WorldShare
WorldShare.[1] is a Christian NGO and registered charity (England and Wales) based in Doncaster, UK and part of a confederation of affiliates in the USA[2], Canada[3], Singapore and Australia who all have a common heritage, being founded as the Chinese Natives Evangelistic Crusade in 1943. WorldShare works with church-based organisations in the neediest parts of the world to enable them to realise their vision of bringing lasting change to their communities. With a focus on evangelism, WorldShare funds and supports the provision of education, healthcare, building communities, tackling justice and disaster relief. In partnership with four sister organisations across the globe, WorldShare is currently supporting 165 organisations in 58 countries.
Mission and Values
WorldShare's mission or vision statement is: "In the world's neediest places, to partner with local Christians in their vision to bring about social and spiritual transformation"[4]. It claims an Evangelical Protestant Christian[5] faith basis, in the form of the Statement of Belief produced by the World Evangelical Alliance[6].
History
Duncan McCallum McRoberts born in Northern Ireland in 1912 worked as a missionary with the China Inland Mission from 1936 in Chintehchen, Kiangsi (now Jingdezhen, Jiangxi Province). He moved to the Oriental Mission Society in 1939 and worked with a Chinese colleague in Chongqing, establishing 15 preaching points. He was impressed by the dedication of Chinese Christians evangelising their own people and wanted to train and commission further indigenous Christian ministers. The training of indigenous Chinese evangelists was not totally new, but in the 1940‟s was an idea whose time had definitely come. Putting the primary leadership of missionary work in Chinese hands was a more revolutionary turning-point. Chinese Christians were ready to take more responsibility, and very soon they would have to do so, to an unanticipated degree.
McRoberts was evacuated to North America during the Second Sino-Japanese War. He soon came to the attention of Seattle-based chiropractor Dr Nis Alvin Jepson (1888-1951) who was a popular preacher. For 20 years Jepson had been advocating the vision of enabling national Christians to serve their own people, but had lacked real means to translate that to action. McRoberts' ideas and Jepson's were a perfect match. The key element of their vision was that Chinese leaders, not expatriate missionaries, would recruit, select, train, send out and direct the workers.
Dr Jepson was founder and leader of the Christian Businessmen‟s Committee. Through his contacts, businessmen such as Cephas Ramquist, Krist Gudnason, Cecil Kettle, Einer Anderson and Charlie Cooper put their considerable influence behind the developing plan, and in Seattle in 1943 the China Natives Evangelistic Crusade (CNEC) was born.
After the formation of CNEC, Duncan McRoberts divided his time between China and the USA. Meetings which challenged people with the need of China and the new situation there were held all over America. On one occasion he found himself sharing a Chicago bedroom with a young American evangelist. After a time working together, the evangelist came to feel that his future might be in China, where his wife‟s parents had also been missionaries. In due course he applied to join CNEC, but was rejected by the Board. Dr Jepson told him “I‟m sorry we can‟t accept you. I know that God has a mighty ministry for you at home and around the world, but not in China.” Prescient words – for the young evangelist was Dr. Billy Graham!
After World War Two a sister-organisation to the Seattle-based CNEC would be founded in the U.K., in October 1946, with Rev. H. W. Fife as chairman. The first U.K. headquarters was in Angola House, Worthing. This was followed by Australia (1953), Canada (1963) and later Japan (1984).
Fred Savage and Family
McRobert's father-in-law, missionary Rev. Fred Savage (AIMEE) (1889-1973) left England on the SS Simla bound for China in October 1913. He later married (1915) Geraldine Holms, daughter of a missionary with the South American Missionary Society whom he had met on board.
The family were imprisoned by occupying Japanese forces from 1943 until September 1945 in the infamous Yangzhou internment camp 'C'. After release, the Savages returned to Shanghai and in 1946, Fred and Geraldine began working with CNEC. Fred Savage's practical common-sense combined with McRoberts' fiery zealous vision were critical elements in building the new mission of China and in the West.
The first need of the new organisation was for a gifted Chinese leader to head up the work in China.
Chinese Leadership
Calvin Chao[7] (Zhao Junying 1906-1996) was the son of a municipal magistrate. He was influenced by American missionaries in childhood (especially James and Sophie Graham, pioneer Presbyterian missionaries at Tsingkiangpu - now Huaiyin), but at Hangzhou University (where he was deeply influenced by the current trend of Chinese patriotism, anti-colonial and pro-science liberalism) he became profoundly sceptical about Christianity.
