Lettie Cowman
Encyclopedia
Lettie Burd Cowman was the author of the devotional book Streams in the Desert. She was also one of the cofounders of The Oriental Missionary Society (subsequently OMS International; now One Mission Society
).
, a young telegraph operator. Four years later, on June 8, 1889, they were married. Charles was also one of the cofounders of The Oriental Missionary Society. Lettie and Charles lived in Glenwood Springs, Colorado, for the first year of their marriage. After living there for a year, the high altitude of the Rocky Mountains caused Lettie to become very ill. They were forced to move back to Chicago, where they lived for the next 10 years. While there, Charles worked at the same telegraph office where he had previously worked.
, a friend they had met at their church in Chicago. In 1902, a friend from the telegraph office, Ernest Kilbourne
, joined them to aid with their growing ministry. The Cowmans, Nakada and Kilbourne are considered the four cofounders of The Oriental Missionary Society.
passage and a quote from another author. The title of the book came from Isaiah 35:6, “Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert” (NIV) (Page 77). No one expected Streams to be as successful as it was. Lettie was not looking for success during the time she wrote it; she was just coping with her sufferings. When the book was being published, her publisher was sure that they would never publish more than the original 3,000 that were printed. Everyone was caught off guard when the book took off. Many readers found that they could connect with Streams because it “spoke to those who had difficulty relating their own sufferings to the noble and eternal purposes of a loving and all-wise God” (78). She often stated that, “I did not write Streams. God gave me Streams.” (page 183).
life. In writing this, she hoped that “a world-wide crusade [would] be launched to reach every living member of this generation with the gospel” (Page 79). After Charles’ death, OMS continued on with cofounder E.A. Kilbourne
as its second President. Lettie continued serving with OMS as one of the cofounders. When Kilbourne died four years after Charles, Lettie became the third President of OMS.
One Mission Society
One Mission Society is an Evangelical Christian missionary society founded in 1902 by Charles and Lettie Cowman.-External links:*...
).
Early life
Lettie Burd Cowman was born on March 3, 1870, in Afton, Iowa, to Isaac and Margaret Burd. At 15 years of age, she met her future husband, Charles CowmanCharles Cowman
Charles Elmer Cowman was a missionary evangelist in Japan. He was also one of the cofounders of the Oriental Missionary Society .- Early life :...
, a young telegraph operator. Four years later, on June 8, 1889, they were married. Charles was also one of the cofounders of The Oriental Missionary Society. Lettie and Charles lived in Glenwood Springs, Colorado, for the first year of their marriage. After living there for a year, the high altitude of the Rocky Mountains caused Lettie to become very ill. They were forced to move back to Chicago, where they lived for the next 10 years. While there, Charles worked at the same telegraph office where he had previously worked.
Japan
After feeling a deep call on both of their hearts, Lettie and Charles left the United States on February 1, 1901, to be missionaries in Japan. They worked alongside Juji NakadaJuji Nakada
was a Japanese holiness evangelist, known as "the Dwight Moody of Japan" , who was the first bishop of the Japan Holiness Church and one of the co-founders of the Oriental Missionary Society ..- Personal History :...
, a friend they had met at their church in Chicago. In 1902, a friend from the telegraph office, Ernest Kilbourne
Ernest A. Kilbourne
Ernest A. Kilbourne was a missionary evangelist to Japan. He is best known for being a cofounder of the Oriental Missionary Society .-Early life:...
, joined them to aid with their growing ministry. The Cowmans, Nakada and Kilbourne are considered the four cofounders of The Oriental Missionary Society.
