The Christian Network for Africa Mission (CNFAM) is championing the adoption of audio Bibles, particularly for communities lacking access to formal education.
Evangelist Edwin Ebeniro, Chief Missioneer of CNFAM, emphasizes that these devices offer a powerful method to disseminate the Gospel across the continent.
According to Ebeniro, his advocacy for audio Bibles stems from a conviction that they surmount barriers to spiritual outreach.
“The device breaks the language barrier completely and makes it easy for people to be reached with the gospel because they will be hearing the word of God read to them in their own language,” he stated.
He further highlighted the device’s ability to reach multiple listeners simultaneously, a distinct advantage over traditional written texts which can only be read by one person at a time.
The CNFAM is poised to officially launch its innovative audio Bible device on August 8th at the Yaba Presbyterian Church in Lagos. This event will mark the formal commencement of a campaign urging churches and individual Christians to invest in the production and distribution of these devices for both evangelistic endeavors and personal spiritual development.
A key feature of these audio Bibles is their independence from conventional power sources. “What we have could be powered by solar. And it could also be recharged with electricity,” Ebeniro explained.
The locally assembled device also offers unparalleled convenience. Ebeniro noted, “The beauty of it is that users can listen to the Bible while they do other things. It is unlike when you read the hard copy Bible which compels you to shut down other things you’re doing.
“It’s not a question of I cannot read. The device makes it easy for the illiterate to access the word of God. It is also good for people that are visually impaired. That is why we are campaigning and asking churches to invest in its production.
“It has been a great blessing to users. People get excited when they hear God’s word being read in their language. It tends to resonate with them more than when it is read in a language they are not familiar with. Many lives have been transformed through the audio Bible,” he affirmed.
While each audio Bible costs approximately N8000 to produce, CNFAM’s mission is to provide them free of charge for evangelism purposes. “So far we have been giving out the device free of charge to the users because it is for evangelism purpose. But people who have understanding of mission pay for its production,” Ebeniro revealed.
He added that there are people in the church who have been bearing the cost.
Last year, CNFAM successfully produced and distributed 5,000 copies of the device across Nigeria and West Africa, with a dedicated center in East Africa managing demands in that region. For the current year, the mission has set an ambitious goal of producing 24,000 copies for distribution in unreached areas across Africa and Asia.
