How BiblePlus is multiplying worship all over Ghana
The drums were so massive that a small child could have crawled inside and made them his playhouse. Their size required three grown men to load them off the motorcycle’s cargo bed. Hewn from hollowed tree trunks, their ancient wood was patched with leather and repaired with wire from generations of use by this village in Northern Ghana.
Did the original craftsman foresee the worship that would bounce off of the stretched animal skin? Did he know the God whose praise now bounds to heaven at every eager beat?
BiblePlus is a ministry that spreads the gospel to the unreached through audio players, microSD cards and media projects. In areas where oral culture prevails, people are hungry for audio Bible materials in their own language. BiblePlus not only includes the New Testament, Bible stories, testimonies and community health updates, but also local worship songs. The microSD cards for Android phones also include The Jesus Film, LUMO Gospel Films and Bible App in their local tongues.
The worship music is locally written and based on Scripture. Most recording sessions look like a leader, or “caller” standing closest to the microphone and a choir of men, women and children singing and dancing around them. At first, tech experts Beth and Pete Beckman tried to organize the choir, but realized that choirs don’t just sing, they dance.
The clapping of hands, the shuffling of dancing feet, the chords of worship springing from the eager throats of the multitude– along with the beating rhythm of the ancient drums– all form an orchestra of pure, Ghanaian praise. This worship isn’t just going into an audio player to minister to future listeners, but is also a sweet fragrance ambling up to heaven like incense. Pete wrote,
“When worship lacks performance, it is beautiful and authentic. Everyone can participate, from sleeping babies to the oldest grandmothers and grandfathers.”
Pete reminds us that the act of worship itself is valuable— whether it is recorded or not. “There were no spectators, we joined in worship,” he describes. “Of course, it was not perfect, some singer’s notes stood out, and some dancers may have been less graceful, but the heart of worship is not perfection, but authentic praise.”
The ministry of BiblePlus knows the profound impact that worshiping has on believers. They know that it is imperative for people to have access to not only the Word of God, but also worship songs in their own language. As BiblePlus distributes microSD cards and audio players, they are multiplying the worship that rises from the people of Ghana.
As you lift your own hands, voice and heart up to God next Sunday morning, remember that a multitude of brothers and sisters across the globe are joining you in authentic praise. Pray for the ministry of BiblePlus as they faithfully multiply the praise rising up in Africa.
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