A pastor’s perspective
Wycliffe Today Autumn 2023 Edition
Pastor Telly Persunay leads a church in Ambon: the Gereja Protestan Maluku (GPM) which is the main protestant denomination in the Maluku Islands. Telly is one of the pastors who has been involved in checking the translation of the Ambonese Malay New Testament.
Telly says:
GPM is proud that Ambonese Malay has been translated so the people of Ambon can understand the Bible directly in their own language. The Ambonese Malay New Testament can help the church to communicate the Word of God closer to the language of the people so that they don’t just hear it but when they do hear, they immediately understand what God wants so that their lives can be changed. We have GPM staff helping with the Ambonese Malay translation and a few other languages in the area so the church can continue encouraging the work of Bible translation.
I prefer to read the Bible in Ambonese Malay because it does not require me to make a lot of interpretations. When we prepare a devotion or lead a church meeting, we can understand directly because the Ambonese Malay language and words that are used are clearly understood.