L E AV E A L E G A C Y Your legacy could enable thousands more to hear the Good News of Jesus.
“We will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power, and the wonders he has done.” PSALM 78:4 02
Would you say
to help equip generations of Jesus followers to go and live out love and make disciples of all nations? Thank you for prayerfully considering including a gift to OM in your Will. It is so encouraging to know you are planning ahead and thinking how you can be even more intentional about sharing God’s love both now and into the future with those who don’t know Him. As a follower of Jesus, I hope you will find this
I appreciate that deciding who will benefit from your Will is one of the most personal and important decisions you’ll need to make in your lifetime. If you do feel the Lord is leading you to include OM in your Will, I believe that this can have a far-reaching impact when it comes to inspiring, equipping and sending Jesus followers to serve in places where there are, as yet, few opportunities to hear the Good News of Jesus. We hope that you will prayerfully consider the multitude of ways that saying ‘I Will’ and leaving a legacy to OM could help future generations to live out God’s love across the world until all have heard.
of faith and see how you can use a gift in your Will
With warmest thanks, in Jesus’ name,
to pass on what is most important in your life to future generations. I also trust you will find some helpful information you can either use, or share with others, to start preparing or amending your Will.
M AT T H E W S K I R T O N , UK CEO OF OM
UK.OM.ORG/LEGACY
booklet inspiring as you reflect on your own journey
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Founded in 1957 by visionary George Verwer, OM is a global community of Jesus followers united to live out God’s love. For more than 65 years OM has taken unconventional approaches to sharing the love and light of Jesus with the world. From pioneering evangelistic radio broadcasts in Mexico to launching OM’s Ship Ministry to take the Good News to hundreds of the world’s port cities, OM has always been willing to try something new and then go to scale, to exponentially multiply vibrant communities of Jesus followers.
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OM has nurtured hundreds of new ministries and, to date, we estimate one billion people have been touched by the Good News through Jesus followers inspired by OM. Today, our work varies enormously from country to country, but our mission is always the same – to go and live out Christ’s limitless love. This means we don’t stop with the salvation of individuals or families. We actively pursue community formation around Jesus’ love. Our goal is to mobilise and nurture disciples so His unstoppable love can spread, creating communities of Christ followers all over the world.
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Sharing the love and light of Jesus with the world for over 65 years
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no idea too crazy, no dream too big.
to serve His purposes for future generations until
We are people who don’t fit a mould. We never sit still, and we love the adventure of serving in
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By making a gift in your Will, you will have the joy
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Mobilising people for mission is what we do. For us, no place is too hard, no people too far,
everyone has had an opportunity to hear the Good News of Jesus.
God’s mission. As we praise God for the legacy of all He has joined this cause, and the hundreds of millions who have heard the gospel, we also thank Him for the ways this continues today through the lives and example of Jesus followers both here in the UK and worldwide.
UK.OM.ORG/LEGACY
done through the tens of thousands who have
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the need for mission is greater than ever Since 1960, the number of people who have never experienced Jesus through a believer that they know has doubled to three billion today. And that number is growing by 60,000 people a day. Each person has a face, a name, a story, and a heart that needs Jesus. Each person is special to Jesus. There is an urgency to reach out in new ways to places untouched by the gospel. Our passion is that God’s love was made to be shared, not contained. We pray that’s a passion you share.
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for the future At OM, we’ve sensed God’s divine prompting to pursue an incredibly bold and radical vision to bring the light of Jesus to many more of those three billion people. It is our belief that the best way to push darkness out of places untouched by the gospel is through ‘vibrant communities of Jesus followers’ being established – groups of people glorifying and worshipping God, loving their friends and neighbours, just as we are loved by our heavenly Father. We believe that by God’s grace, and by working with like-minded partners across the world, we can turn the tide by catalysing new, ambitious initiatives in a new era for mission to enable to experience the love of Jesus in deep, transformative, ways. God is moving in profound ways. We see signs of His presence in hard-to-reach places, which encourages us to believe that this holy vision is
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growing numbers of men, women and children
possible by God’s grace. 07
How does this for the future come to life? Building on our extensive experience across multiple cultures, we have a plan founded on three strategic pillars, six focus areas, and an expanding Ships Ministry. T H R E E S T R AT E G I C P I L L A R S S O W I N G B R O A D LY:
We live in an
exceptionally exciting time where, through technology, we can sow the gospel through
Six focus areas We have identified six focus areas where God is clearly at work, and where our various mission strands will help address suffering, oppression, violence, and hopelessness. OM has people on the ground in all these areas, so we really understand local needs.
social media, video, radio, television, and other digital possibilities. E N G A G I N G D E E P LY:
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The love of Jesus
can spread like wildfire as our partners offer physical, spiritual, social, and emotional healing. Two specific areas for focus are disaster relief and combatting child trafficking. M O B I L I S I N G B O L D LY:
The growth of the
We want to mobilise many more young people in the UK to get involved in short-term outreach, and to scale-up our work with
church in the Global South offers exciting
refugees and migrants
possibilities for activating the whole church
coming from places where
to be partners in mission. We will develop
Jesus is unknown.
new programmes and tools to grow disciples. 08
UNITED KINGDOM:
2 EUROPE AND THE NORTH CAUCASUS:
We have a passion to grow outreach in countries such as Greece, Spain, Italy and France – and in the North Caucasus, the most unreached part of Europe.
