Field Stories

Each year, we ask our partners in the field to share stories and comments from those who attend an SIU training and from those using the SIU oral strategies. We receive hundreds of these types of stories each year… thousands over the past three decades. It is hard to filter it down to less than ten to share with our supporters each year through our annual report. Here are two stories sent to us by two of our African partners from two SIU Bridges training participants. (For security reasons, names have been changed to protect our partners)

Bible Storytelling Spreading

Bernadette learned about storytelling and using songs and drama when she came to an SIU training in her local region of Africa. Immediately after the training she went back into her community, using what she had learned. Within three months, five storytelling groups were planted in the community and 22 people came to Christ and were baptized. Bernadette continues to train new leaders among the unreached people in the area. She is seeing the start of a movement of churches being planted and new Bible storytelling groups established.

Understanding the Gospel

Jamie is a storyteller and church planter among the Pygmies. She has planted 12 thriving storytelling groups. She tells Scripture stories, acts out dramas based on the stories, and creates cultural songs from Scripture. The Pygmies are not able to go to school, and most will not learn how to read and write. Through this method they are able to engage with the Word of God. Sharing Scripture through storytelling helps many Pygmies understand the Gospel.

More Highlights from 2023

Storytellers Reaching the Unreached

Here are totals from the 2023 field reports we have received from our partners leading Bridges training networks across the globe:

• 16,659 Bridges Training Event Participants
• 62 Heart Languages represented in these Trainings
• 25 Countries with Bridges Trainings
• 27,563 New Believers
• 5,618 New Churches Planted

These numbers are truly amazing! Especially considering the fact that they are conservative as we only receive annul evaluation reports from approximately 80% of our partners each year. Some of our partners live and work in hostile or very remote countries or regions and are unable to provide formal reports.

We are truly blessed to be associated with such faithful partners and their networks, through whom God is doing amazing work advancing His kingdom through oral Scripture engagement. If you would like to read the full 2023 Annual Report with more stories, testimonies, and statistics, please ask by contacting us at: www.scripturesinuse.org/contact/

We Would Love to Hear from You

If you feel led to leave a response and comment here, please do so by replying and posting in this blog. We welcome your comments and interactions within a community of those seeking to further advance the Kingdom of God.