October Newsletter

OCTOBER 2011

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EHC'S 65TH ANNIVERSARY

Special Edition

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EHC'S 65TH ANNIVERSARY

October 6, 2011 marks Every Home for Christ’s 65th anniversary. Following is a look back at how we got here, where we are now and what we plan to do in the years ahead. Thank you for your partnership with EHC; we are ever grateful for those who support this ministry as we continue our effort to reach every single home on earth with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

// A GREAT PASSION FOR SOULS It was midnight on December 18, 1946, and young pastor Jack McAlister had just gone to bed. His wife Hazel lay beside him, exhausted from a full day of signing 700 Christmas cards.

Minutes later, a raging fire swept through their home! Jack and Hazel jumped out of the window in a panic, but then Jack realized his precious Bible was still among the flames. He ignored pleas from firefighters and bounded back into the smoke-filled home to retrieve his most prized possession.

Only years later would Jack realise that for a higher purpose—that of reaching

EHC founder Jack McAlister

the Lord had spared his life millions of people for Christ.

Jack McAlister was born in western Canada in February 1924. As he grew, his grandfather would distribute literature on the street proclaiming “The Good News.” This made a lasting impact on young Jack, who soon cultivated a great passion for souls and the need to share the news of Christ through the printed page.

At age 18, God called Jack into full-time ministry. He preached on weekends while attending Bible school in western Canada. At 22, Jack married Hazel Swanson and together they began a weekly radio program called “Tract Club of the Air.” Listeners donated to the ministry for “paper missionaries” to be sent to evangelists overseas.

When Jack heard the testimony of how an African chief had brought his entire village to Christ after receiving one simple gospel message, he became convinced that God would use the printed page to reach millions for Christ. The radio ministry soon outgrew its name and in 1952, World Literature Crusade (WLC) was born.

// THE VISION UNFOLDS Turn the clock ahead to 1953. World War II has ended, leaving Europe in shambles. The Allied Forces are victorious, and millions of homesick soldiers are returning home to rebuild their lives.

In Japan, people remain haunted by vivid and bitter memories of the war. Struggling to rebuild their lives and nation, broken hearts seek answers only God can provide.

In the midst of this setting, Jack McAlister envisions a new concept for world evangelisation. He joins forces with fellow Canadian and missionary to Japan, Ken McVety (pictured below), along with a handful of Japanese believers to launch the first Every Home Crusade—a systematic, home-to-home distribution of “paper missionaries” (gospel literature) to a people in great spiritual need.

When Jack had arrived in Tokyo that year, it was one of the largest cities in the world. Japan itself was a vast, unevangelised nation of 83 million people. During this time, two out of every three people on earth lived in Asia. Together, Jack and Ken hit the busy streets to ask people if they knew about Jesus. This was made easier by the fact that Ken could speak fluent Japanese.

The first man they approached had never heard of Jesus. Another said he read about Him only in a history book. An old man wanted to know where Jesus lived. “We couldn’t find a single person who knew anything meaningful about Christ!” Jack recalled.

The vision they had to tell others about Christ, however, did not come without peril.“As the work unfolded,” Ken said, “problems and crises came with crushing regularity. We were treading an untried path and had to trust God for His answer at each turn.” Despite the challenges, Jack and Ken knew that in a literate country like Japan, it was possible to reach the people; but (L) EHC workers systematically map out homes to be reached. (R) Ken McVety, left, pictured with Japanese belivers and gospel literature they knew it had to be done systematically, family by family, home by home or else millions of people might be missed.

That night Jack and Ken met in an apartment in Tokyo. There they spread out a large map of the city and prayed for God to help them effectively reach every person with the Gospel in Tokyo, as well as in all of Japan. Reaching every home systematically, they were convinced, was the best way to make sure the job got done. In fact, it was the only way to properly measure the results.

As the details unfolded, excitement filled their hearts. They decided to include a decision card with each piece of literature to ensure that all who responded would be sent a follow-up Bible course. By midnight the “Every Home Crusade” plan was in place and history was made in that small flat in Tokyo.

