World Gospel Mission - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The World Gospel Mission (WGM) is an interdenominational Christian

Christian

A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...

holiness

Holiness movement

The holiness movement refers to a set of beliefs and practices emerging from the Methodist Christian church in the mid 19th century. The movement is distinguished by its emphasis on John Wesley's doctrine of "Christian perfection" - the belief that it is possible to live free of voluntary sin - and...

missionary

Missionary

A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...

agency headquartered in Marion, Indiana

Marion, Indiana

Marion is a city in Grant County, Indiana, United States. The population was 29,948 as of the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Grant County...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. From its inception, WGM has been aligned with the Wesleyan Holiness tradition

Holiness movement

of Protestantism

Protestantism

Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...

. It was organized on 10 July 1910 at University Park, Iowa

University Park, Iowa

University Park is a city in Mahaska County, Iowa, United States. The population was 536 at the 2000 census. The city is named for Central Holiness University.-Geography:University Park is located at ....

as the Missionary Department of the National Association for the Promotion of Holiness, and from 1926 as the National Holiness Missionary Society. In April 1981 it became a separate legal entity from the National Holiness Association (now Christian Holiness Partnership

Christian Holiness Partnership

The Christian Holiness Partnership is an international organization of individuals, organizational and denominational affiliates within the holiness movement. It was founded in 1867 as the National Camp Meeting Association for Christian Holiness, later changing its name to the National Holiness...

Although WGM has not been controlled by the Christian Holiness Association for many years, WGM remains solidly committed to the proclamation of scriptural holiness. http://www.ministrywatch.com/mw2.1/F_FullRpt.asp?EIN=350911947

The agency's website says "World Gospel Mission is interdenominational in organization, evangelistic in method, Wesleyan in doctrine, cooperative with other evangelical agencies, and backed by an organized prayer network." http://www.wgm.org/ The WGM uses the faith mission

Faith mission

Faith mission is a term used most frequently among evangelical Christians to refer to a missionary organization with an approach to evangelism that encourages its missionaries to "trust in God to provide the necessary resources" These missionaries are said to "live by faith."Most faith...

approach. Therefore, all missionaries (short-term or career) and volunteers with WGM are responsible for raising their own financial support with the help of the organization's Church Ministries Department. Missionaries raise the funds needed to pay for salaries and housing, provide medical and life insurance, fund children’s educations, and provision for retirement. http://www.wgm.org/NETCOMMUNITY/Page.aspx?pid=427&srcid=4039 More than twenty Christian denominations, as well as non-denominational groups are represented among their missionaries. Its trans-denominational base has been strengthened in recent decades by the decisions of several smaller denominations to designate the WGM as their official agent for sending foreign missionaries to the field. These include the Churches of Christ in Christian Union

Churches of Christ in Christian Union

The Churches of Christ in Christian Union is a Christian denomination with origins in the Wesleyan/Arminian doctrine . The hot political climate at the beginning of the War Between the States brought Methodists into conflict. In Ohio the church in general supported the war but there was a small...

, the Evangelical Methodist Church

Evangelical Methodist Church

The Evangelical Methodist Church is a Christian denomination headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. The denomination currently has churches in the United States, Mexico, Burma/Myanmar, Canada, Europe, and Africa. Congregations are located in 23 U.S. states, and they have a presence in 20 other...

, the Congregational Methodist Church

Congregational Methodist Church

The Congregational Methodist Church is a Christian denomination located primarily in the southern United States and northeastern Mexico. It is within the Holiness movement and has its theological roots in the Wesleyan teachings of John Wesley....

, and the Methodist Protestant Church

Methodist Protestant Church

The Methodist Protestant Church is a regional Church body which was officially formed in 1828 by former members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, remaining Wesleyan in doctrine and worship, but adopting congregational governance....

. (Jones 241)

WGM is affiliated to the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability

Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability

The Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability is an accreditation agency to promote fiscal integrity and sound financial practices among member organizations. Founded in 1979, it comprises over 2,000 evangelical Christian organizations which qualify for tax-exempt, nonprofit status and...

(ECFA), the Evangelical Fellowship of Missions Agencies

Evangelical Fellowship of Missions Agencies

The Evangelical Fellowship of Missions Agencies was formed in 1946 as a result of the National Association of Evangelicals recognition that there was not a sufficient amount of networking and communication between the missions arms of the NAE members....

(EFMA), and Standards of Excellence in Short-Term Mission. http://www.wgm.org/

The mission's largest ministries are in Kenya

Kenya

Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...

, Honduras

Honduras

Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...

, and Bolivia

Bolivia

Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...

.http://www.wgm.org/

Beliefs

World Gospel Mission's Statement of Faith is:

We Believe:

…in the absolute authority of the Bible.

…in one God, eternally existent in three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

…in the full humanity and the full divinity of Jesus Christ.

…that faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is essential for the salvation of the human soul.

…in the present and personal ministry of the Holy Spirit, purifying and enabling Christians to live holy lives.

…all people have sinned.

…God created man in His own image to reflect His glory.

…that the Church is the body of Christ made up of all who trust in and obey Him.

…that the Church’s purpose is to worship God, reach those without Christ, and nurture believers.

…in the resurrection of Jesus Christ and in the resurrection of all who believe in Him to life eternal.

…in Jesus Christ’s personal return in power and glory.

Activities

According to the World Gospel Mission blog:

World Gospel Mission will minister through preaching, teaching and healing ministries. World Gospel Mission will assist in forming culturally relevant congregations composed of maturing disciples of Jesus Christ who will evangelize and reproduce themselves within their own cultures and across cultural boundaries ( 2Timothy 2:2) and call believers to the deeper work of God in the human heart of being cleansed from all sin and filled with the Holy Spirit by faith (1 Thessalonians 4:3).

WGM’s strategic areas of service include church ministries, children’s and youth ministries, educational ministries, medical ministries, support ministries, and humanitarian ministries. The organization also partners with churches, colleges, and individuals to send 1,100 volunteers annually on short-term missions experiences.http://www.wgm.org/

Although the Mission's focus is on evangelism
Evangelism
Evangelism refers to the practice of relaying information about a particular set of beliefs to others who do not hold those beliefs. The term is often used in reference to Christianity....

, WGM ministers to the whole person through church planting, education, medical care, community health and development, and even crisis relief for persons with whom WGM is directly involved. WGM concentrates on developing self-governing, self-supporting, and self-propagating churches which are indigenous
Indigenous peoples
Indigenous peoples are ethnic groups that are defined as indigenous according to one of the various definitions of the term, there is no universally accepted definition but most of which carry connotations of being the "original inhabitants" of a territory....

to their respective country or region.http://www.ministrywatch.com/mw2.1/F_FullRpt.asp?EIN=350911947

Administration (1910-2008)

At the instigation of Mrs Iva May Durham Vennard (1871–1945), a Methodist evangelist and later founder and first president of the Chicago Evangelistic Institute (now Vennard College

Vennard College

Vennard College was a non-denominational Christian college located in University Park, Iowa. It was announced on Nov. 12, 2008 that the college would close at the end of the 2008 fall semester due to a decline in enrollment and financial difficulty. The college held its final commencement on Nov....

