Address
304 North Cardinal
St. Dorchester Center, MA 02124
Work Hours
Monday to Friday: 7AM - 7PM
Weekend: 10AM - 5PM
About Us
What is LBTC up to?
Lutheran Bible Translators of Canada
Conducts linguistic research; translates the Bible; facilitates literacy; promotes Scripture use; trains indigenous people; cooperates with local governments, educators, national church leaders and local communities; and involves Lutherans in Canada in building awareness through recruitment and by seeking partnerships for prayer, financial support and encouragement.
Although this volume of work may seem insurmountable, LBT US and Lutheran Bible Translators of Canada (LBTC) – with God’s guiding hand and the prayers and generous gifts of faithful supporters – has completed more than 31 New Testaments and several lectionaries enabling over 7 million people to now read the message of Jesus Christ’s salvation in their first language
Currently, Lutheran Bible Translators has more than 22 Bible translation programs, 30 Scripture engagement and related programs and 5 language development programs in progress. We further rejoice that several Canadians are examining God’s plan for them as they consider joining LBTC as Bible translators, literacy teachers and ethnomusicologists. Others, known only to God at this time, await our timely encouragement.
God is also opening the way for LBTC to work in more language groups in Cameroon and in other parts of the globe. Please pray for the Holy Spirit to provide discernment to LBTC leadership so that we make the most of these opportunities. And please pray that the Lord would move more Canadians to respond to His call to enter into the Bible translation mission field.
LBTC has a long history in Cameroon, West Africa
Since 1980, LBTC has worked with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Cameroon (EELC), an autonomous church body with some 250,000 members.
Cameroon has a population of around 20 million, speaking some 275 different languages. Although French and English are the country’s official languages and are taught in schools, very few persons living away from urban centres obtain literacy beyond the basics. They most often understand and use their mother tongue to communicate orally rather than in French or English. About 100 of these languages are now part of languages development projects, so much linguistic analysis, translation and literacy work remains to be done especially in conjunction with the EELC.
Our sister organization, Lutheran Bible Translators – USA, sent missionary Ed Mueller to Cameroon in the 1980s, who with his team of locals translated the Samba New Testament which was dedicated in 2001
In 1982 LBTC translator Martin Weber, along with his wife Joan, a literacy specialist with LBT US, began work in Cameroon among the Kwanja people. The long process of learning the Kwanja language and culture, developing an orthography for two dialects of the language, and developing a literacy training program and a translation team of Kwanja people, the Kwanja New Testament was dedicated in 2006.
Since then the Kwanja translation team has published a three-year lectionary in two Kwanja dialects, Sundani in 2016 and Ndung in 2020. After nearly forty years of service in Cameroon, the Webers retired from the field at the end of 2020 and are making their home in the US
Rev. Mike and Kara Kuhn arrived in Galim, Cameroon, in January 2013. They have assembled a fine translation team and are moving toward publishing some or all of the Holy Scriptures in the Nizaa language. In 2020, the Kuhns moved to Ngaoundere where Mike serves in an expanded role as Cameroon Representative for both LBTC and LBT US, while continuing his work with the Nizza translation work..
Other Canadians have worked in Cameroon, including Curtis and Andrea Boehm (computer support and teaching), Lorraine Toderash (translation), Annette and Scott Westermann (translation and computer support), Bill and Freda Klassen (construction and accounting support for the Bible House project).
LBTC fulfills its mission of Bible translation and promoting Scripture use through the people and resources that God has provided and continues to provide.