That was in 1953. Today in Japan, more than 198 million gospel booklets have been distributed, yielding a harvest of 396,874 responses to the Gospel! What was birthed that night has become one of the largest home-to-home evangelistic organizations in the world celebrating over 103 million responses to the Gospel worldwide!

// AHEAD OF ITS TIME

Jack McAlister and Oswald J. Smith

The leadership at WLC realized early on how modern technology could impact the work.

Back in the 50s and 60s, television was a new and exciting medium; and because EHC began as a radio ministry, the move to television was natural just as it was in the entertainment business.

By the early 70s, TV became the primary means to introduce people to the worldwide outreach of the ministry. To be sure, the idea of purchasing extended airtime on television on a major scale was untried in Christian circles.

Even the model of the secular “telethon” was discarded early on. But after two years of fine-

tuning, God, in His marvellous way, brought the ministry into the world of televised programming.

Though a monumental task, a five-hour television event entitled “World Missions Special”effectively communicated to Christians the pain of a world without Christ. Aired more than 300 times in five years, the special reached virtually every television audience in the United States, Canada and Australia.

Even more amazing, World Literature Crusade experienced greater growth in two years than in its preceding 25 years of existence due to this one special alone!

// THE UNIQUE FAITH PROMISE OFFERING Then God put the unique Faith Promise Offering into the heart of Dr Oswald J Smith and this was one way God would use to build the faith of many Christians and supply the funds to make possible the beginings of the new World Literature Crusade now Every Home for Christ.

Christians who often had very little to give would ask God to give them money they never had to give to WLC - now Every Home for Christ.

Dr Oswald J Smith would tell how God put it in his heart to give a Faith Promise Offering encouraging people to pray and also make a Faith-Promise if the Holy Spirit so directed them.

According to Billy Graham , 'Above anyone of the twentieth century, Oswald Smith has probably done more as a missionary statesman to recruit workers for the foreign fields and inspire the prayers and financial support of Christians everywhere to sponsor the implementation of our Lord's Great Commission.'

ever been in a missionary convention. I did not know that morning God was going to deal with me and teach me a lesson that I was never to forget, and one that I was to teach to scores of other churches all over the country in the years to come.

At first I started to pray. I said ‘Lord God, I can’t do anything. You know I have nothing. I haven’t a cent in the bank. I haven’t anything in my pocket. This church only pays me $25 a week. I have a wife and child to keep. We are trying to buy our home, and everything is skyhigh in price.’ All that was true. The first World War was on.

‘I know that,’ the Lord said. ‘I know you are only getting $25 a week. I know you have nothing in your pocket and nothing in the bank.’

"Let me tell you how God taught me to give. I will never forget it. It was a lesson that has remained with me to this day.

I had been pastor in a large Presbyterian church in the City of Toronto. One day I resigned and, finally, I became pastor of a church that knew how to give in a way I had never known.

I commenced my pastorate on the first Sunday of January, at a time when they were holding their annual missionary convention. Now, I knew nothing about a convention. I had never seen one in all my life. I didn’t know the first thing to do. So I just sat there on the platform and watched.

The ushers were going up and down the aisles, giving out envelopes. Presently, to my amazement, one of the ushers had the audacity to walk right up the aisle and hand me-the pastor one of the envelopes. I sat there holding it in my hand. Never will I forget that moment. I can still remember it as though it were yesterday.

As I held it, I read: ‘In dependence upon God, I will endeavour to give toward the Missionary work of the church $ during the coming year.’ I had never read such a statement before. It was the first time in my life that I had

‘Well, then,’ I continued, ‘that settles it. I have nothing to give and I cannot give anything.’

It was then the Lord spoke. I will never forget it.

‘I am not asking you for what you have,’ he said.

‘You are not asking me for what I have, Lord?

Then what are you asking?’ I replied.

‘I am asking you for a faith offering. How much can you trust me for?’

