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 Dear Praying Friends
In the winter of 1956, I shared the Gospel with 500 students in the Ramsey High School auditorium in New Jersey. About 125 stood to believe in Jesus. This is one of a number of fore-runner events that led Dale Rhoton, Walter Borchard and myself to go to Mexico the summer of 1957 and distribute Christian literature. As we celebrate our 50th anniversary there are seven biblical words that come to mind.
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Mercy--again and again in the midst of our own mistakes, sins and failures, we have experienced His mercy
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Faith--from the beginning, we were moving by faith based on His Word. The Word of God and guidance of the Holy Spirit have guided us to grow from three people in Mexico to 4,000 people in over 100 countries. Over 120,000 people have actually been on OM and, working with the church, have given the Gospel to over 1 billion people.
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Vision--from the beginning we have tried to experience the vision of our Lord for the Gospel to be preached among all people. We have been Jesus driven and purpose driven everyday for 50 years; this is my own personal experience, as well.
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Change--God has helped us to keep growing and to keep changing. In the mid-'80s we changed our attitude toward money and the world of business. In the '90s we grew in our understanding of the Kingdom and holistic ministry. In the midst of the changes, we have kept sound in doctrine and been faithful to God's Word. The base core values have held fast.
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The Book of Proverbs and God's Word in general have been our foundation and guide. God has given wisdom including wisdom about when to change and when not to change. We will need this on every level, especially as the level of misinformation increases around the globe.
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Discipline--we can speak of growing and of great plans and projects. We can even pray some great prayers, but without hard work and discipline not much will happen. This is tied in with the reality of Galatians 2:20.
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Unity--for a movement this size to maintain grace-awakened unity is one of the great challenges. I believe this includes keeping good relationships with churches and other agencies. We seem to be faced with more opportunities than ever, but the opposition will also be great.
In closing, I want to thank all our prayer partners and supporters who have helped make this movement and work what it is 50 years later.
George Verwer
Founder
Visit George Verwer's web site at: www.georgeverwer.com
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