Audio Bibles for India's Banjara Gypsies

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., Oct. 29 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following was released today by Faith Comes By Hearing:

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090210/DC68397LOGO)

A middle-aged Banjara man stood in front of about 100 men, women and children holding a small black audio player. Everyone was transfixed by the words being broadcast across the room.

"I'm so illiterate I can't even write my own name," he said. "For all these years I've heard others talk about the way to God and how to follow Him, but it wasn't until I heard the Words of the Bible on this Proclaimer that I knew how to turn my life over to Jesus Christ."

This man is participating in a listening group established under a pilot project between Faith Comes By Hearing and e3 Partners. Twice a week, he gathers the people of his tanda, or village, to listen to God's Word.

"Nearly half of his tanda is illiterate," said Doug Harstine, a regional manager with Faith Comes By Hearing, the world's foremost Audio Bible ministry. "This is very common. About 70 percent of the people in India are illiterate."

Across the subcontinent there are widespread gaps in literacy between urban and rural communities and men and women. Only 12 percent of Banjara men and four percent of Banjara women can read.

Faith Comes By Hearing focuses on reaching the world's poor and illiterate people with God's Word in audio in their heart language. The Banjara people are considered one of the least reached people groups in the world.

"We are conducting a pilot project to disciple the Banjara people," said Harstine. "They have teams working with pastors in villages to use Banjara (Lambadi) Audio New Testaments in their church planting efforts. These pastors are using Audio Bibles to help people understand God's Word."

"The goal is 100 percent saturation, and the feedback has been very positive," Harstine said. "The Banjara are particularly receptive to the Gospel -- we want to continue growing this project and see what God will do!"

The Banjara are a community of six million spread throughout India. Experts estimate about one percent of the Banjara are believers. Most live in deep poverty either in rural villages or city slums.

With nearly 1.2 billion souls, India is the world's second most populous country.

"There are about 100 major languages spoken in India," said Harstine. "And we have the Audio New Testament in 24 languages now, so we are only about a quarter of the way there.