The Natives Are Restless, Part 2

JAARS Center seen from the air.  Not a recent shot, as the trees are the wrong colors. Now the Bradford Pears and Forsythia are in bloom all over the place.  The MKS (Missionary Kid Station) where Dottyanne teaches is about a 4 minute walk through the woods from the Hangar.  Most of the lodging (including ours) is off to the right, out of the picture.  We didn't walk to work today.  There was a pretty good frost last night.

--------------------------------------------------

The Natives Are Restless, Part 2

JAARS Center is an idyllic setting - peaceful, away from the hustle of the world, well cared for.  Its atmosphere is is park-like.  At 7:50 a.m. there is a veritable traffic jam of people walking to work.

But there is tension in the air.  Leaders at every level are spending hour upon hour in meetings to try to sort out the future.  If you want to jump-start any conversation here at the Center, just mention "integration."  Not racial integration, but organizational integration.

Wycliffe/SIL is addressing the same reality that the rest of the Church is facing - the center of gravity of Christendom is shifting away from Europe and the U.S.  That is good news and we must not cling jealously to our shreds of control, but rejoice that God's word is being spread throughout the world.

Therefore, over the last several years Wycliffe/SIL has been reassessing it's role in the Bible translation world.  It now sees its role as partnering with the many other organizations around the world that now share the common vision of providing God's word in the heart language of every people group.  Much of the translation work is now being done by local national translators that are trained and assisted by Wycliffe/SIL members. 

Since its beginning JAARS has been affiliated with, but not directly a part of, Wycliffe/SIL.  In the near future JAARS functions will be integrated directly into the Wycliffe/SIL organization.  This will facilitate partnering with SIL and overseas partner organizations.  The day-to-day work that people do here at JAARS Center will not change appreciably, at least in the short term, but what I see people being conncerned about is the feared loss of the "JAARS identity." 

There are some legitimate concerns if the JAARS branding were to disappear, especially on the aviation side.  JAARS Aviation has a well respected reputation for safety, quality and innovative thinking.  That opens many doors with the FAA and other countries.  JAARS is a familiar name in mission circles that attracts donors and recruits.  So the potential loss of that name has many folk concerned, at both a personal level and at the professional level.

My perception at the several meetings that have discussed the topic, is that Wycliffe/SIL leaders share these concerns.  They are working with JAARS leaders to creatively retain the benefits of the JAARS name, while achieving the benefits of integrated operations.  Any transition of this magnitude is painful, but long term benefits can outweigh the short term pain.  So pray for the mission and missionaries of JAARS.  Pray for the leaders of Wycliffe/SIL that they will be sensitive to the heritage of JAARS, while remaining true to their call to effectively support Bible translators throughout the world.