Kwame Bediako passed away this week. Langham Literature Director Pieter Kwant and I had the opportunity to visit him at the Global Church Tour in Grand Rapids in April, where he and his wife were spending some sabbatical time at Calvin College. Mark Hunt, Langham Partnership International’s board chair, had also met with him earlier in the year when he was among the speakers at the National Pastors Convention in San Diego.

Kwame was one of the most remarkable senior African leaders I have ever met. He had a surpassing level of scholarship (two doctorates - one in English and one in French). He had a range of knowledge of the history of the church in Africa (and Europe) that could keep us spellbound for hours just listening to his stories. And he had a most profound understanding of the relationship between the gospel and African culture. He also had a huge passion to bring African Christians together to affirm their Christian identity in authentic ways that would overcome some of the worst legacies of the colonial era. And yet he wore all this learning with such a light touch. His twinkling eyes and sparkling humour and laughter were a constant tonic. It has been such a joy and privilege to know him for many years.

The Akrofi Christaller Memorial Centre for Mission Studies, that he established at Akropong, Ghana, has a fine record of research and publication in African Christianity and contextual theology, and just recently got its charter from the government of Ghana for the awarding ofKwame Bediako degrees including doctorates.

Kwame also had a deep love for John Stott, and the whole work and ethos of the Langham Partnership. He was not himself a Langham scholar, but he knew many of them, and was regarded as a mentor and father figure by many. Though a man under incredible pressures of work and leadership, Kwame stepped up immediately when I asked him, to arrange and chair the first Regional Council for West Africa (Anglophone) in Ghana 2006 , and to co-chair the first meeting of the Regional Council for Francophone Africa in Cameroon in 2007. When I last spoke to him, he was full of enthusiastic plans for the next meeting of both combined, to be held in Ghana in October 2008.

So we shall miss him greatly. He is a sad loss to Ghana, to Africa, and indeed to the world church.

Please pray for his wife (known to some as Gillian and to others as Mary), who has been totally involved in all the work that Kwame did, and is herself a writer and editor of immense experience.

It is hard at a time like this to understand the ways of the Lord. But the legacy that Kwame Bediako leaves is simply enormous, and we pray that his ministry and contribution will now be multiplied even further through those whom he has mentored and inspired over the years.at Kwame Bediako leaves is simply enormous, and we pray that his ministry and contribution will now be multiplied even further through those whom he has mentored and inspired over the years.

Listen to Kwame Bediako at the Global Church Tour, Grand Rapids, Mich., April 2008

Kwame Bediako passed away this week. Langham Literature Director Pieter Kwant and I had the opportunity to visit him at the Global Church Tour in Grand Rapids in April, where he and his wife were spending some sabbatical time at Calvin College. Mark Hunt, Langham Partnership International’s board chair, had also met with him earlier in the year when he was among the speakers at the National Pastors Convention in San Diego.

Kwame was one of the most remarkable senior African leaders I have ever met. He had a surpassing level of scholarship (two doctorates - one in English and one in French). He had a range of knowledge of the history of the church in Africa (and Europe) that could keep us spellbound for hours just listening to his stories. And he had a most profound understanding of the relationship between the gospel and African culture. He also had a huge passion to bring African Christians together to affirm their Christian identity in authentic ways that would overcome some of the worst legacies of the colonial era. And yet he wore all this learning with such a light touch. His twinkling eyes and sparkling humour and laughter were a constant tonic. It has been such a joy and privilege to know him for many years.

The Akrofi Christaller Memorial Centre for Mission Studies, that he established at Akropong, Ghana, has a fine record of research and publication in African Christianity and contextual theology, and just recently got its charter from the government of Ghana for the awarding ofKwame Bediako degrees including doctorates.

Kwame also had a deep love for John Stott, and the whole work and ethos of the Langham Partnership. He was not himself a Langham scholar, but he knew many of them, and was regarded as a mentor and father figure by many. Though a man under incredible pressures of work and leadership, Kwame stepped up immediately when I asked him, to arrange and chair the first Regional Council for West Africa (Anglophone) in Ghana 2006 , and to co-chair the first meeting of the Regional Council for Francophone Africa in Cameroon in 2007. When I last spoke to him, he was full of enthusiastic plans for the next meeting of both combined, to be held in Ghana in October 2008.

