand the thing that brought all these leaders together. Dr. Tite Tienou, Oasis board member and faciliator of this Coordinating Committee meeting, did an excellent job with the interview, even with only a few hours sleep.

The First Lady of Ghana, Mrs. Ernestina Naadu Mills, greeted us with a welcome letter. And, I am here in my room looking at my first personal letter from the office of the president of a nation. I’m excited to witness God showing such favor to us.

She writes, "I very much identify with the objectives of the NLT for Africa [our working title for the project]...I envision an African NLT Bible that is easily readable, affordable and the notes relevant to issues we face on the African continent. I trust that the notes will include Biblical interpretations and Biblical teaching categories that are absent in Bible Notes produced outside Africa and that the notes address pertinent issues that regularly confront us in the African contexts… In addition, I will request that you please pay special attention to women and children in developing the NLT for Africa notes. Please let me know in whatever way I can participate with you in the Africa NLT project in the future."

It's been an exciting day and we look forward to starting our work tomorrow. Several delegates still coming in tonight, who will get little sleep before we have an intense planning day. Join me in a special prayer for their strength and stamina and that God brings these remaining people to us safely on flights that arrive on time.

Maranatha,

Dr. Matthew Elliott
President of Oasis International