), and the support of Holiness Association president, Rev Charles J. Fowler, the Missionary Department of the National Association for the Promotion of Holiness was established at University Park, Iowa

University Park, Iowa

on 10 June 1910, with the specific purpose of "spreading scriptural holiness to the ends of the earth." Rev. Cecil Warren Troxel and his wife, Ellen Armour Troxel (born 1875), and the Rev. Woodford Taylor and his wife, Mrs. Harriet Armour Taylor, members of the Free Methodist Church of North America, became the first missionaries in China

China

Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

with the Missionary Department of the National Association for the Promotion of Holiness, directly under the Christian Holiness Association (now Christian Holiness Partnership

Christian Holiness Partnership

Officers

In November 1910 Mrs Beatrice C. "Mother" Beezley was selected as secretary of the China Bureau by the Missionary Department, with only her briefcase as her office. In 1929 Dr James Bishop (died 12 May 1970), former missionary to China, became the chief executive. In 1934 he was replaced by Rev. George R. Warner (died 1 June 1974), also a former missionary to China. Initially appointed as General Secretary, the title was eventually changed to president. Upon Warner's resignation in 1967, a Directorate was established, which included Dr Hollis F. Abbott (Administration), Dr Harold Good (Business), and Dr Burnis Bushong (Homeland). Abbott was elected chief executive officer (later president) in October 1969. In 1979 Dr Thomas H. Hermiz was appointed as president of WGM. The current president is Hubert P. Harriman.

Headquarters

By 1919 the headquarters was located at 825 Woodbine Avenue, Oak Park, Illinois

Oak Park, Illinois

Oak Park, Illinois is a suburb bordering the west side of the city of Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is the twenty-fifth largest municipality in Illinois. Oak Park has easy access to downtown Chicago due to public transportation such as the Chicago 'L' Blue and Green lines,...

. In 1925 the organization's homeland headquarters moved from Mrs. Beezley's briefcase to the a room in the Kletzing Building at the Chicago

Chicago

Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...

Evangelistic Institute (now Vennard College

Vennard College

) at 1804 Washington Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois. http://www.wgm.org/ In 1939 the headquarters was relocated to five rooms at 219 North Parkside, Chibago, Illinois. In 1942 a permanent headquarters was established in the sixteen-room C.W. Ruth Memorial Building at 733 North Parkside in Chicago. Ten years later, the headquarters was again relocated to new offices in a former YMCA

YMCA

The Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...

building at Fifth and Boots Streets in Marion, Indiana

Marion, Indiana

Marion is a city in Grant County, Indiana, United States. The population was 29,948 as of the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Grant County...

adjoining the Marion Hotel. In 1975 the headquarters was moved from downtown Marion east of town to the new George R. Warner Missionary Center, located at 3783 State Road 18 East. The Warner Center was officially dedicated at the International Celebration of Missions in July 1976.

Name Changes

Initially founded as an entity within the National Holiness Association, WGM was established as the Missionary Department of the National Association for the Promotion of Holiness on 10 June 1910 at University Park, Iowa

University Park, Iowa

. In 1926 the Mission became incorporated in Illinois

Illinois

Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...

as a separate legal entity and re-named as the Missionary Society for the Promotion of Holiness, even though it remained under the administrative control of the National Holiness Association. The organization's name was changed again in 1937 to the National Holiness Missionary Society. In 1954 the name was changed to World Gospel Mission.

Mission Fields

In 1946 the mission reported 102 missionaries in seven fields namely China, India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

, Kenya, Burundi

Burundi

Burundi , officially the Republic of Burundi , is a landlocked country in the Great Lakes region of Eastern Africa bordered by Rwanda to the north, Tanzania to the east and south, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west. Its capital is Bujumbura...

, Honduras, Bolivia, and the Mexican border. In 1949 it took over the remaining mission fields of the Peniel Missionary Society

Peniel Missionary Society

The Peniel Mission was an interdenominational holiness missionary organisation that was started in Los Angeles, California in 1895 by Theodore Pollock Ferguson and Manie Payne Ferguson as an outgrowth of their Peniel Mission...

, as well as some of the American Rescue Missions of the Peniel Mission

Peniel Mission

The Peniel Mission was an interdenominational holiness rescue mission that was started in Los Angeles, California on 11 November 1886 by Theodore Pollock Ferguson and Manie Payne Ferguson...

. The Peniel Missions in California and Egypt, which had joined the WGM as a distinct entity, became fully integrated into its ministry with the amalgamation of the two boards in 1957.(Jones 241)

In 1969 WGM reported active ministry in sixteen world areas.(Jones 241) Between 1969 and 1992 WGM founded ministries in another eight areas: Argentina

Argentina

Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...

, Nicaragua

Nicaragua

Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...

, Haitian American Ministries, Israel

Israel

The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...

, Tanzania

Tanzania

The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...

, Paraguay

Paraguay

Paraguay , officially the Republic of Paraguay , is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. Paraguay lies on both banks of the Paraguay River, which runs through the center of the...

, Hungary

Hungary

Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...

, and Uganda

Uganda

Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...

.

Currently,

WGM is composed of over 350 missionaries from more than twenty denominations. These missionaries currently serve on five continents. The fields of service include Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...

, Bolivia, Burundi, Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...

, El Salvador
El Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...

, Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...

, Honduras
Honduras
Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...

, Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...

, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...

, Paraguay
Paraguay
Paraguay , officially the Republic of Paraguay , is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. Paraguay lies on both banks of the Paraguay River, which runs through the center of the...

, Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....

, St. Croix, Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...

, Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...

, Uganda
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...

, and Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...

, as well as Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...

Ministries, the American Indian Field, Haitian American Ministries, Hispanic Ministries USA, and Stockton Neighborhood Center (California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

).http://www.wgm.org/

China (1910-1948)

On 23 November 1901 Rev. Cecil Warren Troxel and Rev. Woodford Taylor arrived in China to serve as missionaries in the South Chihli Gospel Mission, an independent missionary organisation directed by Rev. Horace W. Houlding. In 1904, two sisters, Harriet and Ellen Armour, arrived in China as new missionaries. By 1908 Harriet married Woodford Taylor, and Ellen married Cecil Troxel. Theological incompatibility and differences over mission philosophy, prompted the Troxels and Taylors to resign from Houlding's mission and return to the USA.

On 1 November 1910 the Troxels and Taylors sailed for China as the first missionaries of the newly established WGM. They were assigned by comity

Comity

In law, comity specifically refers to legal reciprocity—the principle that one jurisdiction will extend certain courtesies to other nations , particularly by recognizing the validity and effect of their executive, legislative, and judicial acts...

arrangements with other Christian

Christian

denominations

Christian denomination

A Christian denomination is an identifiable religious body under a common name, structure, and doctrine within Christianity. In the Orthodox tradition, Churches are divided often along ethnic and linguistic lines, into separate churches and traditions. Technically, divisions between one group and...

to the Shantung (now Shandong

Shandong

' is a Province located on the eastern coast of the People's Republic of China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history from the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River and served as a pivotal cultural and religious site for Taoism, Chinese...

province in eastern China. They established headquarters at Nankwantao, and occupied their mission compound (comprising five two-storey brick buildings on 1.5 acres (6,070.3 m²) of land) on 29 September 1911. Additionally, the support of two Chinese preachers was also approved by the new organisation. Mr. C. Yang was a Chinese Christian who started a mission in his home. Over 100 Chinese attended Mr. Yang's special services. http://www.wgm.org/

They established the Tientsin Bible School in Shantung province. In 1917 a large tent was purchased to facilitate evangelistic meetings. By 1920, the Chinese Mission Field reported 15 missionaries, 50 Chinese workers, and hundreds of Chinese Christians. http://www.wgm.org/

In 1926 Dr Henry Wesche, WGM's first medical missionary, was appointed to China. In 1948 all WGM missionaries were withdrawn from China.

