When Jacob Funk was hired in 1995 to continue the weekly Low German program, Licht vom Evangelium, he remembers being told, “Don’t waste your time… it’s a dying language!”
Far from being a dying language, Low German is the language of the heart for over 4 million people in the world.
At Square One, we have been producing Christian media in Low German since 1959. And we continue to do so today.
In fact, we’ve just launched a new website to be a Gospel-centred media hub for Low German-speaking people! Currently in English, the website will soon also be available in Low German so that people can access our resources in either language.
The new website includes an extensive collection of our current and archival media content, as well as some exciting resources we helped translate into Low German: the New Testament (1988), the JESUS Film (1994), and the full Bible (2003).
Ultra-conservative, Low German-speaking groups in North, Central and South America can be suspicious of government interference, technology, and higher education.
David and Sieglinde Toews produce Wajch Wiesa (The Signpost) in Paraguay. A recent episode was produced in response to a man who asked, “Is education evil?”
For the people of closed colonies, keeping Low German as their only language – regardless of where in the world they live – is one way of keeping negative influences away.
Unfortunately, it also limits their opportunities to hear and understand the Gospel message.
At Square One, we are committed to producing impactful, Christ-centred media so that the world’s Low German speakers can hear the Gospel in the language they best understand – a language that is still very much alive!
We invite you to check out our new Low German website: for the first time, our large collection of audio, video and print resources have been made available in one place! Click to view the Low German website
Eduard and Heidi Giesbrecht produce Ekj Ran (Run the Race) in Bolivia. A recent episode focused on 2 Timothy 3:14 - 17 that starts, “… continue in what you have learned…”.
“Conservative Mennonites believe this verse means they should keep following their traditions,” says Eduard. “But we explained that it actually means to keep following the Holy Scriptures.”
A woman heard this episode and found freedom from bondage when she read the verses for herself – in Low German – that her salvation is in Christ Jesus, not in her traditions.