We should be looking up to heaven (Lk. 21:28), waiting, watching, worshipping. But also, we should be looking at the fields, in the last few days of the world harvest, and working.
Africa, the second largest continent, embraces about 20% of the land surface of the globe. God has been pleased to send His servants, the missionaries, there in great number. In the northern countries, Islam reigns supreme. South of the Sahara Desert, there has been huge blessing. Global statistician, Patrick Johnstone, calculates that more than half the population in this area consists of nominal or professing Christians. He deems that there are 63 million evangelical believers there. This leaves 417 million who need the gospel, 87% of the total.
Assembly work has been strongest in Zambia and Angola, but there are enclaves in Zaire (Northeast and South), and Chad, beside eleven others of the 50 states in this continent. Assembly workers have also served in ten more countries in years gone by.
In Angola, 8% of the population is evangelical. It is reported that there are 7500 churches, about 16% of which are assemblies. These assembly gatherings are 20% larger that the average Protestant church. Today there are six commended missionaries in this field, one couple and four sisters.
In Zambia, there are over 1,000 assemblies, more than any group of churches, according to Johnstone. However, those who attend are on average fewer than in the churches. There are 115 expatriate commended workers, about 18% of the total.
The work in Zaire is clustered in the Northeast (Nyankunde area) with 13 workers, and Shaba in the South, 33 missionaries. There are about 120 assemblies in the Nyankunde area.
Chad is a land of nearly 6 million people, which had several assembly missionaries at the peak, about 25 years ago. Today there is no one full time, yet 600 assemblies carry on. According to Johnstone, they average 500 in members and attendants.
Assembly missionaries have always been energetic and aggressive in Bible translation. They rightly recognized that they could not build up Scriptural assemblies without the Scriptures.
The Bible has long been available in classical Arabic, but brethren Fisk and Frears had the joy of seeing the entire Bible in Moroccan Arabic. In Senegal, another highly Moslem country, Eric Church translated the Scripture into the Wolof language. Chad is also domineered by Moslems, but the Bible was translated into the Mbai language. Neville Taylor, F. W. Rogers, and others partook in this ministry, and Colin Price did parts of the New Testament in Azumeina.
In Nigeria, Raymond Dibble translated the Word of God into Igala. His son, Spencer Dibble, today continues in translating books and courses into this language.
Swahili is one of the trade languages of Zaire. In the Northeast, Bill Deans encouraged Gertrud (Koppel) Harlow in her desire to translate. The language committee included Ella Spees, Bill’s sister, and others. By 1960, the Bible was published and endured for thirty years. This translation has been updated and is to be published this year with the original notes by Dr. C. I. Scofield.
In Zambia, brethren have been instrumental in providing the Bible in Lunda (Tom Rae, Singleton Fisher) and Bemba (Leslie Barham, W. Lammond, Ken Kruse). Some languages are used both in Angola and Zambia. Notable are Chokwe (David Long, who is now revising this with Doris Pitman), Luvale (Albert Horton, now being updated by Paul Poidevin and others), Songo, part of the New Testament (Jack King), and Umbundu (Walter Gammon, Lance Adcock).
This is a significant list, though still partial and incomplete. The Bible is available today in 107 African languages, the New Testament in 196 more. Yet work is progressing in 295 of the 1200 without Scripture.
So let us thank the Lord for what His servants have done. We must also earnestly support all in the front line of the battle, until the shout of victory marks the end of the conflict for the Body of Christ.
Sources:
Patrick Johnstone: Operation World (WEC).
Dr. F. Tatford: Light Over the Dark Continent