Current Project: Translating Mark and 1 & 2 Timothy for the Nindem people of Nigeria.
Here’s how it works: RBC individuals and families can sponsor the translation of specific verses from Mark, 1 Timothy and 2 Timothy. In the lobby, now through October 5, we have laminated verse boards. To reserve the verses you want to sponsor, stop by the lobby and sign your name next to the specific Scriptures you or your family would like to fund at $30/verse. You can give cash or checks via the envelopes in the lobby or you can give online at the link below or via the Give tab of the RBC app (select IMAGINE ZERO-NINDEM fund in the “Select Fund” dropdown.)
Adopt-a-Verse boards will be in the lobby through October 5.
Thank you for your generosity, which will provide the Word of God to a people who did not have it, bringing them hope, peace, freedom, and purpose in life through Jesus!
Click here to give toward this projectAbout Imagine Zero
The English-speaking world is blessed to have approximately 900 versions of English Scripture to engage with. At the same time, a staggering number of people continue to live without access to God’s Word in their language. Of the 7,396 known language groups on earth, only a little over 740 have a complete Bible, and almost 1300 have no Scripture at all.The Seed Company currently works with over 120 partner organizations and 1,555 local ministries and churches to help bring God’s Word to the Bibleless. By 2025, it is anticipated that for all remaining people groups, translation will have begun in some portion of Scripture in their heart language.
“I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.”
Jesus, John 17:20-21
About The Seed Company
Our partnership with The Seed Company helps them accelerate the work of Bible translation by connecting local field partners around the world with investors, resources, and training. Through these global partnerships, God’s people are being equipped to reach communities still waiting for Scripture in the languages they understand best. Learn More
Previous & Ongoing Projects
Status: Ongoing
Update: As of September 2o25, translators have finished the book of Luke and distributed initial trial copies within the community—the very first Scriptures they’ve ever received in their language. Translation of the book of Acts is well underway, and the Translation Team is on pace to finish within a year and provide the second book of the Bible in the Beseru native tongue. They are excited to pilot new technologies that will speed up translation without sacrificing accuracy.
About: Deep in a region of the Pacific, these remote people groups have never had access to God’s Word in their language. Church leaders are asking for written Scripture so they can draw people to Christ and disciple young believers into a deeper faith. Similar requests for Bible translation have emerged from churches among four neighboring language groups, prompting the project’s translation partner to create a five-language cluster project.
Status: Complete
By the Lord’s grace and His generosity expressed through you, the Gospel of John translation was completed mid-2025! People there are hearing the Word of God in their heart language for the first time. The translation team is encouraged at seeing positive changes in the Zapotec community as they grow in their understanding of God’s Word. They hope to complete the entire New Testament within the next three years then begin translating the Old Testament after that. Click here for a video from the Translation Team.
About: This project will give the Zapoteco Las Delicias their first taste of God’s Word in their own language. The community specifically requested this project, and pastors are keen to use translated Scripture to meet their people’s spiritual needs. The Zapoteco Las Delicias community was founded on Christian principles, and to this day, many of their civil laws reflect biblical values. Nevertheless, nonbelievers need Scripture to gain a clearer understanding of the salvation message, and believers need a more solid biblical basis for their faith.
Status: Complete
By God’s grace and your generosity, the Gurbet language translation was completed in early 2025! This included the books of 1 John, 1 Timothy, and John that that RBC sponsored, as well as Matthew, Mark, Acts, James, Titus, Philemon, and Jude. An account from the field translators:
There was a special opportunity for us translators to visit several villages and to see how people reacted to the translation. A few things encouraged us a lot. All Roma children in the village are required to learn the the dialect in school. This means the language is not dying, and it shows an even greater need to have the Bible in this dialect.
We also asked people in every settlement if they thought it was important to translate the Bible into their language. Both believers and non-believers said yes and gave us good reasons why. One moment that touched us the most was when we visited a small, poor house where a home group was meeting. We handed out booklets of the Sermon on the Mount. A man started crying because he couldn’t believe he finally had a part of God’s Word in his own language. While the pastor shared a short message, the man couldn’t stop reading. He thanked us and said we had brought the greatest treasure into his home.
About: The Gurbet language is spoken by Roma people of Croatia and Serbia—a group often looked down upon by their neighbors. But while they’re disrespected in man’s eyes, God sees these people differently. And through translated Scripture, Gurbet speakers
are beginning to see God for who He is.
Churches and ministries will use translated materials for evangelism and discipleship activities, such as Bible studies for adults and VBS programs for children. God’s Word in Gurbet will bring dignity to this marginalized people, strengthen believers’ faith, and draw unbelievers toward freedom in Christ.
Learn more about the Roma peopleStatus: Complete
By the grace of the Lord working through the generosity of His people, the Banyala people received printed copies of the book of Luke in their heart language in late 2020. Translators have since finished the New Testament and are on track to finish the Old Testament by the end of 2026. Please continue to pray that the translated Word will transform the Banyala community and that the light of Christ would shine in the darkness the people there face.
About: Living near Lake Victoria, Banyala people speak Nyala. While most profess Christianity, many don’t have a personal relationship with the Lord. Animistic religion is widespread. With no mother tongue Scripture, pastors work hard to make their own translation in worship services and Bible studies. Because the Banyala are an oral society, they rely on pastors and church leaders to teach them God’s Word. Oftentimes, however, they misunderstand the scriptural content due to the language barrier. This can result in mixing their local religion with Christian beliefs.
For Banyala believers, Scripture in their heart language will help them connect meaningfully with God’s Word. For non-believers, a Nyala Bible will enable those who practice traditional animism to discover the hope found in Jesus and put their trust in Him.
Click the image above for a stat sheet on the Nindem tribe, for whom we are sponsoring the translation of the Gospel of Mark and 1 & 2 Timothy.
The name “Nindem” originates from a word which means “I have stayed long here.” And Nindem speakers have waited a long time for God’s Word in their language. But thanks to this project, the wait will soon be over!
Christianity came to the Nindem in the 1930s, but they were initially resistant to the gospel message. When a neighboring group accepted the faith, a Nindem elder agreed to hear the good news once more from the missionaries. This time the elder accepted Jesus as his Savior. Soon after, the missionaries built the first church, and more Nindem came to faith.
Today, although 90 percent of Nindem claim Christianity, there is a tendency to practice syncretism, mixing in beliefs from African traditional religion, which many still cling to. Nindem believers have only heard the Bible in English or Hausa—languages they don’t speak well—which has hindered spiritual growth in the community. Heart language Scripture is needed so Nindem speakers can own their personal faith and mature as disciples of Jesus Christ.