So we shall miss him greatly. He is a sad loss to Ghana, to Africa, and indeed to the world church.

Please pray for his wife (known to some as Gillian and to others as Mary), who has been totally involved in all the work that Kwame did, and is herself a writer and editor of immense experience.

It is hard at a time like this to understand the ways of the Lord. But the legacy that Kwame Bediako leaves is simply enormous, and we pray that his ministry and contribution will now be multiplied even further through those whom he has mentored and inspired over the years.at Kwame Bediako leaves is simply enormous, and we pray that his ministry and contribution will now be multiplied even further through those whom he has mentored and inspired over the years.

Listen to Kwame Bediako at the Global Church Tour, Grand Rapids, Mich., April 2008

The evening opened with a time of sung worship led by the Souled Out band. Chris then held out the challenge to another generation of God’s people to remember that church growth needs the element of maturity and depth built in if we are going to continue to honour God in all we do. The evening closed with the band and a chance for those attending to come forward for prayer.

In order to give a younger audience more ways to engage with the core message, Souled Out hired a local painter (Mike Samson) who painted his understanding of what “depth, discipleship, maturity and church growth with depth” looks like. He was very visible to all present as he painted on a large canvass placed up front. The event attendees were each given sketch paper and pencils so that they could create their own images of the theme and then place them on blue board walls along the side of the hall. Another canvass wall was also set up in the front for any brave young people to come forward and paint their own understanding of the theme whilst the evening unfolded.

Chris’ message to those attending echoes the passion of Langham Partnership whose mission is to help churches in the Majority World to grow in maturity. See more information on Chris’ message to the Souled Out crowd here.

The evening opened with a time of sung worship led by the Souled Out band. Chris then held out the challenge to another generation of God’s people to remember that church growth needs the element of maturity and depth built in if we are going to continue to honour God in all we do. The evening closed with the band and a chance for those attending to come forward for prayer.

In order to give a younger audience more ways to engage with the core message, Souled Out hired a local painter (Mike Samson) who painted his understanding of what “depth, discipleship, maturity and church growth with depth” looks like. He was very visible to all present as he painted on a large canvass placed up front. The event attendees were each given sketch paper and pencils so that they could create their own images of the theme and then place them on blue board walls along the side of the hall. Another canvass wall was also set up in the front for any brave young people to come forward and paint their own understanding of the theme whilst the evening unfolded.

Chris’ message to those attending echoes the passion of Langham Partnership whose mission is to help churches in the Majority World to grow in maturity. See more information on Chris’ message to the Souled Out crowd here.

The objective of the SABC, according to the editors and advisors, is to “equip Christian leaders at the grassroots level – pastors, students and lay leaders – who under the guidance of the Holy Spirit can be instrumental in the establishment and nurture of a vibrant church in this region.”

Project Editor Jessica Richards
“The only commentaries that an untrained pastor, lay person or a theological student, without access to a good library would go to…are dated and not contextual,” said Jessica Richards, the SABC project editor. “They tend to concentrate more on the technicalities of the text and contentious academic questions on authorship and dating rather than on contextual application to realities and issues in the South Asian context.”

Jessica worked on several long-term projects such as the Dictionary of South Asian Christianity (DSAC) before joining the SABC team. Her experience with the editorial process, combined with her work on social issues in India, has primed her with the ability to take on the large project:

“My theological involvement and articulation are grounded in my multiple identities as an Indian/Asian Christian woman living in a gloriously pluralist fabric; a fabric which is also permeated by discrimination on the basis of caste, class, creed and gender,” she shares. “[I am] also constantly informed and influenced by the fact that I theologize from and in a context of globalization that has widened gaps – economically, socially and in religious terms.”

Jessica is working with several contributors and six general/theological editors, all from the South Asia region. “The opportunity that such a project affords to work with some of the best biblical scholars and theologians in this region is something that cannot be quantified. I know I will gain immensely in working with all of the contributors to the SABC,” Jessica says.