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EUROPE AND THE NORTH
UNITED
CAUCASUS
KINGDOM
6 CENTRAL AND WESTERN ASIA
4 SAHEL
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MUSLIM SOUTH ASIA
ARABIAN PENINSULA AND NORTH AFRICA
3 ARABIAN PENINSULA AND NORTH AFRICA:
We seek to support North Africa, and in the Arabian Peninsula where the indigenous church is virtually non-existent with perhaps only 500-1,000 Gulf Arab believers.
SAHEL:
Stretching from Senegal in the West to Eritrea in the East, we aim to mobilise missionaries from the sub-Saharan region, to operate in least-reached countries.
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MUSLIM
CENTRAL AND
SOUTH ASIA:
WESTERN ASIA:
India, Pakistan and
Whilst conditions for
Bangladesh have some of
Christians in this region
the highest numbers of
are very challenging, with
unreached people groups
a combined population
in the world, with the
of over 600 million, there
equivalent of only 1 full
are many opportunities to
time Christian worker for
make an impact through
every 500,000 Muslims.
training Jesus followers.
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churches throughout
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An Expanding
Over the last 50 years, more than 49 million visitors have come aboard an OM vessel in nearly 500 ports in over 150 countries. For many, this was the first time they have been able to access excellent Christian and educational literature in their own language. But quality relationships need more than one visit. With your prayerful and generous partnership, we plan to add at least two vessels to the fleet, supported by 2,000 volunteers to spread the word. This will enable us to visit more port cities, to stay longer, and to return more frequently to build even stronger local partnerships. We long for the day when our fleet is mobilising one million same culture workers who are discipling many more new believers.
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SEEL AN GOVENDER,CEO & PRESIDENT O M S H I P S I N T E R N AT I O N A L
UK.OM.ORG/LEGACY
“I believe this is a momentous opportunity for something hugely significant to take place, as we come together and focus on what God wants us to do.”
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How your legacy could make a
As someone who loves Jesus and believes in the biblical mandate to “go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19), it is exciting to know how your legacy could make a lasting difference by helping future generations to live out God’s love in a multitude of ways across the world. Whether it’s through OM’s Ship Ministry, discipleship and mission training, church planting initiatives, justice and advocacy, GAP year and
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• Live out God’s love among people who don’t know Jesus in often hard to reach places where there is little access to His followers or a local church community. • Grow in their faith through discipling and training with a focus on raising national workers to reach their own people and communities. • Be inspired and equipped to go into all the world and see God use their talents, gifts and passions for His purposes. • Use creative and innovative ways to share the Gospel and see lives being transformed into Christ’s likeness.
mentoring opportunities, short-term outreaches
• Demonstrate the love of Jesus to the poor and
or relief and development work, you can be sure
marginalised through practical aid, relief and
your legacy will help Jesus followers continue to:
development work.
“We are on a mission to bring the gospel to the farthest corners of the world, fulfilling the Great Commission in this generation. There is no place too far, no task too difficult, and no person we won’t try to reach.” L AWRENCE TONG , I N T E R N AT I O N A L D I R E C T O R
UK.OM.ORG/LEGACY
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The eternal impact of saying
Pruning for a harvest in Zambia As a child in Zambia, Peter Chila was so poor, he could not attend school. One night he and his friends were out looting when Peter heard a gunshot. He dropped to the ground, waking to hear doctors tell him he would never walk again. Peter thought his life was shattered. Disabled people in his culture are despised. Families think disabled children are a curse, hiding them behind closed doors in shame. When Peter came out of the hospital, he not only faced the stigma of being disabled, he also felt shame because of his circumstances. He was shot for being a thief.
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Peter was invited to attend an OM Africa conference. There, he found the family he longed for and realised he wanted to do more than serve the local church. Peter attended leadership training through OM and ultimately met his wife, who had a passion for people living with disabilities. Together they decided they would work to break the stigma for people with disabilities. The couple’s vision manifested into a school for children with disabilities. With OM’s help, Bethesda Mercy
“Every time I felt hopeless, the more I felt the
Ministry has special needs teachers, occupational
presence of Jesus in my life,” said Peter. “I started
therapists and teaching assistants instructing
serving at a local church, and it gave me hope.
children to read and write, while also showing
My passion grew.”
them the love of Jesus.
Recently, 120 people attended the wheelchair camp presented by Bethesda Mercy Ministry. In addition, ten family support groups started in two communities and 25 children received hearing aids. “Without this school, these children would never helped the community slowly start accepting these precious souls.” “I was a thief,” said Peter. “Now I live for others. I smile when I see the lives God has impacted through my life because of OM.”