Kenya (1929)

The Board of the National Holiness Association Missionary Society voted in 1927 to open work in Africa after the request of students from Asbury College

Asbury College

Asbury University, formerly Asbury College, is a Christian liberal arts institution located in Wilmore, Kentucky. Although it is a nondenominational school, the college's foundation stems from a Wesleyan-Holiness tradition. The school offers 50 majors across 17 departments. Primarily a four-year...

: Rev. and Mrs Robert (Bob) Smith and Rev. and Mrs Virgil Kirkpatrick. In 1929 Clara Ford, daughter of Friends missionaries in Kenya, was appointed as WGM's first missionary in Africa, and asked to explore possibilities for WGM ministry. Among her contacts was Dr. Willis R.Hotchkiss, who had worked among the Kipsigis in Kenya

Kenya

Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...

since 1905, and had founded the Lumbwa Industrial Mission. Due to the failing health of Hotchkiss' wife, he decided to turn over his Mission to the WGM. In October 1932 the Smiths and Kirkpatricks arrived in Kenya. In 1935 a 10 acres (40,468.6 m²) property was granted to WGM at Tenwek, in northeastern Kenya, about 140 miles (225.3 km) east of Nairobi

Nairobi

Nairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The city and its surrounding area also forms the Nairobi County. The name "Nairobi" comes from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nyirobi, which translates to "the place of cool waters". However, it is popularly known as the "Green City in the Sun" and is...

in the fertile highlands of the Bomet District

Bomet District

Bomet District is an administrative district in the Rift Valley Province of Kenya. Its capital town is Bomet. The district has a population of 382,794 and an area of 1,882 km² .The district has three electoral constituencies:...

among the Kipsigis people, through the assistance of Hotchkiss and the Africa Inland Mission

Africa Inland Mission

Established in 1895, Africa Inland Mission is a nondenominational Christian mission organisation focusing on Africa and islands in the Indian Ocean...

.

Tenwek Hospital, one of the largest Protestant mission hospitals in Kenya, began as a clinic in 1936, at Tenwek. The clinic’s first staff members were registered nurse Miss Mildred Ferneau (later married to Orville Leonard) and Miss Gertrude Shryock. However, Tenwek’s first doctor, deceased WGM missionary Dr. Ernie Steury, did not arrive for another 22 years. The fifty-bed hospital was enlarged with the addition of a new men's ward in 1967. In 1985, the hospital at Tenwek was enlarged to accommodate 300 patients, and renamed the Johanna A. Ng'etich Memorial Center in honour of the patriarch of the African Gospel Church of Kenya, who had died in 1977 aged over one hundred years old. Since 1959, the hospital has been under the day-to-day management of a missionary. However, in July 2001, the hospital hit one of its most important milestones as Tenwek’s board appointed Steven Mutai as its first Kenyan executive officer.

In addition to being the primary hospital for the area’s 1 million people, it is also a referral hospital that receives patients from other parts of the country. Tenwek’s staff, which now totals 500 employees, treats more than 10,000 inpatients and 70,000 outpatients each year. Approximately 3,000 major surgeries and 2,500 deliveries are also performed at Tenwek each year. In addition, several thousand people find Christ as Savior each year, and many more are impacted through Tenwek’s compassionate ministries and training programs.

Kenya Highlands Bible College, a post-secondary school near Kericho

Kericho

Kericho is a Kenyan County located to the South West of the country and lies within the highlands west of The Great Rift Valley. The capital of the district is Kericho town. The district home to the best of Kenyan Tea which is world famous for its brightness, attractive color, brisk flavor and...

, Kenya

Kenya

Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...

, was started in 1953 by WGM missionaries Gerald (Jerry) Fish (1917–2008) and Burnett (Bunny) Fish. The school, which began holding classes in 1955, 'seeks to train young people to emulate Christ as church leaders by providing Bible, theology, and Christian education instruction for students from a number of African countries and tribes. Approximately 80 students attend the college each year." In 1972 an extension seminary program (Theological Education by Extension (TEE)) was begun in 1972. Kenya Highlands Bible College is registered with the Commission for Higher Education of Kenya as a private College and is in process for accreditation. The college has been granted candidacy status by the Accrediting Council for Theological Education in Africa (ACTEA). KHBC is a member of the Nairobi Fellowship of Theological Colleges. According to its website,

The mission of KHBC is to advance the Kingdom of God and serve society through promotion of a Christo-centric education within the Wesleyan tradition by integrating faith with scholarship and inspiring servant leaders.

On 29 August 1961, the WGM churches were registered with the Kenyan government as the Africa Gospel Church. After Kenyan independence from Britain in 1963, many of the responsibilities of the WGM were transferred to the Africa Gospel Church. In 1967, ministry was started among the Maasai. In 1972 all WGM properties and ministry were voluntarily turned over to the Africa Gospel Church. In April 2006 the Africa Gospel Church Baby Center was opened in Nakuru

Nakuru

Nakuru, the provincial capital of Kenya's Rift Valley province, with roughly 300,000 inhabitants, and currently the fourth largest urban centre in the country, lies about 1850 m above sea level...

, Kenya

Kenya

Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...

, to care for orphaned and abandoned infants affected by the AIDS

AIDS

Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...

crisis. Africa Gospel Church has more than 1,300 congregations throughout Kenya with an average weekly attendance of 300,000.

The Literature Center was opened at Kericho

Kericho

, Kenya

Kenya

Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...

, in 1961. A new bookshop was opened in Kitale

Kitale

Kitale is an agricultural town in western Kenya situated between Mount Elgon and the Cherengani Hills at an elevation of around . Its urban population was estimated at 220,000 in 2007....

, Kenya

Kenya

Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...

in 1968. In 1969 missionary Rev. Gene Lewton was imprisoned (but later exonerated).

In 1993 WGM and the Africa Gospel Church joined forces to open Kaboson Pastors’ School in southwest Kenya. The school was opened to meet the vital need of getting national pastors the formal education and theological training they were lacking. Many AGC pastors were untrained and unable to attend Kenya Highlands Bible College (Kericho) because of expense, distance, or family responsibilities or because they did not meet admission requirements.

The training program at Kaboson was designed to emphasize the practical skills every pastor needs for effective ministry: a good grasp of Bible knowledge and doctrine, the ability to speak and preach well, the capacity to lead people to Christ and disciple them, and the training to lead a church forward.... More than 117 pastors completed Kaboson’s training program between 1993 and 2001 and returned home to serve their local churches.

India (1937)

During a world tour in 1933-1934, evangelist Rev. Anna E. McGhie spent several months in India. lobbied for a Bible school in India. McGhie lobbied the WGM Board to establish a holiness Bible school for training indigenous ministers. The WGM Board approved the establishment of the South India Biblical Institute (since 1971 South India Biblical Seminary) in March 1937. In May 1937 McGhie returned to India, and with the assistance of and Annie Greiner, began to prepare for the founding of the school. Later in 1937, Rev. James R. Bishop arrived to serve as initial principal. Classes were commenced first opened its doors on 16 November 1937. The seminary’s basic purpose is to train Indian young people for Christian ministry. At the time of its formation, SIBS was located in Madras (now Chennai

Chennai

Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...

). In May 1940 the first class of 11 Indian preachers graduated. In 1942 the seminary became co-educational. In the following years, the seminary moved two times (first to Bangalore

Bangalore

Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...

, then to Kolar District

Kolar district

Kolar district is a district in Karnataka state of India. The town of Kolar is the district headquarters. Kolar district is located in the southern region of the State and is the eastern-most district of the Karnataka State...

, Karnataka

Karnataka

Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...

