This last week, we were blessed to have St. John’s own Stephen and Rachel Katterhenrich, Hope & Scott, with us at worship. Both Stephen and Rachel were both blessed to have grown up in the church, involved in youth groups at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Grove City, Ohio, and in supportive Christian families. Through these, they learned the value of knowing and serving God, as well as serving others.
Stephen went to Taylor University in Indiana and studied Christian Education and Biblical Studies. He developed a passion for the Word of God. Rachel studied Spanish and French at Hope College in Michigan, and developed a passion for languages and culture.
The Katterhenrichs first heard about Wycliffe while they were in college. Rachel met a couple who had worked with Wycliffe in South America and who told them about the work of Bible translation. They each attended a one-week course on translation and loved it.
Eventually they realized that their passions aligned and pointed towards doing translation with Wycliffe. They are currently working with a translation team in Tanzania, helping to begin the process of Bible translation for groups that don’t yet have God’s Word in their language.
In Tanzania, they are analyzing languages, developing alphabets, and helping to train others in linguistic principles. Most of the 40 languages in Tanzania where translation is still needed do not yet have a written form. The majority have never been analyzed or documented.
They continue to be working alongside members of local language communities, helping to analyze and document their languages. The ultimate goal is to see these groups translate the Bible into their own languages. Wycliffe is partnering with many other organizations and churches to see this task accomplished for each language group that still needs God’s Word. For more information, please visit their blog at: Katterhenrich Family Blog
For more information or to partner with the Katterhenrich Family in ministry, please visit: The Great Commission Society of the NALC.
