What is Community Engagement? Part 2 

What is Community Engagement? Part 2 

The Komba language community eagerly awaits the dedication of the full Bible. Their New Testament copies, completed in 2014, are worn and well-read. Life, hope, and transformation from God’s Word abounds. They know God speaks their language. 

How Did This Vibrant Faith Community Come To Be? 

In the early 2000s, the Federwitz and Esala families moved to Ghana because the local church invited them to lead the New Testament translation, but first they needed to engage the community. 

Building Relationships First

David Federwitz remembers, “A good 6 to 9 months of our time was spent constantly meeting new people. Market days were a great time for relationship building… just walking around greeting people or sitting and talking for a while.” He found a very non-threatening way to connect with his new neighbors was by swapping stories about raising children. His ability to laugh at his mistakes with the language also earned credibility. “As we were there longer and had more understanding of the surroundings, context, and culture, conversations got more in-depth.” 

Literacy Education An Important Part of Engaging With Scripture

Literacy is another important element of community engagement. The Komba church was very supportive of literacy education, but gaining community awareness and support would be vital for success. Nathan Esala recalls, “We visited probably 100 villages and communities and got linked up with many more than that. We visited chiefs and elders in each community…asking for support for the literacy program. We asked each community to give what they could, maybe a bag of grain, to support the literacy efforts. It took a lot of time and explanation, but eventually people came through.” 

Community engagement thrives through partnership with the local church and larger language community. Foundational relationships made by the Federwitz and Esala families equipped strong local leaders. The Komba translation project is a shining example of community engagement partnership in action!