‘Oh, Lord,’ I exclaimed, ‘that’s different. How much can I trust you for?

As I paid the final amount, I realised that it had been one of the greatest experiences of my life.

Now, of course, I knew nothing at all about a faith offering. I had never given such an offering in my life. But I knew the Lord was speaking. I thought he might say $5 or perhaps even $10. Once in my life I had given $5 for missions. Once I had given $3. But never more. I almost trembled as I waited for the answer.

Presently it came. Now I am not going to ask you to believe that God spoke to me in an audible voice, but He might just as well have done so. I was scarcely conscious of the congregation, as I sat there with my eyes closed, listening to the voice of God. God was dealing with me that morning, though I did not realise it at the time.

‘How much can I give?’ I asked.

‘Fifty dollars.’

‘Fifty dollars!’ I exclaimed . ‘Why Lord, that’s two weeks’ salary. How can I ever get $50?’

But again the Lord spoke and it was still the same amount. It was just as clear to me as though he had spoken in an audible voice.

I can still remember how my hand trembled as I took my pencil, signed my name and address and wrote in the amount $50.

If I had waited until I had it, I never would have given it, because I never would have had it.

How I ever paid it I don’t know to this day. All I know is that every month I had to pray for $4, and every month God sent it in some miraculous way. At the end of the year I had paid the entire amount - $50.

What about you? Have you given a faith promise offering? If not, give it and God will honour you for it.

Every Home for Christ was greatly influenced

by Dr Oswald J. Smith in its beginning years.

He became interested in Every Home for Christ (then World Literature Crusade) because of the spectacular results of gospel literature being distributed to every home. He said “The printed page is God’s method for our day and generation…”

But there was no money at the beginning and obviously nothing could happen without the money.

So instead of Dr Oswald J. Smith and the Every Home for Christ founder Dr Jack McAlister being totally responsible to have the “faith” to believe God for all the money, they recruited thousands of people who would join them and make a “faith-promise”. Even though many of these people did not have the money, they would join together and believe God for the “impossible” to buy gospel literature and pay national workers to distribute the Gospel literature to every nation on earth.

But this is what I want to make clear. I received such a blessing, there came to my heart such a fullness of the Spirit, it was such a thrill, that as I paid the final amount, I realised that it had been one of the greatest experiences of my life.

So great was the spiritual blessing that had come to me because I had given a faith offering, I had trusted God for a certain amount, I had given in a scriptural way, that the next year at the convention, I doubled the amount to $100. And from that day to this I have been sending on thousands upon thousands of dollars to the Bank of Heaven. If I had waited until I had it, I never would have given it, because I never would have had it. But I gave it when I didn’t have it. I gave a faith offering and God honoured it.

Dr Jack McAlister founder of Every Home for Christ launched this ministry in 1946 at age 22.

He said “God trusted the written Word – the printed Word – to reveal the Living Word, and so can we!”

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12 January 2006 He went to be with the Lord.

// A TRUE INTERNATIONAL MINISTRY In 1976, Every Home for Christ celebrated its 30th anniversary. By now, offices had been established in various regions of the world.

The uniqueness of enlisting leadership from within the nations made WLC different from other missionary-sending agencies. There was no need for language study; often, leaders spoke more than one language. Also, having people native to the country overseeing the field operations meant they knew the culture; they knew how people in their land would respond; they understood the challenges; and they were familiar with the laws and religious tensions within their borders. The utilisation of indigenous workers set this ministry apart and made the ministry as diverse as it was multi-cultural.

In India, the one billion pieces of literature that had been distributed by 1976 had spawned a dramatic number of inquirers who wanted to become Christians. The State of Uttar Pradesh alone reported more than 600,000 new believers. The desire for follow-up materials increased rapidly. In response, a four-part Bible correspondence course was designed to help the new believers in their faith. Additionally Seekers’ Conferences were held for one-week intensive training, but it was not enough and people still wanted more.

