Refugees fleeing ISIS, war and persecution will hear the gospel through new Christian app
A new app will provide biblical teaching and encouragement to refugees who have fled ISIS, war and persecution.
"The aim of the app – called Refugee Bridge – is to enable Christian refugees to have good quality Bible teaching even when they don't speak the local language," Julie Noonan, communications officer for Trans World Radio (TWR), told Christian Today.
TWR, which currently works across 160 countries in 230 languages, hopes its new app will "reach refugees stranded across Europe with messages of hope and comfort."
The app, which is currently in Arabic and will soon be translated into Farsi and Dari, will initially use existing content and deliver it in a format that refugees can access easily.
Most refugees have smartphones to keep up to date with news and in contact with family members, so TWR chose to reformat the radio content they had previously used for people in Syria and Lebanon into a free app for those on the move.
The content will include a mixture of "Bible teaching, phone-in content and more general encouragement", and will be downloadable, so refugees can listen to the content when they don't have wi-fi.
TWR hopes to develop content in the future that it is aimed specifically at refugees. The team wants to encourage Christian refugees, and also present a clear gospel message for those who do not have a faith.
Refugee Bridge is evangelistic in as far as "when you teach the Bible, God will speak," Noonan said.
TWR are working with local churches and mission organisations on the ground in order to spread the word about the app and ensure that those who hear the gospel are also supported.
"We are very keen that there is capacity for refugees to receive follow up – we don't just want people to hear Bible teaching and then be left dangling, but receive support and discipleship," Noonan added.
Alongside biblical teaching, TWR plans to provide practical information for refugees and is employing researchers to ensure that the information shared is the best available.
"We don't just want to be well-meaning, we want to get the best information that will be the most helpful for the refugees," said Noonan.
The content is available in 40 languages online, however the app will initially only be in Arabic.
