If you had the pleasure of meeting Mrs. Jean Butler Newman, one of the first things you may have noticed were her hands.

Diminutive and delicate, Jean’s hands belonged to an award-winning woodcarver and a loving seamstress who made hundreds of quilts and teddy bears for babies in her local NICU. But you might be surprised to learn that those tiny hands also typed hundreds of thousands of pages of Scripture over her lifetime!

Together with her husband, Barclay Newman, Jean traveled the world supporting translation projects with American Bible Society. This extraordinary couple dedicated a combined 74 years to the Bible cause and helped complete American Bible Society’s two landmark English translations: the Good News Translation and the Contemporary English Version. Thanks to generous supporters like you, these translations have helped introduce millions of people to Jesus over the past 60 years.

In 2023, we had the opportunity to visit this dear sister in Christ. Less than a year later, Jean followed Barclay to glory. We’re honored to share their story with you as we praise God for a legacy that is still changing lives today!

A Clear Calling

As we sit in Jean’s living room, we gain a glimpse into her remarkable life.

Before calling places like the Philippines, Indonesia, and Malaysia home, Jean grew up in Tennessee. She married Barclay Newman in 1953, beginning a marriage that would last 67 years until Barclay passed away in December 2020.

Barclay and Jean studied at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. After graduating, Barclay became a professor of New Testament and Greek at Missouri’s William Jewell College while Jean focused on raising their two daughters, Tina and Dana.

Barclay, who had a unique gift for languages, was commissioned by American Bible Society to write a Greek-to-English dictionary. Soon after, he was asked to join American Bible Society as an international translations consultant.

Jean remembers being excited, even though this new adventure came with a cost.

“The hardest part was leaving our friends, our church, and our home,” Jean tells us. “We loved our home.”

But Jean saw the opportunity to serve with American Bible Society as a clear calling.

“It’s our responsibility to share God’s Word,” Jean says. “We’re supposed to go throughout the world and tell about Jesus and what he’s done for us. Because if we don’t do it, who’s going to?”

Over the following years, Barclay consulted on translation projects in Asia, Africa, South America, and Europe. Besides coordinating their many international moves and caring for Tina and Dana, Jean kept busy helping Barclay.

“I was his typist, trip planner, bookkeeper—whatever he needed, I was there to do,” Jean says.

During those years of travel, Jean remembers her family enjoying the different cultures they experienced. She speaks fondly of the friends they made and the adventures they had, and she laughs about their various mishaps adjusting to each country.

But their time also came with hardships. Barclay’s father died while Barclay was in the field, and the family struggled with various illnesses from frequent travel.

“While we were in Indonesia, Dana got very sick,” Jean remembers. “One doctor said, ‘You have two choices. Either you take her back to the States or you can plan to bury her in Jakarta.’”

In 1976, the family moved to Springfield, Missouri. Barclay continued traveling to consult on various projects, sometimes accompanied by Jean. But soon, their focus shifted from supporting foreign language translations to completing an English translation designed to reach a new generation of Bible readers.

A Clear Translation

During their time with American Bible Society, Barclay and Jean Newman worked on the Good News Translation, a groundbreaking English translation designed for modern speakers. Jean recalls how meticulous Barclay and the other translators were in their work.

“I typed the book of John three times, over 900 pages,” Jean says. “They kept making changes! It kept me busy.”

But despite the large workload and the repeated revisions, Jean saw this translation process as another way to reach hearts with the gospel.

“The Scriptures need to be made clear so that people can understand what Jesus has done for all of us,” she says.

The Good News Translation was an enormous success in the United States and was distributed to global English-speaking populations thanks to the generosity of American Bible Society supporters like you. The New Testament, which was released in 1966, was a particularly powerful tool for evangelism. More than 5.5 million Testaments were distributed in its first year, and many evangelists found that the modern translation resonated with their audiences. Billy Graham used the New Testament in his personal devotions and distributed copies at his crusades. And the simple line drawings created by Swiss artist Annie Vallotton that are featured in the Good News Translation Bible, which was released in 1976, became instantly recognizable.

Overall, the Good News Translation’s straightforward language made it unique among English translations. But Barclay felt that an even clearer translation could help reach even more people with the gospel.

“He wanted children to be able to read the Bible and understand it as well as adults, and for adults to appreciate it as well as children,” Jean says. “That’s why he decided to do the Contemporary English Version.”

Several years later, Barclay and his new team focused on creating an accurate and faithful translation of the original biblical manuscripts that followed modern English speech patterns for optimal readability.

Once again, Jean functioned as Barclay’s right-hand woman. She remembers typing pages upon pages of Scripture—and how reading those familiar passages still touched her heart.

“I would always cry when I came to the part where Jesus was crucified and died,” she says. “I would cry, but then I would come to myself and keep typing. I typed just about everything!”

Barclay, Jean, and the rest of the team finished the New Testament, which was released in 1991—the 175th anniversary of American Bible Society. It was followed by the entire Bible in 1995. Jean remembers that exciting day with pride and joy.

“It was good,” she says. “It was so readable.”

For the rest of her life, Jean studied the pages of her CEV Bible each day, keeping it by her bedside and reading a chapter each night.

A Clear Mission

Jean retired from American Bible Society in 2002. Barclay continued serving until 2005, when he began a new venture for United Bible Societies.

Even after retirement, Jean volunteered for American Bible Society and gave CEV Bibles to anyone who needed one. She and Barclay remained faithful supporters of American Bible Society for the rest of their lives, long after their own work in Bible translation was complete.

“I support American Bible Society because of the good that they’ve done,” she tells us. “Bible translation transforms lives. It saves people for the Lord. And that’s what American Bible Society does.”

After decades of typing, Jean decided that she wasn’t quite finished. In 2018, she published Born to Translate, a 260-page account of Barclay’s life and work. After Barclay’s death, her book became the best way to get to know the breadth of his work—along with Jean’s own contributions to their legacy of Bible translation.

“The legacy I’d like to leave is that I was Barclay’s wife and that I helped him do what I could with translations and the work of American Bible Society,” she says.

As employees, volunteers, financial partners, and prayer warriors, Barclay and Jean Newman left a unique mark on the story and ministry of American Bible Society. We are grateful to God that their stories intertwined with ours, and we rejoice that believers like you are continuing to carry the gospel around the world.

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