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 While
the Faith Comes
By Hearing program is only just getting under way among Colombia’s
Inga people (see World Report 391/04),
it is already firmly established and touching people’s lives in other
parts of the country, as the following report from a pastor reveals.
Faith Comes By Hearing leads congregation to study the ScripturesCOLOMBIA — When the Colombian Bible Society presented the Faith Comes By Hearing (FCBH) program to Pastor Jorge Cristancho of the United Pentecostal Church of Colombia, he spotted its potential very quickly. This is what happened when he introduced it to his congregation. “I realised that FCBH would be a great opportunity to strengthen the faith of the members of my church, to undertake activities with the children and to deepen our study of God’s Word. We identify very closely with the biblical model for this program – ‘Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ’ (Romans 10:17, NIV) – so having God’s Word in audio format caught our attention. Positive impact“Specifically, we have seen that FCBH has had a very positive impact on our children. It has fostered in them a desire to read the Scriptures, to the point where they compare the different Bible versions and show a real interest in understanding the meaning of each passage. They sit very quietly during the listening sessions, paying careful attention, and afterwards they participate actively in the discussion session.
“Before we began the program, there were people in our congregation who were not accustomed to reading the Scriptures. Others were quite committed, but we knew that we could improve. Around 10 per cent of those who did not read the Bible before are now reading it, and 80 per cent of our members have shown greater interest in, commitment to and desire for the Scriptures. It’s important to realise that many of our members used to feel that it was not possible to really understand the Bible. Now, though, they are beginning to truly experience God’s Word. It has become flesh in their lives and they feel it as something very close to them. “The majority of our church members have basic literacy skills, but they often do not read fluently. This means that they don’t understand the passages very well and they are left ‘scripturally malnourished’. Clearer picture“We have found that listening to the dramatised New Testament on cassette has distinct advantages in this respect. It allows the listeners to focus their attention and to form a clearer mental picture of the passage that is being read, thus greatly improving their understanding. “Furthermore, our members have really welcomed the opportunity to discuss the passages afterwards and to immediately raise any questions they may have. They feel very motivated and have shared their experiences with others, encouraging them to participate, too. This has led to 50 people joining the church since the program began. “We have also used this material in our Bible study classes. When leading these classes, I’ve found that FCBH is very effective in making them more dynamic. There are times when the passages we have to read are long, and listening to them on cassette has been very helpful in retaining the participants’ attention and improving their understanding. In some classes, we encourage people to choose different versions of the Bible and to read along while the passage is played on cassette. Then each participant contributes to the discussion by talking about the differences he or she has found in the version they selected. This approach greatly enriches the classes. “Overall, implementing the FCBH
program in our church has boosted people’s interest in thoroughly
studying the Scriptures. There has also been a significant spiritual
strengthening and a rise in membership. We are grateful to God and to
those who work so hard to develop tools that contribute to the expansion
of God’s Kingdom through his Word.” (WR 393/16 - 06.05) [3
photos]
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