Wycliffe Bible Translators in the UK says it is planning for a “tough” financial year ahead amid falling donations and a difficult economic climate.

The organisation, which is involved in an estimated 80 per cent of all current Bible translation projects, says it has been hit by changes in currency exchange rates, building repairs to the UK Wycliffe Centre, and a reduction in donations to the general fund.

The drop in donations has led to a reduction in the payouts from the Supplementary Fund, which helps serving Wycliffe missionaries who are not able to raise enough money to support their living costs.

“This is the first time that our current Supplementary Fund has been unable to meet the needs of those claiming on it and this is an indicator of how serious the current financial situation is,” said Eddie Arthur, Executive Director of Wycliffe UK.

In spite of financial difficulties, Wycliffe’s worldwide staff have recently completed one Bible, six New Testaments, five Jesus Film productions, four Luke videos and two Genesis videos.

Mr Arthur added, however, that the UK branch would have to tighten its belt in the coming months.

“We have already had to take some very tough decisions on which projects we support over the next 12 months,” he said.

“We’ve also needed to make difficult decisions about the resource we can allocate to serving members who rely on us to cover living costs. We hope and pray that this situation won’t last for long.”