UNITED STATES — More and more people in the world’s rural communities are becoming able to listen to Scriptures in audio format – even though they do not have access to a reliable electricity supply and cannot afford batteries. Such challenges – and those posed to cassette and CD players by a hostile environment – are rapidly being overcome by the application of digital technology.

The latest Bible agency to develop a player which has no moving parts and is not reliant on external power is Hosanna, the organisation behind the audio Scripture ministry Faith Comes By Hearing (FCBH) and a partner of United Bible Societies.

15 hours

The Proclaimer, which Hosanna has developed and patented, is a self-contained digital player which can play the whole of the audio New Testament over and over again. The battery in The Proclaimer allows it to play for 15 hours at a time and can be recharged – enough to play the entire New Testament 600 times – by a built-in solar panel. A built-in hand-cranked charger provides further back-up.

Hosanna, which says that the average size of FCBH listening groups is 90 people, claims the player can be heard clearly by groups of up to 300. For even larger groups the device can be connected to an external loudspeaker.

New device