George Verwer (July 3, 1938 – April 14, 2023) was an American evangelist and founder of Operation Mobilisation (OM), an
evangelical
Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes evangelism, or the preaching and spreading of th ...
Christian
A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...
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
Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...
. Over a million books he authored have been distributed worldwide.
Early life
George Verwer was born on July 3, 1938 to George Verwer, Sr. and Eleanor Caddell Verwer. His parents were
Dutch
Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
** Dutch people as an ethnic group ()
** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship ()
** Dutch language ()
* In specific terms, i ...
immigrants and he was raised in
Wyckoff, New Jersey
Wyckoff ( ) is an affluent township in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 16,585, a decrease of 111 (−0.7%) from the 2010 census count of 16,696, which in turn ...
, where his father worked as an electrician. Verwer's family attended a
Reformed Church of America
The Reformed Church in America (RCA) is a mainline Reformed Protestant denomination in Canada and the United States. It has about 82,865 members. From its beginning in 1628 until 1819, it was the North American branch of the Dutch Reformed Ch ...
congregation, although his father rarely attended church and Verwer attended church to socialize. As a child, Verwer had a reputation for mischief, most notably setting creating a fire in
Bergen County
Bergen County is the List of counties in New Jersey, most populous County (United States), county in the U.S. state of New Jersey.
As a result of these incidents, Dorothea Clapp gave him the
Gospel of John
The Gospel of John () is the fourth of the New Testament's four canonical Gospels. It contains a highly schematic account of the ministry of Jesus, with seven "Book of Signs, signs" culminating in the raising of Lazarus (foreshadowing the ...
and prayed that he would
convert to Christianity
Conversion to Christianity is the religious conversion of a previously non-Christian person that brings about changes in what sociologists refer to as the convert's "root reality" including their social behaviors, thinking and ethics. The sociol ...
. Verwer later said that Clapp put him on her "
Holy Ghost
Most Christian denominations believe the Holy Spirit, or Holy Ghost, to be the third divine Person of the Trinity, a triune god manifested as God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, each being God. Nontrinitarian Christians, who ...
hit list". Verwer attributed 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
Wyckoff ( ) is an affluent township in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 16,585, a decrease of 111 (−0.7%) from the 2010 census count of 16,696, which in turn ...
, attending
Ramsey High School
Ramsey High School, established in 1909, is a four-year comprehensive community public high school serving students in ninth through twelfth grades from Ramsey, in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, operating as the lone secondary ...
Billy Graham
William Franklin Graham Jr. (; November 7, 1918 – February 21, 2018) was an American Evangelism, evangelist, ordained Southern Baptist minister, and Civil rights movement, civil rights advocate, whose broadcasts and world tours featuring liv ...
spoke in
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as the Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh and Eighth Avenue (Manhattan), Eig ...
, in
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
. There he was converted to become a Christian, at the age of 16. Within a year, about 200 of his classmates became Christians.
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
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
. This developed into
Send the Light
Send the Light (STL) was a British Christian book distributor which had absorbed other Christian publishers and bookshops, and eventually merged with the International Bible Society to become one of the largest non-profit book distributors in ...
, 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
Maryville College is a Private college, private liberal arts college in Maryville, Tennessee. It was founded in 1819 by Presbyterian minister Isaac L. Anderson for the purpose of furthering education and enlightenment into the West. The colleg ...
and then transferred to
Moody Bible Institute
Moody Bible Institute (MBI) is a private evangelical Christian Bible college in Chicago, Illinois. It was founded by evangelist and businessman Dwight Lyman Moody in 1886. Historically, MBI has maintained positions that have identified it as ...
, where he met his wife, Drena, a fellow student. They have three children.
Verwer was awarded an honorary degree,
Doctor of Divinity
A Doctor of Divinity (DD or DDiv; ) is the holder of an advanced academic degree in divinity (academic discipline), divinity (i.e., Christian theology and Christian ministry, ministry or other theologies. The term is more common in the Englis ...
, during commencement at
Biola University
Biola University () is a private, nondenominational, evangelical Christian university in La Mirada, California. It was founded in 1908 as the Bible Institute of Los Angeles. It has over 150 programs of study in nine schools offering bachelor' ...
on May 22, 2009.
Operation Mobilisation
After graduation, they went to Spain. Once while taking Bibles into the
USSR
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
, George was arrested and accused of being a
spy
Espionage, spying, or intelligence gathering, as a subfield of the intelligence field, is the act of obtaining secret or confidential information (intelligence). A person who commits espionage on a mission-specific contract is called an ''e ...
. He was
deported
Deportation is the expulsion of a person or group of people by a state from its Sovereignty, sovereign territory. The actual definition changes depending on the place and context, and it also changes over time. A person who has been deported or ...
, and back in Spain, after a time of prayer in 1961 the work of 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 OM 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.
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
Send the Light (STL) was a British Christian book distributor which had absorbed other Christian publishers and bookshops, and eventually merged with the International Bible Society to become one of the largest non-profit book distributors in ...
, 1977.
* ''No Turning Back'', Bromley:
Send the Light
Send the Light (STL) was a British Christian book distributor which had absorbed other Christian publishers and bookshops, and eventually merged with the International Bible Society to become one of the largest non-profit book distributors in ...
, 1983.
* ''The George Verwer Collection'', Milton Keynes: Authentic, 1989.
* ''The Revolution of Love'', Authentic Lifestyle, 1989.
** Originally published as "Revolution of Love and Balance"
* ''There is Dynamite in Literature'', Pilot Books, 2007.
* ''Out Of The Comfort Zone'', Bethany House Publishers, 2001. Online etext
* ''Drops From A Leaking Tap'', Authentic, 2008.
* ''Messiology'', Moody Publishers, 2016.
** Originally published as "More Drops: Mystery, Mercy and Messiology"
Audiobooks
*''There Is A 29th Chapter To Acts'', Oasis Audio, 2000.
*''If You're Not Called To Stay Then Go!''
*''Lukewarm No More''
*''Straight From The Heart''
*''Failure, Restoration, Forgiveness: Confessions of a Weak Servant''