At a meeting in Madras, WLC leaders prayed for God's guidance. They decided to pursue a very simple idea—to organise new belivers into small home groups where they would get instruction in the Word and fellowship together. Thus the “Christ Group” was born.

These small fellowships of believers now number more than 176 million and have been planted throughout the world.

A Christ Group in India “There are two things in the entire history of missions that have been absolutely central. One, most obviously, is the Bible itself. The other is the printed page. There is absolutely nothing else in terms of missions methodology that outranks the importance of the printed page. Meetings come and go.

Personalities appear and are gone. But the printed page continues to speak.”

—Ralph Winter, founder of the U.S. Center for World Missions

// MAKING DISCIPLES In more recent years, the need for training has increased globally as more and more baby Christians mature and wish to disciple others. Mobile Training Centres, a multimedia system including a video projector, solar panel, camera and other items in a compact device that easily fits on the back of a motorcycle, provide consistent discipleship and leadership training to new and existing Christ Groups, pastors and pastors-to-be. This is done by “taking the school to the student” utilising the teaching of small groups of learners coming together to receive training in villages far away from modern conveniences.

Every Home for Christ Australia: PO Box 168 Penshurst NSW 2222 Telephone: (02) 9570 8211 Facsimile: (02) 9570 4738 New Zealand: PO Box 31-260 Milford North Shore City 0741 Telephone: Free call 0800 900 200 Facsimile: 0061 2 9570 4738 www.everyhome.org.au ehc@everyhome.org.au

// BUILDING AN ARMY OF INTERCESSORS In support of EHC’s third unalterable conviction that prayer, alone, will remove every obstacle that stands in the way of fulfilling the Great Commission, an EHC internship program has been developed at The Jericho Center, born out of a vision

by Dick Eastman to build teams of prayer warriors called Intercessory Missionaries whose sole purpose is to intercede for the nations. These people have felt called by God to come on site for prayer and worship 24/7. Currently this is being done in EHC’s

Watchman Training Centre, a large sanctuary complete with a Watchman Wall, patterned after the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem.

It has become obvious to those in EHC’s offices worldwide that, as the prayer initiatives throughout the ministry grow, so does the impact of the Gospel around the world. And in nations where EHC has works, you can be sure the message of hope and salvation found in Jesus Christ is being proclaimed, village to village, family to family, home to home.

// THE GROWTH OF THE GOSPEL; THE POWER OF PRAYER By 1987, World Literature Crusade had been renamed Every Home for Christ. As the years passed other outreaches, ministries and discipleship programs became part of the Every Home for Christ landscape.

Projects were implemented to reach out to the blind, to prison inmates and to patients and their families in hospitals.

“Pioneer missionaries,” EHC workers who sacrificed their entire lives for the cause of reaching every home on earth with the Gospel, travelled night and day to villages and locales no one knew existed. Unreached people groups were discovered.

The reason for all this progression, EHC’s founder believed, was due to EHC’s emphasis on prayer. In fact, Jack McAlister had been an ardent supporter of prayer, saying, “God puts Himself at your disposal to change people all over this world as a direct result of prayer. When you pray, spiritually blind eyes see a loving, forgiving Christ and lives are transformed.” The World Prayer Map, unveiled in the late 1960s, had become a popular prayer tool used by believers around the world to pray every month for each nation of the world.

Prayer is essential to all the global work of EHC.

In 1976, Jack appointed a young pastor from northern California, Dick Eastman (pictured below), to become director for prayer mobilisation. Dick would soon establish the Change the World School of Prayer, equipping believers to embrace prayer in their lives and communities. For the ministry prayer was and is the central focus; it is, in fact, our third unalterable conviction: Prayer alone will remove every obstacle that stands in the way of fulfilling the Great Commission.

Dick would later become international president of EHC in 1988.

// AUSTRALIA, NEW ZEALAND & UNITED KINGDOM In October 1978 Eric Leach became the first full time director of Every Home for Christ for Australia and New Zealand.

For some years before, Doug Gibb and Marj Mittwollen with visiting EHC USA staff Cameron Wilson, Dick Eastman and later Paul Goodwin, had television and radio specials and Change the World Schools of Prayer.

