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100 Years Not Out! WEC celebrates its Centenary.
christianreview | 입력 : 2013/05/28 [17:27]
Evan Davies
He seemed ageless. The old man was full of bright ideas and never ending action, in spite of the fact that a doctor had described him as a ‘walking museum of tropical diseases’. To the young Alfred Buxton it was as if he had to run to keep up with C. T. Studd. Even a privileged upbringing, fame as an English cricket cap, ten years of service in for God in China and a stint in India could not slow him down. ‘Cannibals want missionaries’ was the message that sparked his interest in Liverpool England, but created a yawning gap in his heart. Who would tell the people of Congo about Jesus? He tried to recruit others but only Buxton responded. With the motto ‘If Jesus Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for him’ he had to go with the young man.
So in 1913 they started the Heart of Africa Mission with a passion to see the story of Jesus also impacting other places where the Gospel was not known. By the time of his death thousands of Congolese had responded to the gospel appeal and members of what became known as WEC (Worldwide Evangelization for Christ) International were starting to reach out to other regions of the world. The fledgling mission did not die out when he passed on but grew like wildfire with hundreds of new workers and a steady stream of new fields opened. The target was to aim at the tough and unreached areas of the world and today over 1800 workers from 50 nations serve in more than 80 countries.
The price has been high; several lost their lives while sharing and living out the gospel message. Conflict caused some doors to close but new ones to open. The challenge to maintain the principles of sacrifice, holiness, faith and fellowship has pushed all to keep Christ central and to trust for a holy church. WEC believes for a constant stream of workers. Multi-cultural fields enjoy the privilege of seeing people come to faith in Christ and the church grow. Ministries such as Betel, planting churches out of rehabilitated drug addicts, have produced a harvest of souls and lives dramatically transformed. Doors that seemed closed have been challenged as windows were opened by prayers of faith and today WEC’s biggest fields are in the most difficult places. Bible and training colleges sent out hundreds of workers to be evangelists and pastors. It was a special privilege this year to see the church in D. R. Congo alive and well in spite of difficult conditions.
Mrs. C. T. Studd started Australian WEC in 1922 and since then hundreds of Australians have served with distinction in many places. Pat Symes blazed the trail in Colombia in spite of early opposition. Ken and Cec Booth served their Lord throughout Asia, Betty Nowland in Ivory Coast, Bruce and Annette Rattray saw hundreds come to Christ in Kalimantan and Barry Lambert has spent 44 years in Brazil. It has been a bold venture, but so worth it.
Centennial celebrations have taken place around the country and will continue throughout this year. Now as we celebrate our centenary we can unitedly say ‘Much to celebrate, Much still to be done!’ WEC has identified 33 People groups to which it intends an outreach. 1200 new workers are needed to cope with current needs and future developments, and many prayer groups raised up to support the teams around the world. We thank God for what He has accomplished but we trust him for all that remains to be done.
www.wec.com.au
Centennial books
Beyond the Edge: 100 stories of Trusting God, Evan Davies (General Editor), 2012, published by CLC Publications, Fort Washington, USA
The Golden Chariot, True Stories of God at Work, By Kids from round the World, 2012, Christian Focus Publications, Fearn, UK
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