Wycliffe Associates, an international charity that partners with churches to provide God's Word in local languages has set up hundreds of covert printing systems after seeing a dramatic rise in demand for translations, particularly in the Middle East.
The organisations Print On Demand system (PODs), has enabled thousands of Bibles to be discreetly printed by local believers in areas where Christians are under the threat of persecution, in order to reduce the risk of detection.
"We can't ship Bibles into many areas," said Bruce Smith, President and CEO of Wycliffe Associates.
"Mother-tongue translators must be able to print the Scriptures themselves, in the heart language of the people they're reaching. Our Print On Demand equipment gives national Bible translators the ability to print Bibles each day-and do it quietly," he said.
Wycliffe Associates trains workers to operate and maintain high-speed, digital printing systems, which can be concealed in safe houses and operated in secret to serve underground churches in volatile regions or communities.
Smith says the new systems have the potential to reach millions of people.
"Day after day, more and more people ask for Bibles," said Smith. "The teams run the printing equipment nonstop, producing as many Bibles as the printers can handle."
To date, Wycliffe Associates has deployed 114 Print On Demand systems (PODs) in 41 countries.
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