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have been educated,” said Peter. “This school has
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Bearing fruit in the Middle East Aya* and her husband Shamwil* planted a small
“We are a small church,
church in a Muslim village in the Middle East.
but we have a lot of
Years earlier, when Shamwil first visited the
nationalities,” said
village, he noted there weren’t any churches
Shamwil. “We see
there. “I found mosque, mosque, mosque,”
people who don’t know
he said. “There was no light.”
us and don’t know God,
The couple found a house in the village to be used as both their home and church. At first, just two families
but they still walk into our church because of this great hunger for truth,” added Aya. The church has hosted two church planting
the church is now home to more than 40 people,
conferences attended by more than 100 local
including Christians and Muslims. Local OM workers
believers. Those participants returned to their
and other NGO volunteers help with the youth,
churches and started 51 new groups. Shamwil
minister to the women and staff the kids’ clubs, one
and Aya feel excited and blessed. “For years,
of which serves 66 Syrian refugee children.
we couldn’t really see any fruit,” said Shamwil. “Then suddenly, God opened the door.”
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*names changed
attended. After 10 years and a move to a larger space,
Reaching Afghans through the airwaves Javed* and Roya* were refugees living in Pakistan when they were given shelter by OM missionaries from the USA. The couples’ friendship led Javed and Roya to join Pamir Ministries, a ministry of OM that is actively helping to reach Muslims in Afghanistan. The couple produce radio programmes designed to reach Afghans for Christ. In their radio programmes they tell the story of Jesus using teaching, dialogues and dramas. They even have children’s Bible stories and programmes specifically for women. Nearly 7,000 Afghan listeners have contacted the ministry to date. The team follows up personally with everyone, replying to letters and emails, texting and talking on the phone. Javed says people ask questions like, “why do you believe in Jesus?” and “what does all this mean?” For many Afghans, listening to church on the radio may be the closest they ever get to a worship experience. It is too dangerous for believers to gather in large groups, and it’s life threatening to be known as a Christian. Nonetheless, Javed and Roya can attest God is using the radio programmes to reach Afghans listeners become Jesus followers, the team is equipping them to become same-culture witnesses and grow the church, even if it’s underground. *names changed
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who are desperate for the hope of Jesus. As their
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A gift in your Will, no matter how large or small, could make a crucial difference in creating opportunities for future generations of young people to live out their Christian faith both in the UK and around the world. Knowing future generations of Jesus followers will benefit from a gift in your Will is enormously helpful as, in the fullness of time, it will allow OM to develop plans with greater clarity and certainty. Throughout OM’s history, legacy income has often come at just the right time in answer to prayer – providing essential income for existing projects, while also helping to launch new missionary ventures. Legacy income is also vital for enabling OM teams to respond more quickly and effectively to natural disasters and emergencies, which are likely to happen with even greater frequency and ferocity in years to come.
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How to leave a gift in your Will to OM OM offer a free ‘simple’ Will writing service through our membership with The National Free Wills Network.
If you decide to leave a gift in your Will to OM, there are several things to think and pray about. First, decide if you’d like your gift to go where the need is greatest. This gives OM the
This enables individuals and couples
greatest flexibility to use your gift
who support OM to have their Will(s)
in the most effective way possible
written free of charge using the services
at the time your executor pays
of local solicitors within reasonable
your bequest.
travelling distance of their home.
Alternatively, you may decide
This offer is open for a limited period
you wish to support a particular
and applies to the writing of ‘simple’
OM ministry that has been close
Wills – in other words, Wills that do
to your heart over the years.
not have to deal with complex issues.
Before choosing to leave a gift
OM hopes that you will take this opportunity to make provision for loved ones, and also consider for generations to come – although there is no obligation to do so. To find out more about how to take up this offer, visit:
www.uk.om.org/legacy
ministry or purpose, please contact us first so we can make sure your wishes can be fulfilled (or honoured). Second, decide whether you would like to leave a percentage of your estate, a specific sum of money or a particular item of value.
UK.OM.ORG/LEGACY
including a gift to support our work
in your Will for a particular OM
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“Since the earliest days of OM, the very existence of our ministry has often been due in large part to the vision and generosity of donors who have left OM gifts through their estates. Several of those gifts were received at critical moments when a crucial project would either continue or cease to exist. Such bequests, both large and small, are not only a huge encouragement to our Jesus followers, but they have also become a vitally important tool for OM’s leadership in developing plans for the future work of OM.”
GEORGE VERWER, FOUNDER, OM
O P E R AT I O N M O B I L I S AT I O N
R EG I S TER ED O FFI CE:
The Quinta, Weston Rhyn, Oswestry, Shropshire SY10 7LT. Registered as a company limited by guarantee no. 2564320 and charity no.1008196 (England and Wales).
S TAY CO N N E C T E D
tel: 01691 773388 email: hello.uk@om.org www.uk.om.org