However, after contracting tuberculosis he was confined to hospital in Lianyungangand became obsessed with thoughts of death. It was as a result of this that he turned to Christ. Attending a meeting of the Bethel Evangelistic Band in 1931, addressed by Andrew Gih (Ji Zhiwen 1901-1985) Chao felt that God had directly touched his life and he responded. During the 1930‟s Chao became a very well-known leader of the Chinese Church. Along with John Sung[8], Wang Mingdao, Watchman Nee[9], and Andrew Gih[10], he was responsible for many people turning to Christ, especially high school and university students. This new generation of young Chinese Christians would help to strengthen the Chinese so that it would eventually be able to withstand the onslaught of Communism after 1949.
From China to the World
By 1960, it was becoming evident that the Church in other countries was growing and maturing in the same way. In that year the name was changed to Christian Nationals Evangelism Commission to reflect a concern for the wider world.
Amongst the first new partners were: ENI/AICA/Ministry of Hope, in Liberia, led by Bishop Augustus Marwieh (1961); TESCA (later the Instituto Evangelico America Latina, in Guatemala, led by Virgilio Zapata (1964) and the Philippines Missionary Institute, led by Rev. Arsenio Dominguez (1968). All three, though much larger in size, continue to receive help with vital projects today.
In 1963 – 20 years since its origin - the ministry was assisting 500 Christian workers, and sponsoring around 1,500 children. The 1963 "Daily Prayer Manual‟ illustrates work in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Macau, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and further afield in Liberia, Mexico, India and Cyprus.
In 1965, the number of children studying in schools assisted by CNEC was 7,000. This grew to 13,500 by 1973. In 1968, Guatemalan partner ministry leader, Dr. Virgilio Zapata, was instrumental in a nationwide evangelistic campaign, supported also by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, which brought together over 800 churches, and saw 35,000 Guatemalans commit themselves to Christ. In 1976 the role of the evangelical church was cemented when CNEC was able to enable partner ministry to provide major help to the thousands hurt and made homeless by a devastating earthquake. CNEC provided a 200-bed hospital and fed up to 30,000 people each week.
By 1973 the number of Christian workers assisted had grown to 1250. In addition to those places listed above, there was now work in Nigeria, Zaire, Zambia, India, Sri Lanka and Brazil. by 1983, there were 80 separate partner organisations, working in 41 countries.
The UK office would move from Hertfordshire to Chadwell Heath in London, and in 1991 to Bawtry Hall in South Yorkshire. WorldShare moved to their present home at Armstrong House in 2010.
The period since 1983 has seen continuous growth and development. There has been a growth in the breadth of their contribution to the global church, represented for example by sponsorship in 1987 of COMIBAM (Congreso Misionero Iberoamericano) which continues to play a major part in establishing the Latin American missions movement.
Affiliates
WorldShare works with affiliate offices around the world. Although using a variety of names, each organisation share their common origin in the Chinese Natives Evangelistic Crusade and in their working relationships:
- Partners International, based in Spokane, USA
- Partners International Canada, based in Toronto, Canada
- Christian Nationals Evangelism Commission (CNEC), Singapore
- WorldShare Australia, based in Sydney, Australia
A small office in Japan was set up in 1984, which just functions now as a child sponsorship promoting affiliate. Short-lived attempts to create similar affiliates in South Africa and South Korea have occurred. Exploratory discussions with a Swedish NGO to ally with the partnership alliance failed in the early 2000s.
