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We’re Steve and Johanna Pillinger, and we work with Wycliffe Bible Translators in the United Kingdom. Wycliffe is a Christian charity that aims to make the Bible available in every language in the world, so that people can read it in their own heart-language.
Steve manages the Wycliffe UK Typesetting Services Department, preparing computer texts brought back from overseas for printing as Bibles and New Testaments. Johanna works with Wycliffe as a partnership development consultant, helping people find the funds they need for their ministry.
For more info, see the About Us page. Meanwhile… enjoy!
As you may know, this year I started as a partnership development consultant with Wycliffe. I come alongside members whose income is low, and help them build up their support team. Those who work for Christian organisations such as Wycliffe have noticed that patterns of giving and receiving have changed significantly in recent years. There seem to be a number of reasons for these changes. Many churches—traditionally important donors to missions—are heavily committed to local outreach initiatives, and have had to reduce their giving to mission activities overseas. And many individuals feel overwhelmed by the ongoing solicitation for all kinds of funds. Traditionally, Christian giving and receiving was something done ‘in secret’ (Matt. 6:3–4). But now, many people like to talk more openly about money. There has also been an economic decline; and sometimes the financial needs of missionaries are not understood. For these and other reasons some Christian workers, including Wycliffe members, have seen their income drop significantly.
But Christians still desire to give and, as a result of the changes, it’s more and more the case that givers like to have a personal relationship with the person receiving. This is a very positive development. Jesus Himself was supported by a group of women (see Luke 8:3). It is my aim to help colleagues deal with these new realities of giving and receiving. To encourage them to keep on trusting God  and discuss ways to find the new God-given supporters they need, in order to do the work to which He has called them. So that, together with our supporters, we all help to provide Scripture in every language that needs one!
To this end, I mostly meet individually with colleagues to talk through their specific situations. In June I led a seminar on partnership development at the start of our yearly Wycliffe conference. Over forty questions and issues were raised by those who attended—too many to deal with adequately in the meeting. I am now looking for effective ways to respond to the needs my colleagues have in regard to partnership development.
One way forward may be to hold occasional workshops for those near enough to the Wycliffe Centre to attend. In anticipation of this I attended a one-week course at the Wycliffe Centre called “Learning that Lasts”. I do still remember what we learned  , and hope to put it into practice when the time comes.
Apart from possibly holding workshops/seminars, I will be relating to colleagues working at the Wycliffe Centre to develop a plan of what I can do most effectively during our remaining time here in the UK. I hope to set up something of value to leave behind. So far what I have done has been very warmly received and seems to address a real need. For example, one couple were struggling to find enough financial supporters. The wife was close to resigning to take a paid job, even though they both felt her calling was to stay in Wycliffe. As we discussed the changing patterns of giving and receiving, they adjusted their approach; and although it took time, eventually they had enough supporters. Now she looks radiantly happy in a new Wycliffe assignment.
Meanwhile, please pray there will be someone to replace me. Ideally I’d like to train someone to take over before we go to South Africa (mid-2011).
Thank you for your partnership with us as the Lord leads me into this new area of ministry!
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Howdy, folks! Well, I’m back from Dallas, I’ve taken my cowboy hat off, and it’s business as usual again!
I had a useful time over there, despite the heat (over 100°F at times — 38°C), and a thunderstorm that left us without power for several hours one morning! (Thought that only happened in Africa…?) I also learned a lot about the latest versions of our typesetting programs, and was able to get an upgrade which I’ll be practising on over here.
My two teachers, Darrel Eppler (on the left in the photos) and Randy Hasty, have many years of experience between them, and are involved in training new typesetters for service in our various publishing centres around the world. However it was good that I was able to share a few things with them out of my own experience, which they had not been aware of before. So, it was a two-way process.
Thank you for your prayers during this time!
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 Yes, in a couple of weeks’ time I (Steve) will be travelling to Wycliffe’s International Linguistics Centre in Dallas, USA, to do some ‘recurrency training’ on the latest computer programs and publishing procedures at our Global Publishing Services HQ.
This is part of the preparation needed for the new role I expect to take up soon, co-ordinating the production of Bibles, New Testaments and other publications across sub-Saharan Africa. Here in the UK I’ve been using software dating back to 2006 — which, as we all know, is mediaeval in computer terms. In future I’ll be working with typesetters using more up-do-date programs, and it’ll help if I have some familiarity with them!
 Don’t worry, they’re statues! Steve admiring the famous ‘Cattle Drive’ in Dallas (2000) I’ll be in Dallas from 20th June to 4th July; and in addition to new typesetting software I’ll be looking at a variety of different procedures for getting draft copies of Bible translations printed locally for checking in the community. I.e., not the expensive, high-end programs needed for the final Bible or NT, but simple down-to-earth methods of producing a reasonably good printout for local use. And my recent work preparing the Burunge booklets (Acts, James and Revelation) has shown the need for in-service training when teams first prepare for typesetting. I look forward to discussing this and related issues with experienced colleagues.
Johanna and I would both appreciate your prayers in the run-up to my departure on the 20th. This is a very busy time for both of us: for me, getting the Burunge project finished before I leave; and for Johanna, first, presenting her vision for partnership development at our Wycliffe annual conference (9th–11th June); and then attending a course on ‘Learning that Lasts’ which will provide a useful background for her ministry (13th–18th). She will be staying at the Wycliffe Centre near High Wycombe for both of these events, so the rest of the family will be coping as best we can!
But we are grateful to God for the new avenues of service He has opened up for us.
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 Jen’s fiancé Warren arrived from South Africa this morning for a two-month visit — we were all delighted to see him, but none more so than Jen!