Langham Scholars as Theological Editors
Of the six theological editors, five are Langham scholars: Jacob Cherian, Finny Philip, J. Jesudason Jeyaraj, Havilah Dharamraj, and Paul Swarup. These scholars know firsthand the importance of getting an affordable Bible commentary distributed in this area of the world.

The general editors and developers of the South Asia Bible Commentary

“The one-volume SABC is a critical tool much needed for the numerous grass roots level pastors and evangelists who have had little or no formal theological education,” says Paul Swarup. “It can be likened to giving a huge number of assembly-line workers in a car manufacturing plant, the appropriate tools to put the parts together to bring out a beautiful and powerful car!”

“I am excited to think about the significance and impact this commentary will have for the church in South Asia,” says Jacob Cherian. “With the Indian subcontinent as the birthplace of key religious faiths of our world (especially Hinduism and Buddhism), and with India having the second largest population of Muslims in the world, topics such as “Jesus among other gods” and the legal and social (not to mention theological and communal) implications of ‘religious conversion’ are bound to serve the Church in a major capacity.”

The SABC is projected to sell 30,000 copies in the first year, with the Hindi edition expected to have similar sales goals. It is the latest in a series of Bible commentaries co-sponsored by John Stott Ministries-Langham Partnership International, beginning with the award-winning Africa Bible Commentary which has sold more than 75,000 copies to date and is in the process of several translations.

Look for more details about this exciting project in JSM’s upcoming newsletter, In the Gap.

Help partner with LPI to sponsor the SABC and other much needed projects…Visit the Get Involved page for more information.

The objective of the SABC, according to the editors and advisors, is to “equip Christian leaders at the grassroots level – pastors, students and lay leaders – who under the guidance of the Holy Spirit can be instrumental in the establishment and nurture of a vibrant church in this region.”

Project Editor Jessica Richards
“The only commentaries that an untrained pastor, lay person or a theological student, without access to a good library would go to…are dated and not contextual,” said Jessica Richards, the SABC project editor. “They tend to concentrate more on the technicalities of the text and contentious academic questions on authorship and dating rather than on contextual application to realities and issues in the South Asian context.”

Jessica worked on several long-term projects such as the Dictionary of South Asian Christianity (DSAC) before joining the SABC team. Her experience with the editorial process, combined with her work on social issues in India, has primed her with the ability to take on the large project:

“My theological involvement and articulation are grounded in my multiple identities as an Indian/Asian Christian woman living in a gloriously pluralist fabric; a fabric which is also permeated by discrimination on the basis of caste, class, creed and gender,” she shares. “[I am] also constantly informed and influenced by the fact that I theologize from and in a context of globalization that has widened gaps – economically, socially and in religious terms.”

Jessica is working with several contributors and six general/theological editors, all from the South Asia region. “The opportunity that such a project affords to work with some of the best biblical scholars and theologians in this region is something that cannot be quantified. I know I will gain immensely in working with all of the contributors to the SABC,” Jessica says.

Langham Scholars as Theological Editors
Of the six theological editors, five are Langham scholars: Jacob Cherian, Finny Philip, J. Jesudason Jeyaraj, Havilah Dharamraj, and Paul Swarup. These scholars know firsthand the importance of getting an affordable Bible commentary distributed in this area of the world.

The general editors and developers of the South Asia Bible Commentary

“The one-volume SABC is a critical tool much needed for the numerous grass roots level pastors and evangelists who have had little or no formal theological education,” says Paul Swarup. “It can be likened to giving a huge number of assembly-line workers in a car manufacturing plant, the appropriate tools to put the parts together to bring out a beautiful and powerful car!”

“I am excited to think about the significance and impact this commentary will have for the church in South Asia,” says Jacob Cherian. “With the Indian subcontinent as the birthplace of key religious faiths of our world (especially Hinduism and Buddhism), and with India having the second largest population of Muslims in the world, topics such as “Jesus among other gods” and the legal and social (not to mention theological and communal) implications of ‘religious conversion’ are bound to serve the Church in a major capacity.”