Current Partner Organisations (incomplete list)
| Organisation | Country | Date began working with WorldShare and Affiliates |
| Hope for Africa Missions | South Africa | 1998 |
| Medical Ambassadors Fellowship | Albania | 2009 |
| Macedonian Mission to the Balkans | Macedonia | 1991 |
| Beginning of Life Ministry | Moldova | 2011 |
| Casa del Alfarero | Guatemala | 2002 |
| Instituto Evangelico America Latina | Guatemala | 1964 |
| Eurasian Christian Television/Tyrannus Ministries | Turkey | 2005 |
| Word of Hope | Myanmar | 2006 |
| Christian Fellowship Ministries | Uganda | 2008 |
| Bangalore City Mission | India | 2006 |
| UKRIM | Indonesia | 2006 |
| JHB/Bridge of Hope | Indonesia | 2003 |
| Philippine Missionary Fellowship | Philippines | 1979 |
| Changing Times Ministries | Kenya | 2012 |
| Association of Independent Churches of Africa - MOH | Liberia | 1965 |
| The Evangelizers' Team Ministries International | Nigeria | 1999 |
| OM Zambia | Zambia | 2012 |
| Quechua Literacy Program | Bolivia | 1984 |
| Missão Evangélica de Assistência aos Pescadores | Brazil | 1986 |
| Haiti Association of Christian Schools | Haiti | 2010 |
| Asociacion Misionera Wanca (AMWAN) | Peru | 2011 |
| Ephphatha School for Deaf-Mutes | D.R. of Congo | 1999 |
| HEAL Africa | D.R. of Congo | 2002 |
| Morogoro Bible College | Tanzania | 1986 |
| Touch the Lives | India | 1977 |
| Jatiyo Kristiyo Prochar Samity | India | 1977 |
| Kawkikete Community Outreach | Chad | 2010 |
| Evangelical Church of The Gambia | Gambia | 2008 |
| Christian Outreach Fellowship | Ghana | 1994 |
| Gao Evangelical Church | Mali | 2004 |
| TNT (Tahanint N'Massinag E Tinbuktu) | Mali | 2001 |
| Ba-lyaka | Niger | 2008 |
| Inter-Senegal Mission | Senegal | 2000 |
| PRODEV | Senegal | 2010 |
Current Activities
In 2015, the board of WorldShare decided to focus their activities under six headings: Christian Witness, Combating Slavery, Emergency Relief, Health & Well-being, Teaching & Learning.
Christian Witness
All of WorldShare's activities to some degree or other have an Evangelical Christian nature. Some environments are difficult to conduct overt evangelistic projects, notably countries in north Africa and the Middle East. In these circumstances, activities such as educational projects, healthcare or community development projects are carried out, but with a more subtle Christian message. In more open locations, evangelistic activities include children's Bible clubs, preaching points and opening new churches. A Christian satellite channel broadcasts to Turkey and surrounding countries.
Injustice
WorldShare currently has three projects operating within the 'Injustice' context: Beginning of Life, Moldova; a project to free indentured brick kiln workers in Pakistan; and a rescue and rehab project for girls exploited with the Sonagachi red light area in Kolkata, India.
Relief
As WorldShare partner organisations are based in the communities in which they operate, they are especially placed to provide assistance when emergency situations present themselves. WorldShare stated in 2000:
"WorldShare's established partnerships in all of the following regions meant that we were able to assist when disaster struck. Through close liaison with our partners in each region, funds raised by WorldShare in the UK and our sister organisations around the world are being used in ways which speak to people of God's love, as well as providing them with life's essentials during times of great suffering."
China Floods Appeal - £13,200. Food; shelter; assisting local evangelists in reaching out to victims.
'Please remember Guatemala' - £84,000. Offering practical and spiritual assistance to those suffering after Hurricane Mitch devastated Central America.
'Mercy Macedonia' - £329,600. Life's physical essentials and the message of hope in Christ to thousands of people in the Balkans following the horrific events of the Kosovo War.
Turkey Emergency Appeal - £89,000. Bringing hope to lives devastated in the violent earthquakes of 1999."[11]
Boxing Day Tsunami 2004
The Indian Ocean tsunami of the 24th December 2014 occurred in a region where WorldShare partners in Sri Lanka, south India and western Indonesia were immediately able to bring assistance to those whose lives had been devastated. An organisation in Indonesia was able to later develop their initial emergency relief efforts in to longer term focused community development and Christian outreach projects. WorldShare's Tsunami Appeal raised over £99,000[12]
Haitian Earthquake 2010
The Haitian earthquake of January 2010 affected parts of the country which did not receive the attention of major NGO's, whose efforts were mainly focused in the capital, Port-au-Prince. Off the west coast, lies the island of La Gonave. The earthquake damaged homes, schools (including one run through WorldShare), churches and many other structures. Food supplies became scarce and cholera cases increased due to the lack of safe drinking water.
WorldShare was able to provide funding for food supplies, clean drinking water stations located throughout the island and to enable children to return to school. Approximately £295,000 was raised for this project.
Syrian conflict
WorldShare support has provided for families in Damascus, Homs and Aleppo. Displaced Syrians living in Lebanon are also receiving similar support.
Northern Iraq
Islamic State militia have targeted Christians in northern Iraq. WorldShare existing church and school partner was able accommodate displaced people within their campuses and provide blankets, food and medical care for up to 12,000 (2014). These included Christians, Shia Muslims and Yezidis who had fled IS forces. In time, the UN and major NGO's took over responsibility, but it was local Christians who initiated the emergency response[13].
European Refugee Crisis
Migrants entering Greece from Turkey and North Africa have been attempting to cross through Macedonia into Serbia then on to other EU nations including Germany and Sweden. The Macedonian government together with the UNHCR established a reception centre on their side of the border at Gevgelija. Migrants had been massing in the town of Idumeni on the Greek side before crossing.
