JAARS, Inc.

Summary

JAARS provides quality technical support services and resources to speed Bible translation for all people. The JAARS vision is that the worldwide Bible translation movement will benefit from strategic technical and logistic support that is dependable and accessible. JAARS shares the vision of the Wycliffe Bible Translators (WBT) and SIL family of organizations, focusing on technical and logistical support needs.

Contact Information: [ Back to top ]

Organization Details [ Back to top ]

Purpose [ Back to top ]

JAARS provides quality technical support services and resources to speed Bible translation for all people. The JAARS vision is that the worldwide Bible translation movement will benefit from strategic technical and logistic support that is dependable and accessible. JAARS shares the vision of the Wycliffe Bible Translators (WBT) and SIL family of organizations, focusing on technical and logistical support needs. JAARS accomplishes its exempt purpose through the following programs:

1. Language Development
   JAARS has facilities and staff to assist SIL in language identification, acquisition, and translation. It provides training and equipment for audio-visual media productions in vernacular languages for use by various SIL entities worldwide. It offers film and tape dubbing services and training in the use of media equipment. JAARS also cooperates with partnering organizations to further language development work in a variety of non-print media.
2. Transportation
   JAARS provides technical support and maintenance for specially equipped aircraft in use by the overseas entities of SIL and its affiliates. It also assists in pilot and mechanic selection and their orientation for overseas service, and addresses safety and operational issues. JAARS provides consultation, equipment, and trained personnel to facilitate safe land travel for field programs. JAARS maritime services assist sea captains with satellite alerts and emergency rescue systems. JAARS provides oversight for water safety training and assistance in procuring equipment for maritime activities used in the transportation of missionaries involved in the Bible translation effort. JAARS also provides funding for acquisition, field preparation, repairs, and overhaul of equipment used in air, land, and sea transportation.
3. Information and Communications Technology
   JAARS provides specialized computer support for overseas language workers with SIL. This includes hardware and software evaluation and purchasing, specialized language software development, research into new computing technology, and training users on such equipment and software. JAARS also provides worldwide email services to SIL and WBT entities. It prepares personnel working in radio, computer, and communications for service in the fields where SIL works. It provides assistance with equipment selection and funding, and development and utilization of new technologies, including wireless and satellite communications.
4. Ministry Operations
   At the JAARS Center in Waxhaw, North Carolina, services are provided to members of WBT, SIL, furloughing missionaries serving with other ministries, and all missionaries assigned to JAARS for training. Such services include conference facilities, meals, health services, child care, and distribution of donated goods. JAARS has its own building and vehicle maintenance facilities. It provides purchasing and shipping services for overseas entities of SIL and its affiliates. JAARS maintains a warehouse and operates a fleet of tractor-trailers for domestic moving services and shipment of goods for exportation to foreign destinations.
5. Collections
   JAARS maintains collections in the Mexico-Cardenas Museum and the Museum of the Alphabet, composed of artifacts of historical significance, scientific specimens, and art objects that are held for educational, research, scientific, and curatorial purposes. The items are cataloged, preserved, and cared for and their condition is assessed regularly. The collections are subject to a policy requiring proceeds from their sales be used to acquire new additions.
6. Public Utility
   In the mid-1960s when JAARS staff occupied the current center in North Carolina, the site and a water system were developed. In 1980, the system began to serve a local subdivision of houses. In 1987, the system was designated a Community Water Supply by the State of North Carolina Division of Health Services and was directed to bring its water system into compliance with specifications submitted by that agency. The current, interconnected water system consists of 3 wells and provides service to: 100 singe family residences, 20 spaces in an RV park, 87 JAARS apartment units, and JAARS support facilities, including auditorium/cafeteria and other office facilities. The current demand is approximately 32,000 gallons per day.

Mission Statement [ Back to top ]

JAARS expresses its mission statement as follows:

Recognizing our dependence on God and our commitment to partnership with His people, JAARS serves Bible translation worldwide as an innovative and responsive facilitator, strategizer and provider of quality technical services and resources.

Program Accomplishments [ Back to top ]

Need Program Accomoplishments info

Statement of Faith [ Back to top ]

Statement of Faith

• We believe in the divine inspiration and consequent authority of the whole canonical Scriptures
• We believe in the doctrine of the Trinity
• We believe in the fall of man, his consequent moral depravity and his need of regeneration
• We believe in the atonement through the substitutionary death of Christ
• We believe in the doctrine of justification by faith
• We believe in the resurrection of the body, in the case of the just and the unjust
• We believe in the eternal life of the saved and the eternal punishment of the lost

• Bible Translation Support: We believe all people need the Word of God in their own language. We believe in providing opportunities for believers to be involved in Bible translation support work.
• Faith: We believe everything should be done in dependence upon God.
• Service: We believe in serving in a timely, effective, loving manner.
• Value for the Person: We believe each person has unique worth and can make an important contribution to Bible translation. We highly value each individual.
• Excellence: We believe in striving for excellence in everything we do.