The SABC is projected to sell 30,000 copies in the first year, with the Hindi edition expected to have similar sales goals. It is the latest in a series of Bible commentaries co-sponsored by John Stott Ministries-Langham Partnership International, beginning with the award-winning Africa Bible Commentary which has sold more than 75,000 copies to date and is in the process of several translations.

Look for more details about this exciting project in JSM’s upcoming newsletter, In the Gap.

Help partner with LPI to sponsor the SABC and other much needed projects…Visit the Get Involved page for more information.

104 participants from Vanuatu, the Solomons and Papua New Guinea met at the Scripture Union campsite at Pango Point on the Vanuatu island of Efate for the first Pacific Preaching Seminar from 24-28 March 2008. The Ni-Vanuatu participants came from seven of the main islands of Vanuatu.

We are grateful to local organisers Andy Williamson, Philip Joses and
Sophia Silas from Talua Bible College.

participants at the preaching conference in Vanuatu

The two main preaching facilitators were Chris Wright (LPI) and David Cook (Principal of Sydney Missionary and Bible College). LPA Board member John Buckle and LPA Scholar Ma’afu Palu also assisted in the teaching and group sessions, while LPA executive officer Wendy Toulmin assisted in the daily running of the seminar.

Every day was “full on”, as the Australians put it. We ran from 7.45am start with devotions, through until 9.00pm. The generator went off about 9.45pm, so nothing was possible after that except to try to sleep, until the singing from the men’s dormitory began around 5.00am!

From the start, we emphasized to participants that this was a long-term programme. The group workshops were organised geographically, so when we had the session on ‘Developing a Movement for Biblical Preaching in Vanuatu’, it was natural for them to meet in the same groups. There was general enthusiasm for setting up local Preachers’ Clubs. They appointed convenors and we have heard they are already beginning to meet. Please pray they will continue and serve a great purpose under God.

We returned from Vanuatu with a strong conviction that Langham Preaching Pacific region has been well and truly launched and has exciting potential in the years ahead.

104 participants from Vanuatu, the Solomons and Papua New Guinea met at the Scripture Union campsite at Pango Point on the Vanuatu island of Efate for the first Pacific Preaching Seminar from 24-28 March 2008. The Ni-Vanuatu participants came from seven of the main islands of Vanuatu.

We are grateful to local organisers Andy Williamson, Philip Joses and
Sophia Silas from Talua Bible College.

The two main preaching facilitators were Chris Wright (LPI) and David Cook (Principal of Sydney Missionary and Bible College). LPA Board member John Buckle and LPA Scholar Ma’afu Palu also assisted in the teaching and group sessions, while LPA executive officer Wendy Toulmin assisted in the daily running of the seminar.

Every day was “full on”, as the Australians put it. We ran from 7.45am start with devotions, through until 9.00pm. The generator went off about 9.45pm, so nothing was possible after that except to try to sleep, until the singing from the men’s dormitory began around 5.00am!

From the start, we emphasized to participants that this was a long-term programme. The group workshops were organised geographically, so when we had the session on ‘Developing a Movement for Biblical Preaching in Vanuatu’, it was natural for them to meet in the same groups. There was general enthusiasm for setting up local Preachers’ Clubs. They appointed convenors and we have heard they are already beginning to meet. Please pray they will continue and serve a great purpose under God.

We returned from Vanuatu with a strong conviction that Langham Preaching Pacific region has been well and truly launched and has exciting potential in the years ahead.

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Several Latin American leaders have expressed that a single-volume commentary is a project they have been hoping for. The discussion is at its infancy stages, and questions of expense, project management, distribution, and process details are continuing.

Project editors René Padilla, Milton Acosta, Rosalee Velloso, and coordinator Ian Darke

Among those who attended the discussion were LPI Literature Director Pieter Kwant, Langham Scholar Milton Acosta, Langham Partnership Regional Council member Rene Padilla, and LPI Committee Chair Mark Hunt. Also attending was Rosalee Velloso (South American Theological Seminary, Brazil), a key editor for the project and Ian Darke of Letra Viva, who will coordinate the project.

LPI will consider sponsoring as much as half the funds needed and helping with administrative needs. The project will take shape this summer as more details and editorial assignments will be set in motion in June.