The international organisation, that works to advance Bible translation, hopes to begin projects within the next year for large groups in the West African country that are unable to read scripture in their dialects.
Bruce Smith, President and CEO of Wycliffe Associates, said in a statement: “Despite the challenges the Christians are facing, they actually are emboldened…and strengthened in their faith and seeing that the real changes that need to take place within their communities and within their nation are spiritual changes.
“They see scripture in the local languages as a key element in bringing truth and bringing light into the darkness and changing the perspective of people in their own country.
“For them, this isn’t a ‘nice project’. This is life or death.”
There have been several attacks against Christian communities since the start of 2019.
Smith’s comments follow recent reports that up to 130 Christians in southern Kadunahave been killed within six weeks.
Wycliffe Associates have urged people to pray for both believers and Bible translators in Nigeria.
“We often hear the stories of unrest, of violence, of church bombings, those kinds of things that are happening and as I often say we should take that as reminders to pray for both the believers that are there but also the Bible translation efforts that are already underway behind the scenes,” Smith said.
He added that there are opportunities to get involved with the teams in Nigeria by volunteering with Wycliffe Associates and by donating funds to help provide technology and training to the Bible translators already in the region.
