2017–2019 Mission Grant: Laborers of Love — Lutheran Braille Workers, $100,000
Sharing the Good News THANKS to the LWML
By Jay Zemke, President, Lutheran Braille Workers, with Cheri Fish, Mission Editor
It sounds pretty significant, and it is! In 2017, Lutheran Braille Workers (LBW) received an incredibly generous grant from the LWML to develop braille plates and large print Bibles for the English Standard Version (ESV) translation.
This has been no small feat. The development and the integration of the ESV has required planning, hands-on labor, and a dedicated staff. The grant of $100,000 enabled LBW to transcribe and proofread the ESV Bible in braille and specialized large print as well as to offset the cost of the 2,287 zinc plates necessary for the production of the braille volumes.
LBW volunteers are working diligently to complete this massive undertaking. We have nearly 100,000 volumes already created! We have completed the New Testament and a few volumes of the Old Testament in braille. Zinc plates are being produced and shipped to the 33 Ministry Production Centers that specifically focus on producing the ESV Bible. The mission grant also helped open four new centers to focus on the creation of the ESV Bible!
The community being served are the blind and the visually impaired. Stunningly, an estimated 95 percent of the more than 253 million visually impaired people throughout the world are unchurched. LBW’s mission is to provide free access to the Good News of Jesus Christ as Savior.
Wonderful LBW volunteers print, assemble, bind, pack, and ship to individuals or organizations including: Spread the Word Ministry in Nigeria, and Logo Bible School for the Blind in India, and Love One Another Ministries in India. Every single volume continues to be distributed free of charge.
About Lutheran Braille Workers
LBW is a non-profit organization based in Yucaipa, California, that serves people who are blind or visually impaired throughout the United States and the world. LBW is the world’s largest non-profit producer of braille and specialized large print Bibles, as well as braille, large print, and audio Christian materials. In its 76 years of ministry, LBW has produced and distributed more than 14 million volumes of materials, all of which are provided for free to those who are blind or visually impaired.
LBW is still looking to increase the number of volunteers and Ministry Production Centers around this country. If you or someone you know have interest in supporting this ministry through volunteering, donations, or the formation of a new Ministry Production Center, please contact us directly. We still have more than 26,000 ESV braille and 21,000 large print requests to fulfill!
This story was originally featured in the Winter 2019 Lutheran Woman's Quarterly. Order your subscription here.
For more information about this mission grant, view the individual mission grant page here.
