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Jonathan J. Bonk (Project
Director) - Michèle Sigg (Project
Assistant) The Twentieth-century growth and character of Christianity in the Southern continents generally and in Africa particularly are without historical precedent. Yet the story of the Church in African continues to be told as though it were simply a footnote to the story of European tribes. Information on indigenous evangelists, catechists and Christian leaders most vitally involved cannot be found in standard reference works or textbooks, and the "Acts of African Apostles" is in danger of being lost to historical memory. The Dictionary of African Christian Biography (DACB), sometimes referred to as "Project Luke" (cf. Luke 1:1-3; Acts 1:1-2) constitutes a significant first step toward ensuring that this essential record is preserved for future generations. The Overseas Ministries Study Center (OMSC) has committed itself to serve as host and facilitator of the DACB and Project Luke. A Dictionary of African Christian Biography An international team of scholars and church leaders is now engaged in the creation of the DACB. Broadly inter-confessional, historically descriptive, and exploiting the full range of oral and written records, the DACB will cover the whole field of African Christianity from the earliest times to the present, over the entire continent. It is being produced electronically in English and translation of the website into French has recently begun with plans for translation into Portuguese, Swahili and Arabic. As a database, the DACB constitutes a uniquely dynamic way to maintain, amend, expand, access, and disseminate information vital to an understanding of African Christianity as something more than simply a footnote to the story of European tribes. Being non-proprietary, it is possible for material within it to be freely reproduced anywhere in Africa in printed form. Being electronic, both on the World Wide Web and in an annually updated CD-ROM version, the material will be accessible to readers around the world. The second annual CD-ROM version of the DACB website was published in January 2002. Ongoing DACB Work The first four of the Director’s trips to Africa took him to Kenya (1999), Ethiopia (2000), Tanzania and Zambia (2001), and Ghana (2002). Nigeria is his contemplated destination in February of 2003. As a direct result some forty seminaries and universities are now registered as official participating institutions and a steady stream of biographical material is now being received. His trip to Zambia in 2001 led to an exciting development: the creation of a DACB Africa office in Lusaka, Zambia, which is now the administrative and promotional centre for DACB activities in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia, Swaziland, Lesotho and South Africa. The New Haven DACB office, fully equipped since January 2000 and staffed since October 2000, is located at the Overseas Ministries Study Center. It is hoped that four more DACB offices will be established in Africa to facilitate the collection and translation of stories in French, Portuguese, Swahili and Arabic. Stories from across Africa are being actively solicited. The aim is to generate a total of three thousand stories by the year 2011. It is the intention of the editors to make all of these stories avilable in English, French, Portuguese, Swahili and Arabic. Inquires are welcome.
Ref.: Text from the Authors. March 2002. Overseas Ministries Study Center Fax: (204) 865-2857 E-mail: DACB@OMSC.org
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