Men's Meeting

By George Jones, Virginia

I was warned by a friend "you can invite George Verwer to speak, and give him any topic you like, but he will speak about global missions." The theme of CMC's annual conference in 2003 was "Jesus is Lord." My friend's prediction proved true. Verwer shared from his heart with the Mens Fellowship meeting for 4 hours, and one thing was clear: Lordship includes obeying the call to "be my witnesses . . . to the ends of the earth." Verwer was dressed in his usual world-map jacket. During worship, as we raised the roof singing about people from "every tongue, tribe and nation" joining before God's throne, Verwer held aloft a large inflatable world globe. He began by telling us of some of the places where God is moving, among the Berber people of Algeria, and the Dalits (the "untouchable" lower caste) of India ("the land of a billion souls"). Verwer told us that he's "never had a furlough in over 40 years of ministry" and that "he's praying about that now" as he prepares to hand over the leadership of his Operation Mobilization (OM) organization in August . . . but watching him, one gets the impression that working to spread the Gospel is as much a part of life for Verwer as breathing. He told us that in 40 years, OM has grown from 3 people to a staff of over 3000, has put over 110,000 people on the mission field in some capacity and has "shared the gospel face to face with over a billion people."

This "loud obnoxious guy from New Jersey" told us of the countries he has lived in over the years: Mexico, Spain, France, India, Nepal and England. He pointed out that "America is a mission field" because "millions come here from [all over the world]." He pointed out that many people come to America and are sent overseas from America for economic reasons. He encouraged us to "love the refugees and asylum seekers." He recalled that "Spain was a closed country, but when it opened up, the church did not respond, and the window closed." In talking about France, Italy and Germany he noted that "Europe is a mission field." Much of OM's work has been focused on Europe.

Verwer shared some about how his views have changed over the years. He talked about his early zeal for holiness and an increased appreciation for the need to share "horizontal grace" (see Grace Awakening, Charles Stanley). He talked about the need to minister in a holistic fashion, in particular about the need for a strong Christian response to AIDS/HIV . . . "You can't preach the Gospel to people who die before you reach them." He pointed to Uganda as a success story, where government, social agencies and the church have combined to have a positive impact. Verwer also shared that in his early ministry he placed too much emphasis on missionaries who went to the field and devalued the important contributions of people who provided financial support or simply served and witnessed where they were called.

One got the clear impression that Verwer believes reading good Christian literature is important. There were a few plugs for his own books and those of other authors: "A.W. Tozer is my favorite author, Grace Awakening by Charles Stanley is the most important Christian book to come out in recent years. It has revolutionized my thinking." There were exhortations to visit his book table and large complements for the selection and price at the adjoining Choice Books table. Towards the end of our sessions, Verwer offered to "send you a free book if you will mention the following 7 points from Acts 13," where the church dedicated Barnabas and Saul to missionary work:

The Church
The Holy Spirit
Worship
Prayer
Send
Helper
Proclaim.

Armed with these points, you may receive a free book. But I'm sure he would also encourage you to take a look at what you've already received: the talents, time, money, relationships and grace that God has given you and ask "what would You have me do with what You've given me." For some, the answer may be to pray with Isaiah "Here am I, send me."

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