) before settling in its current location outside Bangarapet

Bangarapet

Bangarapet is a town in Kolar district in the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangarpet is the headquarters of the taluk of Bangarpet. Bangarpet was originally called Maramootlu before it changed to Bowringpet, named after an officer working in the Kolar Gold Fields...

in 1952 atop the hill of Anandagiri (Hill of Joy). The early students at SIBS were all men. However, by 1942, women were also admitted. Since those early years, SIBS has admitted students from throughout India and even some from outside the country. In 1963, the Seminary was accredited by the Board of Theological Education of the N.C.C.I. for the
granting of a Diploma with the Graduate in Theology Distinction. In 1972, SIBS was reorganized into an indigenous

Indigenous peoples

Indigenous peoples are ethnic groups that are defined as indigenous according to one of the various definitions of the term, there is no universally accepted definition but most of which carry connotations of being the "original inhabitants" of a territory....

organization with an Indian governing board. The seminary was restructured again in 1981 to include the Church of the Nazarene

Church of the Nazarene

The Church of the Nazarene is an evangelical Christian denomination that emerged from the 19th century Holiness movement in North America with its members colloquially referred to as Nazarenes. It is the largest Wesleyan-holiness denomination in the world. At the end of 2010, the Church of the...

as a partner with World Gospel Mission. A third partner, Immanuel General Mission

Immanuel General Mission

The Immanuel General Mission is an indigenous Japanese holiness denomination founded on 21 October 1945 in Tokyo, Japan by David Tsugio Tsutada , ""The John Wesley of Japan." It is a member of the Japan Evangelical Association .-History: RONPAUL 2012 RONPAUL 2012 RONPAUL 2012 RONPAUL 2012 RONPAUL...

of Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

, was added in 1984. Most of the seminary’s professors are Indian. In 1976, SIBS affiliated with the Senate of Serampore College

Serampore College

Serampore College is located in Serampore Town, in Hooghly District, West Bengal, India.The college consists of two entities:*The theological faculty*A separate college with faculties of arts, science, commerce...

(University) in order to offer the Bachelor of Theology degree to its students. The school withdrew from this affiliation in 1993 and began relying on an accreditation from the Asia Theological Association

Asia Theological Association

Asia Theological Association is a private nongovernmental association formed by evangelical Christians in Asia to confer accreditation to theological institutions in Asia.-History:...

. ATA accredits both the Bachelor of Theology (B.Th) and Master of Divinity (M.Div.) degrees until 2011.

In 1960 the Vacation Bible School

Vacation Bible School

Vacation Bible School is a specialized form of religious education which focuses on children. Churches usually hold the week long events during the summer, though the lengths of such programs may vary, and they are sometimes held during other times of the year.-History:The origins of Vacation...

ministry reached 25,000 children, by 1964 there were 40,000 children, and enrolment had increased to 50,000 children by 1970. A new VBS building in Bangalore, India was dedicated in 1971. By 1990, over 300,000 children were reported to have attended VBS in India. Today, more than 50 years after the first program, VBS materials are published in 13 languages and reach an amazing 1.5 to 2 million children and young people in India each year.

In 1972 control of the WGM work in India, known as the Anandagari Christian Fellowship, was transferred to the South India Biblical Seminary. In 1976, Rev Frank and Christine Dewey were the first WGM missionaries to be granted visas to enter India since 1960.

Burundi (1938-1979)

In 1938 Free Methodist Rev J.W. Haley invited WGM to assume responsibility for a portion of their field in Urundi (now Burundi

Burundi

). In 1939 Rev. and Mrs Virgil Kirkpatrick transferred from Kenya to Urundi. Their first mission station was at Kayero.

The first general conference including three established mission stations, Kayero, Murore and Murehe was held in 1954, as a step towards autonomy. In 1966 the Buhonga as fourth mission station was opened, and property was purchased for the Burundi Literature Center in Gitega, Burundi. In 1968 the Kirundi

Kirundi

Kirundi, also known as Rundi, is a dialect of the Rwanda-Rundi language spoken by some 8.7 million people in Burundi and adjacent parts of Tanzania and Congo-Kinshasa, as well as in Uganda. It is the official language of Burundi...

Bible was printed by Burundi Literature Fellowship, the first time the Kirundi people had both the Old and New Testaments available to them replacing the Rwandese version, similar language to Kirundi. In 1970 an interdenominational Bible School,in which WGM had share was started at Mweya, Burundi. A WGM guesthouse for missionaries and other church workers stopover was established in Bujumbura, Burundi in 1972. In 1976 ground was broken for the Kibuye

Kibuye

Kibuye is a city in Karongi district, and the capital of Western Province in Rwanda. The city lies on the eastern shore of Lake Kivu, about halfway down, and between Gisenyi and Cyangugu. It is known as a beach resort and is home to a genocide memorial marking the massacre of 90% of the town's...

Union Hospital in Burundi shared between Free Methodist and Friends Missions. In 1979 four senior missionary couples were expelled, and another couple not permitted to return, due to changing government attitudes toward Christian missions. As a consequence, full responsibility for the Africa Gospel Church in Burundi was placed in the hands of indigenous leaders. In 1980 the first national Bishop John Alfred Ndoricimpa was consecrated and the church took the name of Evangelical Episcopal Church of Burundi. In 1984, it integrated into the United Methodist Church

United Methodist Church

The United Methodist Church is a Methodist Christian denomination which is both mainline Protestant and evangelical. Founded in 1968 by the union of The Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church, the UMC traces its roots back to the revival movement of John and Charles Wesley...

.

In 1990 Karen Brebner who served before in Burundi as a missionary attempted to re-start WGM ministry in Burundi, but returned within months to the USA after a diagnosis of cancer.

Bolivia (1944)

The first WGM missionaries arrived in La Paz, Bolivia in January 1944.

WGM missionary Jonathan Tamplin started an airplane ministry in Bolivia using a plane christened Wings of Peace. Wings of Peace, WGM’s aviation ministry in Trinidad, Bolivia

Trinidad, Bolivia

Trinidad, officially La Santísima Trinidad , is a city in Bolivia, capital of the department of Beni. The population is 130,000 ....

, was started in 1952. The Wings of Peace ministry was temporarily closed down following a terrible event on September 28, 1998. On that day, Wings of Peace plane CP-1528 and its seven passengers disappeared while on a return flight from the village of Yucumo. On January 18, 2003, Wings of Peace VII was dedicated to the Lord’s service by the president of the national church, and the plane was ready for its first test flight on January 30, 2003.

Berea Bible Institute in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, was started in 1955 by WGM missionaries Garnett and Sunny Townsend and Meredythe Scheflen. The school, whose name was changed to Berea Bible Seminary in 1987, was opened

to prepare Bolivian leaders for Christian service. At the time of the school’s opening, World Gospel Church of Bolivia did not have any means of formally educating or training its leaders.

Responsibility for the seminary was turned over to the national church in the 1980s, and in January 1995 the school opened a branch campus in Cochabamba

Cochabamba

Cochabamba is a city in central Bolivia, located in a valley bearing the same name in the Andes mountain range. It is the capital of the Cochabamba Department and is the fourth largest city in Bolivia with an urban population of 608,276 and a metropolitan population of more than 1,000,000 people...

. The seminary also oversees a Theological Education by Extension program with hubs in various strategic locations in Bolivia.

The first Bolivian national pastor was ordained in 1961. In 1963 Evangelism in Depth, an inter-mission evangelistic campaign, was launched.