The Australia organisation was registered on the 16th April 1975 and the New Zealand organisation on the 2nd April 1982.

After his appointment Eric Leach then hosted the 5 hour television special, the EHC dinners and spoke in the Leadership Prayer Training Institute for pastors and the Change the World Schools of Prayer and the week long training seminars for people to do doorto-door gospel literature distribution as well as being the chief executive officer for the administration and development of overseas ministry and humanitarian work.

Every Home for Christ has an office in Sydney with full time staff and boards in Australia with Chairman Robert McConaghy and New Zealand with Chairman Roger Mackay.

Eric Leach 1981

In 1982, at the invitation of the then Every Home for Christ World President Dr Johnny Lee, Eric Leach went to the United Kingdom to commence UK Every Home for Christ.

Leadership Prayer Training Institutes for pastors and Change the World Schools of Prayer were held in all the major cities plus other places from Southhampton to the Orkney Islands. In two years more than 15,000 people attended the Pastors Seminars and the Change the World Schools of Prayer.

Every Home for Christ has an office in London with Chairman Dean Llewellyn and staff Adrian and Laura Stone.

A THIRST FOR SOULS Barely able to breathe, skin pierced with the nails of those who crucified Him, Jesus uttered two words, “I thirst!” (See John 19:28, NKJV.)

know that only God has the power to transform a gospel booklet into a living testament in the hands of a reader, to resurrect a dead heart. Even so, God chooses to work with our weak words; Jesus left the perfection of His heavenly home, our humble “yes” in our going, giving and praying taking on our human frame that He might be to help advance His kingdom into all the world. covered in our wounds.This high price He willingly paid with His own breath, His own tears, His own Do you believe that God can use you for His glory? blood. Truly, He—God’s own Son—was asking for a human need to be fulfilled when he uttered Day by day, God is glorified when the souls of those words. Could it have also been a symbolic men and women are reconciled to Him. Each response to what we know is the heart of God… day, together, we have the privilege of touching “that none should perish”? There on the cross, over 200,000 homes with the Gospel, taking the Jesus’ very body displayed the unspeakable thirst story of a loving God who desires to be reunited of God for all people to know Him and receive His with His creation. Every day EHC receives over 39,000 responses to gift of salvation.

Christ. That is 39,000 MotherTeresa devoted people who are herself to the poor seeking after Him. and brokenhearted.

Yet, His thirst will Her revelation of the not be quenched unspeakable thirst until all have heard, of God sustained until all have had her through all the opportunity the suffering she to understand encountered. In all His message of the houses of the salvation. May we Missionaries of Charity, say with our lives, the words“I thirst”are inscribed beside the crucifix “Your will be done and not ours.”May we proclaim, as a constant reminder of God’s desire that all “Your kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven.” would come to a saving knowledge of Him. May the work of our hands, our life, our all, be What would our lives look like if we carried even a small measure of God’s thirst“that none should perish” deep in our hearts, as our most prized possession?

Perhaps one day we will see this is the greatest treasure of all—the unquenchable flame of reaching those without Christ—burning in our hearts.

As we serve the Church to reach every home on earth with the witness of Jesus, we must daily reconnect with His heart lest our efforts simply be as a gong or a clanging cymbal in the midst of the true sounds of God’s direction.We know our words are meagre, and our hearts are easily fatigued. We

given toward seeing His kingdom advance.

Today as you think about Jesus’ great thirst for souls, would you prayerfully consider partnering with us in a greater capacity to work toward fulfilling the Great Commission?

When looking at the multitudes that were hungry, Jesus simply asked His disciples what was in their hands - Matthew 14:13-21.

Perhaps today, He is asking all of us, what is in your hands, that the multitudes who have not yet heard may know and be filled.

The 65th anniversary history has been sent trusting you will find it encouraging but we are very conscious that only God can truly bring people to the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ - at best we can tell them!

- Eric Leach