Bible Training Institutes
The work in Japan continued to grow. By 1903, two Bible Training Institutes had opened in Japan. These schools held classes during the day and in the evening were the site of evangelical services open to the public. Dozens flooded in nightly to hear the preaching of Juji Nakada. In 1907, they expanded into Korea and a Bible Training Institute was open in Seoul in 1910.The Great Village Campaign
It was clear that all four cofounders had a deep burden on their heart for the people of Japan. They wanted to reach as many people as they could with the Gospel. Although they were making huge strides in their goals, Charles was not satisfied. This led to the start of the Great Village Campaign in 1913. His goal was for every person in Japan to hear the Gospel within the next five years. Teams of missionaries went to every town, village and home throughout Japan, proclaiming the Gospel and distributing Bibles. When Charles’ health took a turn downward in 1917, he and Lettie were forced to return to America. In January 1918, they received news through the O.M.S. Standard that the Great Village Campaign was complete. About 60 million Japanese were equipped with the Gospel, covering 161000 square miles (416,988.1 km²) of land.Electric Messages (OMS Outreach)
Lettie began writing in November 1902, when OMS cofounder Ernest Kilbourne began a monthly publication called Electric Messages. She wrote monthly reports of the work that was being accomplished, which was then mailed to supporters in the United States. The name was later changed to The O.M.S. Standard and is currently called OMS Outreach.Streams in the Desert
After the Cowmans returned to the United States in January 1918, Charles’ health continued to decline. As he suffered in pain, Lettie suffered, watching her husband slowly fade away. During this time, her best-selling devotional book, Streams in the Desert, was born. Lettie learned how to commune with God through suffering and wrote a daily devotional based on the hardships she was dealing with. Each day contains a BibleBible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
passage and a quote from another author. The title of the book came from Isaiah 35:6, “Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert” (NIV) (Page 77). No one expected Streams to be as successful as it was. Lettie was not looking for success during the time she wrote it; she was just coping with her sufferings. When the book was being published, her publisher was sure that they would never publish more than the original 3,000 that were printed. Everyone was caught off guard when the book took off. Many readers found that they could connect with Streams because it “spoke to those who had difficulty relating their own sufferings to the noble and eternal purposes of a loving and all-wise God” (78). She often stated that, “I did not write Streams. God gave me Streams.” (page 183).
Missionary Warrior
Charles died in September 1924. After his passing, Lettie found a note addressed to her in his Bible, stating, “Go on with my unfinished task” (Page 72). Despite her grieving, she knew that she had work to complete. The year following his death, Lettie wrote Missionary Warrior, a biography of Charles Cowman'sCharles Cowman
Charles Elmer Cowman was a missionary evangelist in Japan. He was also one of the cofounders of the Oriental Missionary Society .- Early life :...
life. In writing this, she hoped that “a world-wide crusade [would] be launched to reach every living member of this generation with the gospel” (Page 79). After Charles’ death, OMS continued on with cofounder E.A. Kilbourne
Ernest A. Kilbourne
Ernest A. Kilbourne was a missionary evangelist to Japan. He is best known for being a cofounder of the Oriental Missionary Society .-Early life:...
as its second President. Lettie continued serving with OMS as one of the cofounders. When Kilbourne died four years after Charles, Lettie became the third President of OMS.
Every Creature Crusade
In the midst of her new writing career, Lettie continued serving as President of OMS as her first priority. She was determined to carry out the Every Creature Crusade (now known as Every Community for Christ), which Charles started in Japan as the Great Village Campaign. She began speaking at camp meetings and conventions. Just as Charles felt such a strong calling to proclaim the Gospel to every individual in Japan, Lettie felt a similar call to distribute the Gospel to all the nations. They had already been to Japan, Korea and China, so they began to make plans to go to India, Africa, South America, Europe; all the nations of the earth (Page 97). In Europe, they expanded into countries such as Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Poland and Czechoslovakia. This crusade marked one of the last great evangelistic efforts in Europe before Nazi Germany took control. In Africa, Egypt was a country that Lettie felt a great burden for (Page 115). In North America, Cuba was a country of focus (Page 130). In December 1941, a crusade began in Mexico. This was the greatest evangelistic campaign that Mexico had ever experienced. Over the course of five years, the total evangelical church membership doubled (Page 166). In 1943, the Oriental Missionary Society entered South America, something Lettie never dreamed would happen. The right doors opened, and a Bible training institute began that year in Medellín, Colombia.Cowman Publications, Inc. and World Gospel Crusades
In the fall of 1949, Lettie knew that her time as President of OMS had come to an end. She stepped down from the role with the hope that the mission’s book department and crusade department would be released to form another corporation. They were and she accepted the presidency for the new corporation under two names: Cowman Publications, Inc. and World Gospel Crusades (Page 170).Death
In 1957, at 87 years of age, Lettie became very ill. Three years later, she died on Easter Sunday, April 17, 1960.(Page 96)Books written by Lettie
- Streams in the Desert
- Springs in the Valley
- Missionary Warrior
- Consolation (Words of Comfort and Cheer)
- Count it all Joy
- Praise Changes Things
- Sit Still, Until
- Thoughts for the Quiet Hour
- Mountain Trailways for Youth
- Traveling Toward Sunrise
- Handfuls of Purpose (God-After All)