On 15 April 1982 WGM missionary Meredythe Scheflen founded Bolivian Evangelical University, which is located five miles (8 km) from the center of Santa Cruz, Bolivia. The founding board of BEU was composed of representatives from World Gospel Mission, Evangelical Friends Mission, United World Mission, South American Mission, Bolivian Holiness Mission (along with the national churches of these missions), Church of the Nazarene

Church of the Nazarene

in Bolivia, and the Rio Nuevo Educational Cooperative. BEU has the prestige of being the first private university in Bolivia and the first evangelical university in Spanish-speaking South America. According to Scheflen

Bolivian Evangelical University is an academic, Christian, and disciplined atmosphere with the mission to form competitive, well-rounded, creative, and service-oriented professionals with a commitment to the community and the development of the country and the work of Christ....The main ministry goal of BEU is to reach the youth of Bolivia for Christ through higher education and to influence the country and other countries by means of its students and graduates.

BEU operates its own educational television station, educational radio station, agricultural center, daycare center, and a medical center with an operating room. BEU attracts approximately 2,000 students each year. The university originally operated on the campus of Berea High School, using the classrooms in the evenings. However, BEU outgrew those facilities and construction of a new 60 acres (242,811.6 m²) campus was completed in October 1993. In May 2002, BEU was granted full accreditation as a PLENA university. This certification signifies that BEU has more than satisfactorily completed the basic requirements of the Bolivian government for this level of recognition, which at present is the highest for Bolivian universities.

In partnership with the Immanuel General Mission

Immanuel General Mission

of Japan, there is ministry to Japanese immigrants and their families in Santa Cruz, Bolivia.

Honduras (1944)

The first WGM missionaries arrived in Honduras

Honduras

Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...

in March 1944. In 1947 the first airplane ministry was begun in Honduras

Honduras

Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...

, with Rev David Schneider as the pilot for a three-seat Piper, christened Gospel Wings. In 1954 a farm school, El Sembrador, was started by Don and Twana Hank. Later that year, the WGM churches in Honduras were incorporated as the Honduras Holiness Church (Iglesia Evangélica de Santidad en Honduras) "under a mutual agreement between WGM’s mission station in Honduras and the national church. Based on the agreement, WGM and the national church would work in partnership with the ultimate goal of Honduran Holiness Church becoming self-governing." Five Honduran pastors were ordained in 1955, becoming the first Protestants in the nation to be ordained.

In 1962 classes began in the Evangelical High School in Tegucigalpa

Tegucigalpa

Tegucigalpa , and commonly referred as Tegus , is the capital of Honduras and seat of government of the Republic, along with its twin sister Comayagüela. Founded on September 29, 1578 by the Spanish, it became the country's capital on October 30, 1880 under President Marco Aurelio Soto...

, Honduras

Honduras

Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...

. By 1975, there was 450 students enrolled. Additionally, 931 students studied Bible correspondence courses that year, and 130 boys were enrolled at El Sembrador. In 1982, WGM began work (initially in partnership with Project Partners with Christ) in the village of Punta Gorda

Punta Gorda

Punta Gorda may refer to:*Punta Gorda, Belize*Punta Gorda, Florida*Punta Gorda Light, Humboldt County, California, USA*Punta Gorda, Montevideo, in Uruguay....

on Roatan Island in an effort to reach an indigenous people group known as the Garifuna, a tribe of Black Caribs.

As of 2004, Honduran Holiness Church was composed of approximately 200 churches with a combined membership of roughly 25,000 people located throughout the country. While the focus of the church throughout the years has been church planting and evangelism, other vital ministries include education (grade school, high school, and theological training), social outreach (community development and micro industries), medical assistance, and outreach to street children.

Mexican Border Work (1945)

WGM’s work in Mexico

Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

began on the border in McAllen, Texas

McAllen, Texas

McAllen is the largest city in Hidalgo County, Texas, United States. It is located at the southern tip of Texas in an area known as the Rio Grande Valley and is part of the . Its southern boundary is located about five miles from the U.S.–Mexico border and the Mexican city of Reynosa, the Rio...

, in 1945. At the time, WGM missionaries to China, including Rev Woodford Taylor, had just been banned from returning, so they transferred to the US-Mexico border. They started a church and eventually established Taylor Christian School. Ministries quickly spread from McAllen to Saltillo, Coahuila.

In 1966 the Inter-American Bible Institute was opened in La Feria, Texas

La Feria, Texas

La Feria is a city in Cameron County, Texas, United States. The population was 7,302 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Brownsville–Harlingen–Raymondville and the Matamoros–Brownsville metropolitan areas.-Geography:...

, under the joint administration of the WGM and the Christian and Missionary Alliance

Christian and Missionary Alliance

The Christian and Missionary Alliance is an evangelical Protestant denomination within Christianity.Founded by Rev. Albert Benjamin Simpson in 1887, the Christian & Missionary Alliance did not start off as a denomination, but rather began as two distinct parachurch organizations: The Christian...

denomination. However, it was closed in 1973, and education was now provided through the extension seminary in Mexico

Mexico

Mexico (1949)

WGM founded its first church in Saltillo, Coahuila, in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Construction on the actual church building began in 1955 and was completed in March 1959. This congregation was followed by preaching points in rural villages including Jaquay, Acatita, and Sierra Hermosa in the 1950s. Around that same time, ministries emerged in Madero and Valle Hermoso, Texas. Around 1968, WGM acquired a church in Matehuala

Matehuala

Matehuala is the fourth-largest city in the Mexican state of San Luis Potosí. It is located at around , at an elevation of about 1,500 m. Matehuala is also the municipal seat of the municipality of the same name, located in the northern part of the state, on the border with the southwestern...

, San Luis Potosí

San Luis Potosí

San Luis Potosí officially Estado Libre y Soberano de San Luis Potosí is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 58 municipalities and its capital city is San Luis Potosí....

, from the United Society of Friends. Work began in Concepción del Oro and San Pedro, a neighborhood of Monterrey, in the 1970s. Los Pinos Church in San Pedro was later transplanted to Santa Catarina following the destruction from Hurricane Gilbert

Hurricane Gilbert

Hurricane Gilbert was an extremely powerful Cape Verde-type hurricane that formed during the 1988 Atlantic hurricane season and created widespread destruction in the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. It is the second most intense hurricane ever observed in the Atlantic basin behind only...

in 1988. Additional preaching points developed in the 1970s in San Javier, Calabazillas, San Juan del Retiro, San Felipe, Santa Cruz, and Santa Rita. Two churches were also founded during the late 1980s in the towns of Abasolo and Allende near Ciudad Victoria

Ciudad Victoria

Ciudad Victoria , is the capital city of the Mexican state ofTamaulipas. It is located in the western-central region of the state. Ciudad Victoria is also the municipal seat of the surrounding Victoria Municipality, which covers an area of 1,638 km²...

in northeast Mexico. A church plant started in El Tunal in 1993 as an offshoot of the first church in Saltillo. Construction on the church building began during the spring of 1994, and a vision followed for a campground ministry near El Tunal. Property was acquired for this new ministry, dormitories were built on the property, and a multipurpose building and other facilities are in progress.

Also during the early 1990s, WGM missionaries saw a need in central Mexico, and work began in a region called the Bajío, where there had been much resistance to the gospel. A mother church was started in the town of Irapuato, and in 1997 work spread into León, Guanajuato

León, Guanajuato

The city of León, formally León de los Aldama is the sixth most populous city in Mexico and the first in the state of Guanajuato. It is also the seat of the municipality of León...

, where a church is now established. A family center was also started in a military zone in Lazaro, a neighborhood of Irapuato. In 1995 another vision arose to start a community center in McAllen, Texas, to minister to the needs of the Hispanic young people in that area. The Taylor Community Center project became a reality within the next few years. Currently, the first phase of the project is nearly completed, and ministries are expanding to reach out to entire families in the McAllen area.

