FCBH gets off to a good start in Mozambique

MAPUTO, Mozambique — The Faith Comes By Hearing (FCBH) program was launched in Mozambique amid much excitement in Maputo on August 1. The formal launch, at Khovo Presbyterian Church, was made by Isidro Muxlhanga, the Bible Society in Mozambique’s National FCBH Co-ordinator, to more than 60 pastors and church leaders representing 20 different denominations, along with Bible Society staff and guests from other organisations.

Executive Secretary the Rev Valente Tomas Tseco spoke about the Society’s mission to take God’s Word in both printed and audio format to the people of Mozambique, and Mr Muxlhanga gave the guests an insight into the specific goals and benefits of the FCBH program. The guests showed much interest in the processes involved in producing and distributing audio Scriptures.

Since the launch, it has been possible to distribute FCBH material in Portuguese, Mozambique’s official language, to five churches of various denominations in Maputo, and this process will continue over the next few months. There are already reports that the audio Scriptures are having a significant impact on the lives of many church members, who welcome the opportunity to come together to share God’s Word in this new way.

The next stage of the program will involve distributing material in the Lomwe language, which is spoken by around 1.3 million people in northern Mozambique. Audio Scriptures are currently only available in Portuguese and Lomwe, but requests have been made to produce cassettes in Tsonga, spoken by 1.5 million people in Maputo and Gaza provinces, and Ronga, the language of nearly 424,000 people in southern Maputo province.

The success of the launch has given much encouragement to those involved with the FCBH program. Mr Muxlhanga has called for prayers to “praise the Lord for protection, love and compassion which have been shown in our lives, and for giving us the privilege of launching the FCBH program in our country,” and is also seeking ongoing prayer support. (WR 372/25 - 11.02)