He’ll be house-sitting and boarding with friends in and near Thame during this period, and has brought work with him as part of his assignment with OMS (formerly Overseas Mission Society). But he and Jen will have plenty of time to be together, and to discuss future plans. They may even have decided on a wedding date by the time he leaves at the end of July!
Last week Jen finished her third year Anthropology course at Goldsmiths College, University of London. For several years she has been planning towards a career in conflict resolution.
We’d value your prayers that the Lord will bless Warren’s time over here, and especially that He will lead him and Jen as they think about how their different lives and (prospective) careers can be combined. They have some difficult decisions to make. But we believe God has brought them together, and that He will set before them an open door into the life He has prepared for them.
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 Here we go again! Computer problems rear their ugly heads once more. Not one, but three of my external hard drives (office and home) gave up on me last week. These are where I make daily and weekly backups, to protect my work if the computers break down. It’s rather gutting if the backup drives themselves break down!
The bad news is that one of them — an expensive 2-terabyte drive — is a write-off. The good news is that our IT department has been able to fix one of the others; and the third has not lost all the data, though some of it is corrupted. More good news is that the department will pay for a new backup system for my work computer. This system has two identical disks, with software that copies the backups to each of them — so if one fails, you still have the other. We’re thinking of a similar solution, if possible, for our home computers…
Anyway, we would be very grateful for your continued prayers that the Lord will protect the valuable data I work with — His Word in the heart-language of many who have never had it before.
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 Wedding, 1985 Last weekend we celebrated a major milestone — our Silver Wedding anniversary. I suppose like everyone who reaches this point, we wondered where the years had gone! It seems only a couple of years ago that we got married, last year that our children were in primary school, and yesterday that they were teenagers!
It makes you wonder how Biblical characters like Methuselah experienced the passage of time. If things kept speeding up for him, the years and the children must just have whipped by! He, too, must have felt life was too short when he was celebrating his nine hundred and sixty-ninth birthday!
Anyway, Johanna and I celebrated our 25th quietly, at a comfortable farm / restaurant not far from us which has a few self-catering rooms.
 25th Wedding, 2010 We thoroughly enjoyed our weekend away, and shared some special gifts with each other. Jen is in the middle of her final exams right now, so we’re planning a celebration with the whole family later on.
God has been good to us during these twenty-five years, giving us two wonderful children and many wonderful partners in our ministry with Wycliffe. As we come to the end of one phase and prepare to launch out on another, we feel we are celebrating not just twenty-five years of marriage, but twenty-five years of God’s faithfulness. Thank you to everyone reading this who has played a part in prayer or in giving. The journey would not have been possible without you!
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There’s something we want to share with you…
We’re standing on the brink of a new phase in our lives and ministry. When you read what follows, you may understand why communications from us have been a little sparse in recent months. It’s only now that we’ve felt the time is ripe to share this.
 Since 2000 I have been typesetting Scripture at our UK headquarters, mainly for West African and some East African languages. But the work of Wycliffe in Africa is changing. In the light of Vision 2025, Wycliffe has been focusing on assisting national Wycliffe organisations to develop themselves. More work is being done by Africans. There are now eleven Wycliffe member organisations on the African continent.
 Steve typesetting in Nairobi (2006) This means that the structure of Wycliffe in Africa is changing and expanding, and new roles and structures are being created to deal with fresh challenges. There is an increasing need for experienced people to take on co-ordinating and supporting roles. One such role currently being planned is to co-ordinate typesetting and publishing across sub-Saharan Africa (including reading materials, Scripture, academic articles, funding, training, etc.).
 The Cameroon typesetting team, whom Steve helped train in 2008 I was approached in December by Alan Conner, head of our international publishing department, with a view to taking up such a position later this year or early next. My response was that I would be delighted to have the opportunity; it would be an extension of the occasional work I have already been doing along these lines (see pictures).
All of this is still in the planning stage, and it may be several more months before an actual job description has rolled off the press. When everything has been worked out we expect an official invitation to return to Africa and take up this new role.
 The Johannesburg skyline Yes, you read that correctly: Africa, here we come! We’ll need to live in or near a major city with an international airport and reasonable internet access. We’ve been thinking of Johannesburg, South Africa, for various reasons: such as the fact that Steve is still a South African citizen; and that Jen and Warren are likely to be based there.
We are very excited about this prospect. We’d be grateful for your prayers that God will work out the details. This move raises all sorts of questions, such as Johanna’s future role, selling or letting our house in Thame, and many others. There’ll be more to come on these matters—watch this space! Sometimes our minds boggle when we try and grasp it all, but we do have a sense that this is His new direction for us.
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Burunge New Testament Books (Tanzania)
 The Burunge team checking the book of Acts, January 2010 The Burunge are a small group of approximately 13,000 people who are part of a cluster of ethnic groups in Tanzania known as the Southern Cushites.* The people are proud of their language and are excited about the prospect of being able to read it and having the Scriptures. Some are already learning to read Burunge; the Gospel of Mark and some literacy materials have been published. Although the work is time-consuming and challenging, the team is thrilled about the progress they are making.
At present I’m working ‘remotely’ with the Burunge team, by email and via the Internet, to publish three more New Testament books: Acts, James and Revelation. These will be printed in separate booklets as trial versions, to see how people respond to the printed word. If the selection of books seems odd, bear in mind that they all involve different types of material: narrative (Acts), a letter (James), and prophecy (Revelation).
Please pray for continued good progress with this project, which we’re hoping to complete by mid-April.
*For those who might feel that sounds familiar, Rendille is an Eastern Cushitic language. I can see some interesting similarities!
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