In 1997 ministries developed in the Guerrero area of Saltillo, and by August 1997 a group that had begun meeting as a married couples Bible study officially became Valle Verde Church, the second church in Saltillo. A new work started in Nuevo Laredo at the beginning of 1999 and continues to grow. In 2003 outreach ministries were initiated in two other areas of Saltillo and have since grown into established churches. During 2004 outreach began in Aquascalientes with a contact from the Irapuato church.

Japan (1952)

David and Edna Kuba, WGM’s first missionaries to Japan

Japan

, arrived in September 1952. Since 1954, WGM missionaries in Japan have worked as part of the Immanuel Wesleyan Federation in cooperation with Immanuel General Mission

Immanuel General Mission

, an indigenous holiness denomination. By 1966, this denomination had entered every one of the 46 prefectures in Japan.

Immanuel Bible Training College in Yokohama, Japan, was founded by Dr. David Tsugio Tsutada

David Tsugio Tsutada

David Tsugio Tsutada , known as "The John Wesley of Japan," was the founder of the Immanuel General Mission , an indigenous Japanese holiness denomination founded on 21 October 1945 in Tokyo, Japan....

in 1949. The college trains young men and women for ministry as pastors in the Immanuel General Mission church. Each year, Immanuel ministers to approximately 10 students. WGM missionaries often serve as faculty members.

The Kuba Student Center was started in 1960 by David and Edna Kuba.

The Kubas originally held Bible studies with university students in their home, but as attendance grew, the home setting became inadequate. WGM owned the house next to the Kubas’ home and converted it into the WGM Student Center. However, before the Kubas retired in 1983, plans were in the works to rebuild the center. After extensive remodeling and new constructions, the center was dedicated in November 1984 and renamed in honor of David and Edna Kuba. Today, the center is used for weekly Bible studies, Saturday suppers, monthly prayer fellowship, Christmas meetings, and parties with university students. Approximately 20 students are involved at the Kuba Student Center each year.

In 1970 the Wesley Book Club was founded.

American Indians (1952)

In 1952 ministry was commenced among American Indians in Arizona

Arizona

Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...

. The Southwest Indian School (SIS) was founded that year in Peoria, Arizona

Peoria, Arizona

Peoria is a city in Maricopa and Yavapai counties in the U.S. state of Arizona. Located primarily in Maricopa County, it is a major suburb of Phoenix. According to 2010 Census Bureau releases, the population of the city is 154,065. Peoria is currently the sixth largest city in Arizona for land...

, as a school for American Indians. Students lived in dormitories on the campus, bussed in from reservations. By 1975, there was 180 students enrolled. SIS closed as a boarding school in 1998 and became WGM’s current Southwest Indian Ministries Center. Since this transition, WGM’s focus on the field has been in the Phoenix, Arizona

Phoenix, Arizona

Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...

metropolitan area and on the Navajo

Navajo people

The Navajo of the Southwestern United States are the largest single federally recognized tribe of the United States of America. The Navajo Nation has 300,048 enrolled tribal members. The Navajo Nation constitutes an independent governmental body which manages the Navajo Indian reservation in the...

and Tohono O'odham

Tohono O'odham

The Tohono O'odham are a group of Native American people who reside primarily in the Sonoran Desert of the southeastern Arizona and northwest Mexico...

Reservations.

Living Word Academy is a Christian day school located on the Tohono O’odham reservation in Sells, Arizona

Sells, Arizona

Sells is a census-designated place in Pima County, Arizona, United States. The population was 2,799 at the 2000 census. It is the capital of the Tohono O'odham Nation and the home of several of their tribal businesses, such as Tohono O'Odham Ki:Ki Association...

. The school was started in 1978 by current principal Carol Conway, the wife of a local Nazarene pastor. In 1999, WGM accepted responsibility for the academy, making it part of the American Indian Field’s strategy of increasing missionary presence on the reservations. Today, the school is known as Southwest Indian School/Living Word Academy and provides an education for students in first through 12th grades.

Taiwan (1953)

John and Laura Traschel, former missionaries to China, started the WGM work in Formosa

Formosa

Formosa or Ilha Formosa is a Portuguese historical name for Taiwan , literally meaning, "Beautiful Island". The term may also refer to:-Places:* Formosa Strait, another name for the Taiwan Strait...

(now Taiwan

Taiwan

Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...

) in 1953. After several years of inactivity occasioned by the departure of the Traschels for Indonesia in 1969, the work was re-opened in 1974 by Mr and Mrs Cliff Good, who served for the next three years. In 1981, the WGM work was re-opened by Miss Elaine Banks, who worked in partnership with the Evangelical Friends International

Evangelical Friends International

Evangelical Friends Church International is a branch of Quaker yearly meetings around the world that profess evangelical Christian beliefs.- History :...

Mission.

Lebanon (1955)

In 1955 work was begun in Beirut

Beirut

Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...

, Lebanon

Lebanon

Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...

, by John and Laura Traschel, in partnership with Rev. Samuel Doctorian (born 1930), a missionary of the Peniel Mission

Peniel Mission

The Peniel Mission was an interdenominational holiness rescue mission that was started in Los Angeles, California on 11 November 1886 by Theodore Pollock Ferguson and Manie Payne Ferguson...

(and from 1957 part of WGM).

Egypt (1957)

In 1957 the work of the Peniel Missionary Society

Peniel Missionary Society

in Port Said

Port Said

Port Said is a city that lies in north east Egypt extending about 30 km along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, north of the Suez Canal, with an approximate population of 603,787...

, Egypt

Egypt

Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...

, was assumed by the WGM. New WGM missionaries were appointed in 1959. By 1968, enrolment at the Peniel American School (operated by WGM) was 275 students. Due to warfare along the Suez Canal

Suez Canal

The Suez Canal , also known by the nickname "The Highway to India", is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. Opened in November 1869 after 10 years of construction work, it allows water transportation between Europe and Asia without navigation...

, WGM missionaries Miss Christine Spurlin and Miss Ethyl Young began working with the Free Methodist Church

Free Methodist Church

The Free Methodist Church is a Methodist Christian denomination within the holiness movement. It is evangelical in nature and has its roots in the Arminian-Wesleyan tradition....

in Assuit, Egypt in 1969. 10,000 children were enrolled in the Vacation Bible School

Vacation Bible School

s operated in Egypt by the WGM that year.

Stockton Peniel (1957)

Stockton Peniel missionaries have been ministering to the lost and serving God since 1896. In 1886, Theodore Pollock Ferguson

Theodore Pollock Ferguson

Theodore Pollock Ferguson was a pioneer leader in the American Holiness Movement, a Christian evangelist and social worker who co-founded the Peniel Mission and Peniel Missionary Society.-Biographical Details:...

and Manie Payne Ferguson

Manie Payne Ferguson

Manie Payne Ferguson was a pioneer leader in the American Holiness Movement, a Christian evangelist and social worker who co-founded the Peniel Mission, and the author of several hymns, most notably "Blessed Quietness".- Early life :...

started Peniel Mission

Peniel Mission

The Peniel Mission was an interdenominational holiness rescue mission that was started in Los Angeles, California on 11 November 1886 by Theodore Pollock Ferguson and Manie Payne Ferguson...

s in Los Angeles, California

Los Angeles, California

Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...

. Over the years, Peniel Missions opened ministries in a number of cities. In 1896, the Mission moved into a storefront location in downtown Stockton, California

Stockton, California

Stockton, California, the seat of San Joaquin County, is the fourth-largest city in the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California. With a population of 291,707 at the 2010 census, Stockton ranks as this state's 13th largest city...

