When one thinks of missions, the conversation tends to veer towards going to another country for a period of time to spread the Word of God.

This can be done through camps, church-based activities or even setting up businesses there to impact the local community. Yet the written word can be as effective, if not more, in conveying the Gospel as those mentioned above.

This was the belief of Bernice Lee, 60, the Asia chair of Media Associates International, which organises LittWorld, described as the world conference of Christian publishing.

A sea of red – participants in the 2015 LittWorld T-shirt during a midweek outing.

Lee, together with husband Rev Dr Tan Soo-Inn, is also the co-founder of local Christian publishing firm Graceworks. She shared with Salt&Light why lives can be changed through books.

“When we go on missions, these are limited by geography and resources,” explained Lee.

“Books don’t have such limitations; they can cross mountains and go across seas … and through them, people can learn about the Gospel and live out their faith.”

Empowering through local language 

And this is not just, well, words.

She recounted how during one of her training trips to Vietnam, aimed at empowering the locals to write, a woman who enjoyed writing attended one such session held at a house church venue.

This was a significant leap of faith for her, as she was from the Evangelical Church of Vietnam and both communities don’t tend to co-mingle. But she attended anyway, and was blessed.

“Her husband told her to thank me, as it gave her back her life,” said Lee. Laughingly, she added: “So drama!”

Plenary attendees from Africa, Malaysia and Pakistan.

She’s hoping that this year’s LittWorld will also see such life-changing experiences. It will be held in Singapore from Oct 28 to Nov 2.

There are several firsts in the upcoming LittWorld 2018 edition. For one, it is offering rates to Singaporean participants that do not include accommodation following feedback that one of the main barriers was that people did not want to pay to stay at YWCA, which was the venue for LittWorld 2015.

Another would be the re-introduction of comics and illustrations to the conference tracks, in order to appeal to cultures where reading and the written word are not widespread, Lee shared.

Publishing as missions 

In a nod to the culture of our time, LittWorld will also be introducing screen-writing for the first time, as the organisers realise Christians can be “salt and light in this mass appeal industry” even as there seems to be a resurgence in movies.

The book sales area at the conference.

“Making Christian videos and films doesn’t mean being in your viewer’s face with church jargon,” explained Lee. “We can make a difference without preaching.”

It is also timely, given that many people consume videos on their mobile devices, particularly in Asia where smartphones trump TV sets and movie theatres, she added.

A discussion group with participants from Indonesia, Myanmar, Singapore and the Philippines.

Ultimately, though, LittWorld serves as a platform for those who see writing as a mission field to interact with like-minded peers, share lives and gain perspectives.

“For some, it’s the only sabbatical they’ve ever had … to rest and catch a bigger vision from God,” she said.