George Verwer
Born(1938-07-03)July 3, 1938
DiedApril 14, 2023(2023-04-14) (aged 84)
OccupationEvangelist
SpouseDrena
Websitehttps://georgeverwer.com/

George Verwer (July 3, 1938 – April 14, 2023) was an American evangelist and founder of Operation Mobilisation (OM), a Christian missions organization. Verwer wrote several books on various Christian themes. He was a passionate advocate of radical discipleship as the only legitimate option for people who believe in Jesus. His recent work was in India (Barathdasham in Telugu). Over a million books he authored have been distributed worldwide.

Early life

Verwer's first contact with Christianity was through his neighbor, Dorothea Clapp, who gave him the Gospel of John and also put him on her "Holy Ghost hit list". Verwer attributes to her some of the reasons that he made a commitment to Christ, and for what resulted in his life.

In 1953, as a 14-year-old student from Wyckoff, New Jersey, attending Ramsey High School, Verwer went to a Jack Wyrtzen meeting in which Billy Graham spoke in Madison Square Garden, in New York City.[1] There he was converted to become a Christian, at the age of 16. Within a year, about 200 of his classmates became Christians.[2]

Verwer had a growing conviction to evangelize on foreign soil. He started with the distribution of the Gospel of John in Mexico in 1957 along with two friends, Walter Borchard and Dale Rhoton. They called this operation "Send the Light". This continued with others during the summer holidays. Afterward, Verwer used the name "Send the Light" for a book distribution operation to India based in the United Kingdom. This developed into Send the Light, which was once the largest Christian book distributor in the United Kingdom, but entered into Administration December 2009 and moved into Liquidation December 2010.

Education

After high school, he attended Maryville College and then transferred to Moody Bible Institute, where he met his wife, Drena, a fellow student. They have three children.

Verwer was awarded an honorary degree, Doctor of Divinity, during commencement at Biola University on May 22, 2009.

Operation Mobilization

After graduation, they went to Spain. Once while taking Bibles into the USSR, George was arrested and accused of being a spy. He was deported, and back in Spain, after a time of prayer in 1961 the work of Operation Mobilization (OM) was born. George often referred to this calling himself "God's Bungler", in reference to Brother Andrew, "God's Smuggler".

In August 2003, George handed over the international leadership of the work of Operation Mobilisation to Peter Maiden, who was the Associate International Director for 15 years. George and his wife were involved in Special Projects Ministries full-time, traveling and taking meetings around the world.

Death

Verwer died on April 14, 2023, at the age of 84.[3]

Bibliography

Books

  • The Fruit of the Spirit, Bangalore: O.M. Fellowship House, n.d.
  • Extremism, Bombay: Gospel Literature Service, 1964.
  • Pseudo Discipleship, Fort Washington: Christian Literature Crusade, 1970.
  • Come! Live! Die! The Real Revolution, Carol Stream: Tyndale House Publishers, 1972.
  • Hunger For Reality, Kansas City: Walterick Publishers, 1972.
  • Literature Evangelism, Send the Light, 1977. ISBN 0-9630908-3-6
  • No Turning Back, Bromley: Send the Light, 1983. ISBN 1-85078-250-4
  • The George Verwer Collection, Milton Keynes: Authentic, 1989.
  • The Revolution of Love, Authentic Lifestyle, 1989. ISBN 1-85078-045-5
    • Originally published as "Revolution of Love and Balance"
  • There is Dynamite in Literature, Pilot Books, 2007. ISBN 978-0990617556
  • Out Of The Comfort Zone, Bethany House Publishers, 2001. ISBN 0-7642-2478-6 (Online etext)
  • Drops From A Leaking Tap, Authentic, 2008.
  • Messiology, Moody Publishers, 2016. ISBN 978-0-8024-1485-4
    • Originally published as "More Drops: Mystery, Mercy and Messiology"

Audiobooks

  • There Is A 29th Chapter To Acts, Oasis Audio, 2000. ISBN 1-886463-75-1
  • If You're Not Called To Stay Then Go!
  • Lukewarm No More
  • Straight From The Heart
  • Failure, Restoration, Forgiveness: Confessions of a Weak Servant

References

  1. ↑ "Billy Graham at New York's Madison Square Garden: Alistair Cooke's report - archive, 1955". theguardian.com. February 2018.
  2. ↑ Wood, Patrick. "George Verwer and the birth of OM" Archived 2017-10-20 at the Wayback Machine, Operation Mobilisation, October 30, 2016. Accessed October 19, 2017. "In Wyckoff, New Jersey, in 1953 George was 14 years old, high-spirited, and showing promise as a natural-born leader at Ramsey High School when Mrs. Clapp’s son first gave him a copy of John’s Gospel."
  3. ↑ "Tributes paid to missionary pioneer and 'God's servant' George Verwer following death". Premier. April 15, 2023. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
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