, and began a rescue ministry, feeding the street people both physically and spiritually. In 1957, Peniel Missions, Inc. officially became the American inner-cities ministry of World Gospel Mission. In the 1960s, Peniel Missions moved to its current location in south Stockton. In 1988, the field’s ministry focus shifted from repairing adults to building children.

Haiti (1962)

Radio Lumière (French for light) in Haiti was founded on February 20, 1959, by West Indies Mission (now World Team). As the country’s main Protestant radio station, Radio Lumière is known as the voice of the Protestant church in Haiti and covers more than 90 percent of the country with Christian broadcasting. Contacts made through Radio Lumière preceded the entry of the first WGM missionaries to Haiti in 1962.In December 1971 the work in Jeremie was transferred to Faith Missions. From 1972 WGM began working in partnership with The Missionary Church

Missionary Church

The Missionary Church is an evangelical Christian denomination of Anabaptist origins with Wesleyan, Pietist, and Keswickian influences.-Faith and practice:...

in central Haiti. Theological Education by Extension (TEE) was commenced in 1973.

Brazil (1966)

Mr and Mrs Dale Sloat pioneered WGM ministry in Brazil

Brazil

Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...

in 1966, primarily through radio and television ministry.

Indonesia (1969)

WGM ministry was started in Indonesia

Indonesia

Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...

in 1969 by John and Laura Traschel, who were relocated from Taiwan

Taiwan

, with the assistance of Mr and Mrs Bert Alexander.

Argentina (1970)

Frank and Doris Robbins, former missionaries to Bolivia, pioneered WGM ministry in Salta, Argentina in 1970, however it was under the administration of missionaries in Bolivia. In 1979 Argentina became an independent WGM field. Religious recognition was granted by the Argentine government in December 1980.

Nicaragua (1973-1978) and (2008)

Mel and Sara Eberhard moved to the Nicaragua

Nicaragua

to open the ministry of WGM in that Central American republic. However, in 1978 all WGM missionaries were forced to leave due to civil unrest associated with the Sandinista Revolution.

In October 2007 WGM’s Board of Directors named Nicaragua as a new field for WGM. The Honduras Field has wanted to expand into Nicaragua for some time as ministries in Choluteca

Choluteca (department)

Choluteca is one of the 18 departments into which the Central American nation of Honduras is divided. It is the southernmost department of Honduras, bordering the Gulf of Fonseca to the west and the Republic of Nicaragua to the east and south.The departmental capital is city of Choluteca...

have led to contacts and presented opportunities in Nicaragua. AMSLA (Latin American Holiness Missionary Agency) is taking the lead on this initiative, partnering with the Honduran Holiness Church to send AMSLA missionaries Ubaldo and Teresa Salazar into Nicaragua in 2008.

Bangladesh (1975)

In 1975 Mr and Mrs John Powdrill and Miss Deborah Kellems entered Bangladesh

Bangladesh

Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...

to pioneer WGM ministry there.

Hispanic-American Ministry (1980)

In 1980 the Hispanic-American ministry in Los Angeles, California

Los Angeles, California

was started by Rev and Mrs Garnett Townsend with them pastoring the Community House of God.

Haitian Ministry (1980)

In 1980 Miss Sue Martin pioneered work among Haiti

Haiti

Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...

ans in Florida

Florida

Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...

Tanzania (1984)

In 1984 official permission was granted by the government of Tanzania

Tanzania

for the Africa Gospel Church and WGM to begin ministry in that nation. WGM finally entered in 1986 and ministered primarily to refugees from Burundi

Burundi

. In 1990 the Tabora

Tabora

Tabora is the capital city of Tanzania's Tabora Region with a population of 127,880 . Tabora region is one of the largest geographical regions of Tanzania.- History :...

Bible Institute was founded.

Paraguay (1986)

In 1986 Harold and Evelyn Harriman pioneered WGM ministry in Paraguay

Paraguay

. House-to-house visitation started in Asunción

Asunción

Asunción is the capital and largest city of Paraguay.The "Ciudad de Asunción" is an autonomous capital district not part of any department. The metropolitan area, called Gran Asunción, includes the cities of San Lorenzo, Fernando de la Mora, Lambaré, Luque, Mariano Roque Alonso, Ñemby, San...

and, as interest grew, Bible studies were introduced and discipleship classes were offered to new converts. The primary focus of WGM Paraguay is church planting. As new congregations are established, they reproduce themselves in smaller towns as they seek to reach the unreached with the gospel.

Since its opening in September 2000, the Guarani-Jopara Institute for Missionaries has offered English-speaking missionaries in Paraguay an accessible and practical method of learning Guarani

Guaraní language

Guaraní, specifically the primary variety known as Paraguayan Guaraní , is an indigenous language of South America that belongs to the Tupí–Guaraní subfamily of the Tupian languages. It is one of the official languages of Paraguay , where it is spoken by the majority of the population, and half of...

, the heart language of the people of Paraguay. It is also the first language of more than 90 percent of Paraguay’s population. The institute is the result of World Gospel Mission missionary Andy Bowen’s vision. Bowen felt a growing burden to help other missionaries learn Guarani so the gospel message would be more understandable to Paraguayans. His desire was to teach Guarani-Jopara, the form of Guarani spoken by most Paraguayans in which Spanish words are mixed in with Guarani. Representatives from various evangelical missions organizations, including WGM, New Tribes Mission

New Tribes Mission

New Tribes Mission is an international, theologically evangelical Christian mission organization based in Sanford, Florida, United States. NTM has approximately 3,300 missionaries in more than 20 nations, second only to Wycliffe Bible Translators/SIL International David Hesselgrave, Executive...

, and SIM (Serving In Mission

Serving In Mission

SIM is an international, interdenominational Christian mission organization. It was established in 1893 by its three founders, Walter Gowans and Rowland Bingham of Canada and Thomas Kent of the United States....

), agreed to serve on an advisory committee. Currently, the institute functions under the umbrella of WGM and will do so until a permanent legal structure is arranged.

Spain (1986)

In 1986 three WGM couples arrived in Barcelona, Spain to start WGM ministry.

Hungary (1992)

In 1976, the Hungarian Evangelical Fellowship came into existence, and on October 1, 1981, it was given government recognition. At that time, there were 12 churches with a membership of about 300 and a growing work among the gypsies in Hungary

Hungary

.

In 1992, in response to an invitation by HEF, the first WGM missionaries, Bill and Betsy Tarr, were sent to Hungary. Although the ministries of WGM focus primarily on church planting, missionaries are also involved in children’s and youth work, theological training, teaching English, and other opportunities. Today, the HEF consists of 180 congregations in 120 villages and cities with a membership of approximately 2,300 believers.

Uganda (1992)

In 1992 Uganda

Uganda

granted permission for missionaries Larry and Joy McPherson, who had been serving in Kenya, to pioneer the African Gospel Church and WGM ministries. Several Ugandans had been living in Nairobi, Kenya, during the late 1970s and 80s and were active in the church there. Returning to Uganda to live, they periodically offered invitations for WGM missionaries to come and begin church work in their homeland. The McPhersons later planted Africa Gospel Church Kisugu in the city limits of Kampala

Kampala

Kampala is the largest city and capital of Uganda. The city is divided into five boroughs that oversee local planning: Kampala Central Division, Kawempe Division, Makindye Division, Nakawa Division and Lubaga Division. The city is coterminous with Kampala District.-History: of Buganda, had chosen...

