Developing Local Christian Authors

in Papua New Guinea

 

Christian Books Melanesia (CBM)

 

   CBM is a remarkable work of God that has quietly impacted Papua New Guinea and other Islands in the South Pacific.

   Back in the 50s and 60s the Assembly missionaries (mostly from New Zealand, some from Australia, and the Wunches from USA) were evangelizing and church panting in very remote areas of Papua New Guinea where the literacy rate was near 0%. The Assembly missionaries took the lead in developing literacy materials to help villagers learn to read and write in the trade language (Tok Pisin, commonly referred to as “Pidgin”). These materials were truly effective and continue to be used today right around country and over 200,000 people have learned to read and write in literacy schools using this curriculum. The missionaries also developed Bible study books, a New Testament commentary series, devotional books, topical books in the Pidgin language and as English was taught in the schools the need for localized English books was also targeted. The demand for these materials and books grew to the point where it was obvious for the missionary to register the publishing ministry as a not for profit organization, and they chose the name Christian Books Melanesia. Its ministry has spread around the country and the Pacific region. It continues to be a truly Assembly ministry, with the entire Board of Directors made up of active Assembly leaders.

 

Shortage of authors

 

   In 2008 I was invited to attend an Annual General Meeting of CBM. Discussion turned to the need for new books and the shortage of authors, and the fact that none of the books (apart from a pamphlet and compilation of short stories) were written by Papua New Guinea believers. All agreed that the need for training of local authors was a very obvious one that should be addressed. The discussions went on to how to provide this and the way forward was not clear at all. So they asked me to head up this new ministry opportunity and in the Directors' meeting the next day they endorsed the idea and set a budget for me to work with.

 

Help me, Lord

 

   I was lost; excited about the opportunity of seeing believers trained, but lost as to how to go about it. The two difficulties were: to identify the right people to train (resources were limited) and develop a training program that would be suitable and effective in developing these potential authors.

   It was close to furlough time for my family and I, so the second difficulty could be addressed while I was away (I enrolled in a Masters degree). The first difficulty was solved by running a nation-wide Christian Writers Competition, complete with prize money for the top three entries. We advertised through the two national newspapers and the competition started while I was away on furlough. We had no idea what responses we might get, but it seemed a good way to find Christians who were interested in writing and had the skill and discipline to do a reasonably sized piece of writing (everyone seems to think that writing a book is easy, until they actually try it).

 

He began before us

 

   We were really pleased with the response to the Christian Writing Competition. There were over 80 entries. About half of them were good enough for us to invite the authors to our training workshops. Several of them were so good that with a little more work they could be published as books (three are in print now). Six shorter articles were put together and compiled into a book. We learned that God was already preparing some of his people to be Christian authors for this region of the world; we just had to step up and join His movement.

 

Developing God given talent

 

   With this good start, we organized week-long training workshops in three regions of the country. Sixty men and women have participated in these intensive workshops. The diversity of participants is remarkable: farmers, store keepers, journalists, accountants, teachers, lawyers, a university professor, Bible school teachers, pastors and elders. All of them have been eager to learn: I can hardly finish explaining the next writing assignment and they have pen in hand ready to dive into it.

 

Immediate fruit

 

   These are the foundational workshops. The advance workshops require smaller groups, invited out of the pool of those did well in the first round. In the advanced workshops we work together on a writing project. We choose, or are given a topic, and discuss what needs to be researched and thought out, and how to work together in producing an actual book. In the first of these we chose to study King Josiah. There were five of us, staying at our family home in Wewak, working tirelessly morning, afternoon and night for 7 days (Susan catered for us extremely well). None of us would have gotten very far on our own, but by discussing everything as a group, pooling ideas and insights, and seeing this as a truly collaborative effort - a good book was formed in a week. The title of the book is, Josiah - Chain Breaker. Later, six men and myself met at Goroka in the highlands region and did the same thing, this time studying the little book of Philemon. The men instantly caught on to the back-story of the letter, the need for Paul's mediation, and so many other things. I was amazed. We planned the book out in rough form but they were unwilling to divide up and have different people write different parts of the book. They insisted that we do each step together. After the first day of this I had to drop out as a writer and became a fulltime editor, compiling their work into cohesive chapters and sections. It was a truly remarkable experience and this collaborative effort also turned into a book, titled, Onesimus - Transformed.

 

Wider fruit

 

   Apart from these two books that came out of writers' workshops, there are already six other books published written by PNG authors and manuscripts keep coming in. The Lord has given valuable insights to his people here that much of the rest of the world is lacking; insights into spiritual matters, relational matters, and Biblical matters. PNG is exporting to the rest of the world much gold, copper, Natural Gas, vanilla, cocoa, coffee, fish, timber and other natural resources, but more importantly it is now starting to export spiritual riches through the writings of God's people here.

 

   Some of these books are now available as eBooks and can be downloaded anywhere in the world. They can be found at Amazon (Kindle), Apple, Barnes and Noble (Nook), Kobo, and other eBook retailers. They can be searched using their titles: Josiah - Chain Breaker, Onesimus - Transformed, Groping for God, Jesus has Defeated Satan, and Living Your Dreams. You can join us in praying that these books can reach into difficult places, places where the gospel is not welcome. Pray that lives will be touched for eternity, and may God receive the glory in everything.