WorldShare partners welcomed the migrants, providing them with food and water as they entered the UNHCR holding tent before crossing the country to the northern border town of Tabanovce by a special non-stop train.
Community
Project aim to build communities by delivering sustainable development including micro-enterprise projects, training, and family support.[14]
Health
WorldShare supports the HEAL Africa Hospital in Goma, Nord Kivu, eastern DR Congo. This is a major teaching hospital in the region, established in 2003. HEAL Africa specialises in fistula repair and after-care for victims of sexual gender based violence, and also orthopedic surgery. Lyn Lusi, co-founder of HEAL Africa was the recipient of the 2011 Opus Prize.
Education
WorldShare sees education is key to breaking the misery of the poverty cycle. Through our partners, we support the provision of pre-school, primary and secondary education to needy children.
Fundraising
WorldShare's other fundraising is often undertaken through Direct Debit/Standing Order income streams such as child sponsorship[15] and continuing support of individual projects, including:
- Early Learning Centre, Chisinau, Moldova
- Widows Centre, Siyabuswa, South Africa
- Orphanage in Kathmandu, Nepal
- Senior Citizens, Guatemala City, Guatemala
- Education Centre, Kolkata, India
- Eurasian Christian TV, Turkey
- Church-planting and evangelism, Macedonia
- Fistula repair surgery and after-care, Goma, DR Congo
Face to face
WorldShare often has representations at events including the Christian Resources Exhibition[16], Spring Harvest[17], New Wine, Soul Survivor[18], ONE[19] and the UCCF forum[20]. Representatives from partner organisations visit the UK periodically on speaking tours.
Alternative Gifts
Their first foray into the area "alternative gifts" was their "2001 Gift of Hope Calendar"[21] . For each month, a particular 'gift' was suggested to a named fund. The following year, 2002, a similar calendar was produced[22]. In time for Christmas 2003, WorldShare produced a more traditional alternative gifts catalogue with products including Bibles, bicycles, goats and water[23].
Sponsorships
The sponsorship of named individuals has been a long-standing method of raising income for WorldShare. In all cases, the format is that all individuals within the project locations are supported from a central fund, in order that no individual is disadvantaged.
Bible College Students
The training of evangelists and church leaders has been right at the heart of WorldShare's activity since CNEC was established in 1943. Whilst formal Bible College Student sponsorships have now ended, informal training projects for evangelists and pastoral workers continue:
List of former Bible College Student programmes
- CHUMO, Diocese of Morogoro, Tanzania
- Instutio Evangelico, Mexico
- Seminario Biblico, Bolivia
- Caribbean Graduate School of Theology, Jamaica
- St Petesburg Christian University, Russia
- Bible Training Institute, Howrah, India
- Evangelical Theological Seminary, Indonesia
- Hope Bible College, Myanmar
Children
The ChildAid sponsorship programme aims to support a child through primary school to the completion of secondary education.
List of current and former ChildAid locations
- Albania
- Brazil
- Congo (Democratic Republic of)
- Guatemala
- Haiti
- India
- Indonesia
- Lebanon
- Liberia
- Macau
- Mali
- Myanmar
- Nigeria
- Pakistan
- Philippines
- South Africa
- Thailand
Harvest Network/Christian Workers
Ongoing support for Christian workers such as church leaders and evangelists was central to the establishment of CNEC in 1943.
Some just a few examples of the impact of WorldShare's activities:
1979-1995
Church Planting and Evangelism in Indonesia The Evangelical Theological Seminary of Indonesia was established in 1979 and Partners International Canada supported the training of Bible College students there from inception. The results of ETSI’s labours from 1979-1995 are recorded[24] as:
- Number of new Christian believers: 39,793
- Number of baptisms: 17,058
- Number of new preaching points: 674
- Number of ESTI-established churches incorporated into parent denominations: 271
2012
- Horn of Africa Famine 75,000 people received food aid[25]
- Healthcare in west Africa 50,000 patients treated[26]
- Water 2,000 people provided with access to clean drinking water in Liberia[27]
2014
- Philippne Typhoon Relief 1,000 families received support post-typhoon[28]
2015
Clothing and shoes donated to WorldShare by Lyle and Scott was shipped from WorldShare's offices in Doncaster in November 2015. These were sent to the Macedonian Evangelical Church in Kumanovo for distribution to refugees and migrants arriving by train in Tabanovce, prior to their crossing into Serbia.
