FAQ

Wycliffe Bible Translators, SIL International and JAARS are jointly committed to language development work, which usually includes training, translating the Bible and promoting the use of translated Scriptures. William Cameron Townsend founded all three organizations, and each plays a unique role in the worldwide translation task:

• Wycliffe Bible Translators offers opportunities for involvement in the translation movement through prayer, personal service, financial partnerships and vision sharing.

• SIL International is a faith-based nonprofit organization committed to serving language communities worldwide as they build capacity for sustainable language development.

• JAARS provides quality technical support services and resources to speed the work of Wycliffe Bible Translators, SIL International and related translation and literacy organizations.

You can find non-English Scriptures through:

• The American Bible Society
• The Bible League
• The Forum of Bible Agencies International
• The International Bible Society
• World Bible Translation Center
• World Bibles

When our organization began in 1948, we offered two services: aviation and radio. We were appropriately named "Jungle Aviation and Radio Service" and often went by our acronym, "J.A.A.R.S."

However, for more than 60 years we have consistently expanded our support services to meet the changing needs of translation teams. In 1986, to reflect the diversity of our services, the acronym was dropped and we became known simply as "JAARS."

We partner with the Wycliffe Bible Translators family of organizations, including:

• Wycliffe Bible Translators
• SIL International
• Wycliffe Foundation
• Wycliffe Associates
• The Seed Company
• The Graduate Institute of Applied Linguistics

To speed Bible translation, we also partner with other translation and literacy organizations throughout the world.

Currently, nearly 600 people serve at the JAARS Center in Waxhaw, N.C. More than 400 career missionaries with Wycliffe Bible Translators also work in JAARS-related positions around the world.

We provide some level of support services to personnel working with Bible translation projects for 93 countries. In some countries we provide basic support, such as email service; in others, we have extensive programs for transportation, media and other fields. Much of our work is concentrated in Africa, Southeast Asia and the Pacific.

We are funded solely by the financial gifts of individuals, churches and organizations. To learn more about our finances, or to view our annual reports, visit the Financial Information section of this site.

No. Our organization is nondenominational.

Yes. We offer resources such as:

• Missionary speakers
• Chalk artist demonstrations
• International fashion shows
• Videos
• Literature

We can also organize group tours of the JAARS Center in Waxhaw, N.C. For more information about these resources, please call 1-704-843-6581.

Because we are part of the Wycliffe Bible Translators family of organizations, most people who work full-time with us are volunteers with JAARS or career missionaries with Wycliffe.

To learn more about serving with JAARS, you can visit the Serve section of this site or view our list of open positions.

Not necessarily. Some volunteer opportunities, such as aircraft maintenance or trucking, do require specific skills. Other volunteer opportunities don't require any previous knowledge or experience. If you are interested in volunteering with JAARS, we will work with you to find a position that best fits your skill sets and personality.

To learn more about volunteering with JAARS, please click here.

Yes. If you are interested in bringing your church group to volunteer at JAARS, please contact us at 1-704-843-6150.

No. We cannot release the email address of anyone working with JAARS or other Wycliffe-related organizations. There are two main reasons for this:

• Many personnel must pay for each email message they receive. Depending on their email provider, this can cost more than a foreign postage stamp.
• Some personnel work in sensitive areas of the world, where safety concerns must be considered.

Although this policy can be inconvenient, it is to protect the safety of translators and support personnel worldwide. If you would like a particular person's email address, please send your request to them via regular mail.

Yes. To submit suggestions for new stories or topics to be included on this Web site, please use our online contact form.

Yes. If you would like to reprint a story or information found on our Web site, please submit our online contact form to let us know what you will be reprinting. We also ask that you include the author's name and the following statement with any text you reprint from this site: Reprinted with permission from JAARS.org.

Yes. If you would like to reprint a photo found on our Web site, please submit our online contact form to let us know what you will be reprinting. We also ask that you include the photographer's name and the following statement with any photo you reprint from this site: Reprinted with permission from JAARS.org.

You can use our online contact form to submit questions or comments about this Web site.

If you can't find the information you're looking for, our search engine (located at the top right-hand corner of any page) may be able to help. You can also contact us with specific inquiries by submitting our online contact form.

We value the security and privacy of your personal information, and we make every effort to safeguard that information. To learn how we handle the personal information collected on this site, view our Privacy Policy.

Please click here for directions to the JAARS Center.

Yes. For a reasonable cost, we can provide a shuttle between the JAARS Center in Waxhaw, N.C., and the Charlotte airport, bus station or train station. To make reservations, please call 1-704-843-6631.

No. As of March 31, 2009, we no longer offer moving services.