The TELL Network leverages the internet to deliver Bible teaching to students all over the world
In 2018 WELS World Mission’s Multi-Language Publications had a vision to reach the world with the Gospel in a new way. Their vision was to equip people with the truth of God’s word using digital resources in English. Like the Latin America mission field’s Spanish Academia Cristo, TELL would use English to reach people through social media, self-led Bible lessons and live video classrooms.
Three years later, God has blessed that vision. The TELL Network has 1.2 million followers and likes on its main Facebook page. Across the globe there are 7,000 active users doing self-led Bible lessons on the TELL app and website. Currently there is one full-time TELL missionary who meets several times a week with students from Africa, India, and Philippines.
One student, Samuel, is from Guinea, Africa. He is a school teacher with a wife and children. “My greatest desire is to be well-equipped for mission work,” says Samuel, “I won’t miss this opportunity by God’s grace.”
Like thousands of others, Samuel found TELL on Facebook. TELL’s Facebook team posts daily Bible passages and short devotional videos by national pastors called #TELLtalks. The team answers questions online and invites people to start free Bible training on the TELL app or website.
Samuel Kalivogui and his family
Samuel downloaded the TELL app and within seconds began the first self-learning course. He completed three self-learning courses: Spiritual Healing, Truth Brings Peace, and Introduction to the Bible. Each course has nine lessons that include a Bible reading, teaching video, and quiz.
When Samuel completed the self-learning courses (“TELL Tier 1”) he received his first certificate. Then a TELL missionary contacted Samuel. He congratulated him and invited Samuel to join him in the live online classes (“TELL Tier 2”).
Today Samuel is meeting twice a week in a video classroom with a TELL instructor and other students. Students go in-depth learning about the work of Jesus, Old and New Testament history, and Law and Gospel. Each course takes about a month. There are eleven courses in TELL tier 2.
TELL tier 3 are live courses too. They focus on how to share the Gospel in your community: gathering, teaching and discipling. God-willing someday the TELL instructor along with a local missionary will visit Samuel to grow the relationship and support Samuel as he starts a small group.
Samuel recording a Gospel message for a radio broadcast in Guinea
When Samuel began TELL he had been praying for just that: an opportunity to share the Gospel. Since then God opened a door! A friend gave Samuel air-time on the local radio station. Every Sunday evening Samuel takes the Bible lesson he has learned with TELL and reuses them on-air to an audience of up to half-a-million. Many of whom haven’t heard the Gospel.
By God’s grace Samuel has found a place where he receives real Gospel training right from God’s word. “I used to believe in a Gospel that was preaching prosperity and miracles mostly,” Samuel says, “But I discovered this misleads believers. It focuses on earthly things and makes us forget heavenly things. Now I’m mission-minded.”
Daniel Laitinen is Multi-Language Production’s TELL Missionary and lives in Austin, TX
Please pray for those working in fields that are ripe for harvest. Share their story, engage with future news and receive updates. Learn more about our mission fields in Africa and how the Holy Spirit is working faith in people’s hearts at https://wels.net/serving-others/missions/africa
With athletic costs going up every year, we are hoping to lessen the expense by using donations for our concessions this year. Please see the board in the school entrance with items we are asking anyone interested to purchase for us. Take a tag(s) from the board so we know it is being purchased and return the item to the school office by November 6th. Some of the items needed are listed below: Soft Pretzels Nacho Cheese Sauce Tortilla Chips (family size bags) Hotdogs Hotdog buns Aldi take & bake pizza Gatorade (12 packs) Coke, Sprite, Barq's Root Beer Icee (pack of 30) String Cheese Lays chips (single packs - 20 per) Laffy Taffy Ring Pops Skittles/Starburst box of 30 Hershey candy bars box of 30 Mars candy bars box of 30 If you can't make it into school to take a tag, please email or call the school office and we will send the tag home with your child as a reminder. school.office@salemlutheran.org 651-439-7831 Thanks so much for your ...
Students look forward to summer for a variety of reasons, and at the top of the list are fun activities and time spent with friends. St. Croix Lutheran Academy is offering a wide range of summer camps for boys and girls entering grades 4/5 to 9. Sports camps include basketball, bowling, wrestling (gr. 1-9), volleyball, football (gr. K-8), and soccer. Academic camps include Art, Speak & Play Theatre, Introduction to American Sign Language, and new camps Science for Girls and Geeking Out With Games. Read more and register for camps at www.stcroixlutheran.org/activities/camps and download the camp booklet.
Dear Salem Families, We want to thank all those that baked, brought, or bought baked goods over the last three weeks for our bake sales. It was a wonderful outpouring of help to raise over $950 for our new PA system. The Winter Pots Class led and hosted by Meg Bicek also raised over $830.00 in funds! We thank her and all the participants in that fundraiser as well. As always, we thank all SPTO members for all their hard work. We are making great progress towards our goal and we thank everyone who is helping us on our way!