. Since 1999, WGM missionaries have been working to train Ugandan church planters and pastors to start and grow dynamic new congregations. More than 600 Ugandan church planters and pastors are being trained at six centers throughout the country. As a result of this training, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of converts and congregations in Uganda. From two congregations in November 1999 to November 2001, the ministries in Uganda jumped to 40 congregations.

Papua New Guinea (1996)

WGM’s work in Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...

officially began in 1996, when WGM and the Churches of Christ in Christian Union

Churches of Christ in Christian Union

became partners. At that time, WGM took over the administration of Christian Union Mission, CCCU’s work in PNG that was first started in 1963.

Ukraine (1998)

The Ukraine

Ukraine

Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...

Field was officially opened in 1998 with the first WGM missionaries arriving in June 1999.

Wesley Bible College, formerly Kiev Wesley Bible College, was established in Kiev

Kiev

Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....

, Ukraine

Ukraine

Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...

, in 1993 for the purpose of training church leaders, Christian workers, and missionaries. Evangelical Bible Mission sent an American evangelistic team to work in Ukraine in 1992. As a result of the evangelists’ work, a church was planted and Kiev Wesley Bible College was opened, drawing students from the local church. WGM joined the work in 1999. In December 2005, the school suffered a massive fire, forcing the students and faculty to find a new home. The college moved to Uzhgorod in western Ukraine in September 2006 and officially became known as Wesley Bible College.

El Salvador (2006)

El Salvador

El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...

became an official field of WGM in March 2006 and was opened with the help of the Honduras national church. The first WGM missionaries sent to minister in El Salvador were David and Debbie Hawk.

Sudan (2006)

Sudan was suggested as a target field for WGM in October 2003. In August 2006, WGM sent missionary Joy Phillips to Sudan

Sudan

Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...

in cooperation with Samaritan’s Purse and the Kenya field of WGM.

Hispanic Ministries USA (2006)

Hispanic Ministries USA became an official field of WGM in the fall of 2006. Tim and Sharon Hawk, former missionaries to Honduras, were named regional directors of the ministry while Brian and Paula Kushman, former missionaries to Bolivia, were named the first missionaries to Hispanics in the U.S. Since then, Rod and Kathy Johnson, former missionaries to Mexico, have joined the Hispanic Ministries USA team. A historic strategic planning meeting for Hispanic Ministries USA was held at WGM headquarters in Marion, Indiana, April 26–27, 2007. A group of 24 pastors, church leaders, missionaries, and WGM staff came from Bolivia, Honduras, Mexico, Paraguay, and the United States with the goal of exploring ministry opportunities within Hispanic communities in the U.S.A.

Peru (2007)

The WGM Board of Directors officially approved Peru as a WGM field during their March 2007 meeting. The ministry began with a Peruvian couple who settled in Cochabamba

Cochabamba

, Bolivia

Bolivia

Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...

, in the 1990s because of political unrest in Peru. While in Bolivia, they came in contact with the Bolivian World Gospel Church and studied at the Berea Bible Seminary extension campus in Cochabamba with WGM missionaries Dan and Peggy Zimmerman. When things settled down in Peru, they sensed a call to return to their home city of Cuzco and to spread the gospel. Currently, there are several congregations meeting regularly in Cuzco, Peru

Peru

Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....

Sources and Further Reading

Beezley, Beatrice C. Some an Hundred Fold Some Sixty Fold Some Thirty Fold. Chicago, IL: National Association for the Promotion of Holiness, 1920. Six page booklet.
Brown, Michael L. Sent to the Heart: The Story of World Gospel Mission in Bolivia. Marion, IN: World Gospel Mission, 1995.
Brown, Michael L. Taking Up the Southern Cross. Marion, IN: World Gospel Mission, 2000.
Bushong, Burnis H[arvey]. The Best of the Story: Miraculous Answers to Prayer. Marion, IN: World Gospel Mission, 1993.
Bushong, Burnis H[arvey]. R.U.N. Reaching the Unreached Now: A Brief History of World Gospel Mission. Marion, IN: World Gospel Mission, 1995.
Cary, William Walter. Story of the National Holiness Missionary Society. Chicago, IL: National Holiness Missionary Society, 1940.
Cordell, Bessie. Blossoms from the Flowery Kingdom. Chicago, IL: National Holiness Missionary Society, 1944. Focuses on WGM ministry in China.
Frizen, Edwin L. 75 Years of IFMA, 1917-1992: The Nondenominational Missions Movement. South Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library, 1992.
Harrell, Billy W. "The Honduras Holiness Church". Unpublished M.A. Thesis, Fuller Theological Seminary, 1983.
Heinemann, Marie H. My Africa: Falling in Step. Marion, IN: World Gospel Mission, 1988.
Hittson, Paul A. "Peniel and W.G.M." in History of Peniel Mission. Homeland, CA: Hittson, 1975.
Hohensee, Donald W. Church Growth in Burundi. South Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library, 1977.
Jones, Charles Edwin. The Wesleyan Holiness Movement: A Comprehensive Guide (ATLA Bibliography Series) 2 vols. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow, 2005. See pages 241-244 for bibliographic and prosographical details regarding WGM.
MacGillivray, Donald. A Century of Protestant Missions in China (1807-1907): Being the Centenary Conference Historical Volume. Christian Literature Society for China, 1907. Printed at the American Presbyterian mission press.
Reynolds, H.F. World-Wide Missions. Publishing House of the Pentecostal Church of the Nazarene, 1915.
Morrison, Henry Clay. The Movement Moves. Chicago, IL: National Holiness Missionary Society, 1941. Reprinted from Pentecostal Herald (12 February 1941).
Saoshiro, Isaac Teruo and Tadashi Noda, eds. Immanuel Wesleyan Federation: Experiment in Mission Partnership. Japan, 2004. Written on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of IWF, a cooperative mission organization made up of Immanuel General Mission
Immanuel General Mission
The Immanuel General Mission is an indigenous Japanese holiness denomination founded on 21 October 1945 in Tokyo, Japan by David Tsugio Tsutada , ""The John Wesley of Japan." It is a member of the Japan Evangelical Association .-History: RONPAUL 2012 RONPAUL 2012 RONPAUL 2012 RONPAUL 2012 RONPAUL...

, based in Japan, and the Japanese offices of World Gospel Mission and Wesleyan World Mission.
Taylor, Mrs Woodford [Ellen Armour Taylor]. Bountiful Grace, a Chinese Preacher. Chicago, IL: National Holiness Missionary Society, 1931.
Trachsel, Laura. Kindled Fires in Africa. Marion, IN: World Gospel Mission, 1960.
Trachsel, Laura. Kindled Fires in Asia. Marion, IN: World Gospel Mission, 1960.
Trachsel, Laura. Kindled Fires in Latin America. Marion, IN: World Gospel Mission, 1961.
Trachsel, Laura. Kindled Fires in the U.S.A. Marion, IN: World Gospel Mission, 1988.
Troxel, Cecil Warren. "The Religions of China." Unpublished Typescript, 1925.
Troxel, Ellen Armour and Mrs. John Jacob Trachsel. Cecil Troxel - The Man and the Work: Missionary to China with the National Holiness Missionary Society from Its Inception. Chicago, IL: National Holiness Missionary Society, 1948.
Watts, Alice and Bessie B. Cordell. Silver: The Story of a Chinese Girl Whose Life has been Touched and Set Aflame by the Spirit of God. Chicago, IL: National Holiness Missionary Society, 1934.
World Gospel Mission. Laborers Together: Handbook on Missionary Policy. Marion, IN: World Gospel Mission, 1959; 1980.
World Gospel Mission. Personnel, Progress, Prospects of World Gospel Mission. Marion, IN: World Gospel Mission, 1957.

External links

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