History [ Back to top ]

The road toward the establishment of JAARS was not quick or easy. As early as the mid-1920s, while working with another mission, William Cameron Townsend had seen the need for, and been dreaming of, a missionary air service. In 1930 he wrote, "I still believe airplanes are the only possible method of reaching the jungle peoples. For safety and efficiency I am convinced that hydroplane transportation must be used to reach these out-of-the-way people." But it wasn’t until 1948 that JAARS made its way into mission aviation history.

In 1917, the young W. Cameron Townsend had traveled from California to Guatemala to sell Spanish Bibles. He was deeply moved by the difficulties Guatemalan Indians had in reading, and the alienation they felt with the strange Spanish language. This experience changed the course of his life. He stopped selling Spanish Bibles and spent the next 12 years translating the New Testament into the Cakchiquel language. It was during these years at the translation desk that the heart and soul of the new Bible translation movement was formed.

After finishing the Cakchiquel New Testament, Townsend resigned from his mission and in 1934 began what became known as the Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL) to train prospective Bible translators in linguistics. He established Wycliffe Bible Translators in 1942 to communicate with the home church constituency and coordinate financial support. SIL International continues to coordinate language programs worldwide. But the time for his third organization, JAARS, had not yet come. Several near tragedies and years of difficult travel and hardship for their personnel were needed to pave the way. One such incident took place in late 1946.

A young missionary couple anxiously waited deep in the Amazonian jungle for a flight that never came. Four months pregnant, Florence Nickel describes part of the ensuing journey she and her husband Titus had to take to reach medical care. "It was rainy season and the river was high and hard to travel. The second day out, the boatman got drunk. In the afternoon we ran out of gas, and then the propeller fell off and sank to the bottom of the river. Titus and I camped in a little dirty hut while the boatman floated downriver and retrieved a new propeller. After two weeks on the river, we got to the place where the foot trail started, and I thought the worst of our journey was over. But I didn’t know the trail ahead of us. At the end of each day of hiking through the jungle, we were so stiff and tired it didn’t seem possible to crawl over trees, up and down hills and wade through streams anymore. Four days later, at the end of the walking trail, we were able to get mules to ride for a day and a half—a luxury to us. We finally reached a road and got a ride to the coast, arriving on Christmas Day. We had been traveling twenty-one days."

Townsend anguished over extreme hardships like these and the heartbreaking tragic deaths in other missions where flight service was nonexistent or inadequate. In 1947 in Mexico, Townsend was in a near fatal air accident himself. Along with his wife Elaine and their first child Grace, they had squeezed into a chartered Piper Super Cruiser. Barely past the end of the dirt airstrip, the inexperienced pilot banked the tiny plane. With insufficient altitude, the tail of their plane hit a tree throwing them into a small ravine. Miraculously no one was killed in the mangled aircraft, but all suffered serious injuries except for baby Grace.

This crash put Townsend in bed for many weeks, but it only served to energize him, making him more determined to work toward establishing an SIL aviation program. The SIL board had been against Townsend’s visionary and frighteningly expensive notion of establishing its own aviation service. They wanted SIL to keep using an already established mission flight service. However, it was becoming ominously clear that the likelihood of a tragic air fatality would only increase with the use of under-qualified pilots and poorly maintained chartered aircraft. In addition, the extremely difficult travel and overwhelming time involved were taking their toll on SIL personnel and programs. Finally, in light of these inescapable realities, the SIL board approved the formation of its own air service in 1948. Jungle Aviation And Radio Service, now known as JAARS, was formed with one amphibious plane serving in Peru.

From that simple beginning, JAARS has continued to grow in size and scope. As Bible translation efforts spread throughout Latin America, so did JAARS. In time, translation work expanded into the Philippines, Asia, Africa and the Pacific area. JAARS came alongside to support the new initiatives, broadening its scope of technical service to include aviation, wireless communications, information technology, construction, vernacular media, buying, shipping and transportation services. JAARS was officially incorporated in 1963, locating its international center in Waxhaw, North Carolina, just south of the city of Charlotte.

Wycliffe translators are involved in Bible translations in over 1,300 languages across more than 70 countries throughout the world. Uncle Cam passed on in 1982, but JAARS continues to follow his example of pioneering and serving. Though JAARS support has expanded far beyond just airplanes and radios, the principle is still the same. As Uncle Cam said, "Airplanes and radios don’t make Bible translation easier, they make it possible."

Ministry Needs [ Back to top ]

All the services and departments of JAARS are always looking for skilled, qualified people who are looking to help the cause of getting the Word out. JAARS asks that donors refer to the project page on their website at http://www.jaars.org/projects/index.shtml to find out what the current needs are in each department.

Research Analysis

Transparency Grade [ Back to top ]

MinistryWatch.com 5 Star Financial Efficiency Ratings [ Back to top ]

Ranking Category	Rating	Overall Rank	Evangelism Support Sector
Overall Efficiency Rating		212 of 352	20 of 35
Fund Acquisition Decision		163 of 352	17 of 35
Resource Allocation Decision		141 of 352	15 of 35
Asset Utilization Decision		299 of 352	28 of 35

Shining Light [ Back to top ]