2016
12 Anaesthetic Machines, 5 baby incubators, blood pressure monitors and medical consumables were sent from WorldShare to the HEAL Africa hospital in Goma, Nord Kivu, eastern DR Congo.
Campaigns
WorldShare is a member of the Make Poverty History campaign[29]
Publications
While China Bleeds, by Duncan McRoberts, 1943, Zondervan
Pleading China by Duncan McRoberts, 1946, Zondervan
The Mizos - God's Hidden People, 1980, Partners International
Destined for Royalty by Lorry Lutz, 1985, William Carey Library
I Cannot Dream Less by Ray Wiseman, 1993, Partners International Canada
God in the Corners: Personal Encounters Discovering God's Fingerprints in Remote Corners of Our World by Chuck Bennett, 1997 Partners International
Disciples of Joy by Ray Wiseman, 1998, Partners International Canada
Making Your Partnershipse Work by Daniel Rickett, 2002, Partners International/Winepress Publishing
Building Strategic Relationships - A Practical Guide to Partnering with Non-Western Missions by Daniel Rickett, 2003, Partners International/Winepress Publishing
Harvest of Hope by Kay Marshall Strom, 2007, Partners International/IVP Books
Under His Wings by Jon Lewis, 2008, Partners International
Love in Action, HEAL Africa - CNEC/PI (WorldShare Australia), Vivid Publishing
External Links:
WorldShare website www.worldshare.org.uk
Partners International (USA) https://www.partnersintl.org
Partners International Canada http://partnersinternational.ca/
WorldShare Australia https://www.worldshare.org.au/
Christian Nationals Evangelism Commission (Singapore) http://www.cnecintl.org/index_E.html
Global Connections http://www.globalconnections.org.uk/list-of-members/all
Evangelical Alliance http://www.eauk.org/
References
This article "WorldShare" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:WorldShare. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
- ↑ "WorldShare website".
- ↑ "Partners International USA". Partners International USA. 13/06/2016. Retrieved 13/06/2016. Check date values in:
|access-date=, |date=(help) - ↑ "Partners International Canada". Partners International Canada. 13/06/2016. Retrieved 13/06/2016. Check date values in:
|access-date=, |date=(help) - ↑ WorldShare https://worldshare.org.uk/about-us/our-aim. Retrieved 19/07/2017. Check date values in:
|access-date=(help); Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ "Evangelicalism". Wikipedia. 2017-07-10.
- ↑ "World Evangelical Alliance website".
- ↑ "Calvin Chao bio".
- ↑ "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Sung". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Sung. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Sung. External link in
|website=, |title=, |publisher=(help) - ↑ "Watchmen Nee site".
- ↑ "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Gih". External link in
|title=(help) - ↑ "Major WorldShare Appeals 1998/9". "Window" Issue 2000/1. 01/01/2000. Check date values in:
|date=(help) - ↑ Annual Reports 2005 and 2006
- ↑ WorldShare Annual Report 2014, p9
- ↑ https://worldshare.org.uk/who-we-help/src/category/community. Retrieved 19/07/2017. Check date values in:
|access-date=(help); Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ WorldShare Annual Report 2014
- ↑ "Christian Resources Exhibition". Christian Resources Exhibition. 13/06/2016. Retrieved 13/06/2016. Check date values in:
|access-date=, |date=(help) - ↑ "Spring Harvest". Spring Harvest. 13/06/2016. Retrieved 13/06/2016. Check date values in:
|access-date=, |date=(help) - ↑ "Soul Survivor". Soul Survivor. 13/06/2016. Retrieved 13/06/2016. Check date values in:
|access-date=, |date=(help) - ↑ "Groundlevel". Groundlevel. 13/06/2016. Retrieved 13/06/2016. Check date values in:
|access-date=, |date=(help) - ↑ "UCCF". UCCF. 13/06/2016. Retrieved 13/06/2016. Check date values in:
|access-date=, |date=(help) - ↑ 2001 Gift of Hope Calendar
- ↑ 2002 Gift of Hope Calendar
- ↑ WorldShare Gift of Hope catalogue 2003
- ↑ Ray, Wiseman (1993). I Cannot Dream Less. CNEC/PI. p. 145. Search this book on
- ↑ Drought & Famine Relief Report, MKM, Kenya 2012
- ↑ Inter-Senegal Mission Report, 2012
- ↑ AICA Report, 2012
- ↑ Letter from Alfredo de Guzman to Gregory Bacon
- ↑ "Make Poverty History". 13/06/2016. Retrieved 13/06/2016. Check date values in:
|access-date=, |date=(help)
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