September 30, 2023
The WEI West Coast Seminar at the Metro Church of Christ in Gresham, Oregon on September 30 and October 1, 2023 will be remembered as a high point in the history of World English Institute.
Jim Gillihan led a series of moving mission songs interspersed with powerful testimonials from teachers June Andersen, Dick Towell, and Jim Gillihan. These inspiring songs and testimonials were followed by exciting and informative messages by all four members of the WEI staff.
First, Dick Ady, Founder of WEI and author of most of the books in the WEI curriculum, spoke about the Great Claim, the Great Commission, and the Great Promise contained in Matthew 28:18-20. He illustrated the validity of Jesus’ promise by relating some astounding things that happened during his two mission trips to Beijing, China.
Second, Tom Langley, President of WEI, presented evidence that God is using WEI to rescue the perishing all over the world. An average of 17,292 new people register on the WEI website each month. One third of them live in predominantly Islamic countries.
Twelve WEI students were baptized into Christ during Tom’s recent mission trip to Mongolia. Tom spoke of Bartholomayo, a WEI graduate in South Sudan, who was baptized and has baptized close to 100 people and established several congregations in and around Aweil, South Sudan.
WEI mission campaigns have been conducted in Albania, Armenia, Cambodia, Hungary, India, Mongolia, Peru, Republic of Georgia, Guatemala, Romania, Uganda, and Ukraine.
Third, Darrell Wallace, WEI Director of Teacher Recruitment and Training, introduced his message by saying, “You can be a missionary at your kitchen table.” From there, he gave tips for teachers on how to keep students active and growing. For example, don’t argue with students who believe in other religions. Just introduce them to Jesus, and let Jesus speak for himself. Jesus makes extraordinary claims, and he backs them up with extraordinary evidence. Encourage your students to write in short sentences, and write to them in short sentences. In responding to their grammatical mistakes, pick one thing that needs to be corrected in each lesson. If you correct every mistake, they may give up and drop out. Commend them often.
Darrell’s zinger was, “You can get to heaven without knowing grammar, but you can’t get to heaven without knowing Jesus.”
Fourth, Lee Allen, WEI Director of Development and Teacher support, stirred our hearts by focusing attention on the 10/40 sector of the Eastern Hemisphere. The 10/40 window is the rectangular area that includes Northern Africa, the Mid-East, and most of Asia, from approximately 10 degrees north and 40 degrees north latitude. This area is often called “The Resistant Belt” and includes the majority of the world’s Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, atheists, and the non-religious.
Nearly 75% of the world’s unreached people live in just twelve countries. That’s 3.6 billion people who have never heard about Jesus Christ or his sacrifice for them.
Roughly two-thirds of the world’s population lives in the 10/40 window. Many think these people are unreachable, but God is using WEI teachers and His incredible evangelistic tool to reach and teach thousands of them every day. One third of the people who respond to our Google advertising live in predominantly Islamic countries. Multiplied millions of people in the 10/40 Window survive on just a few hundred dollars a year. Most of them have never seen or read a Bible. In many cases, they and their families would be in serious trouble if they were caught reading a Bible.
Going forward, much of our Google advertising will be focused on the 10/40 window. We believe that all WEI students should have access to the Bible. Therefore, we plan to add the entire Bible to our encrypted teaching website so that they can feed on God’s word daily, grow toward spiritual maturity, and share what they learn with others. “To God be the glory; great things he has done.” Amen.
We would be remiss if we did not express our appreciation to Rick Edgemon, Associate Minister of the Metro Church of Christ in Gresham, who did an outstanding job as the Master of Ceremonies.
We also thank the Metro elders who sponsored this seminar and whose predecessors launched WEI thirty-four years ago.
We are especially thankful to Linda Banks who helped promote the event and supervised setting up and decorating the display tables and organized a silent auction for WEI.
Finally, we thank Almighty God for empowering, guiding, and blessing us in our efforts to glorify his name.
An Invitation: We invite you to, please, consider including WEI in your 2024 church budget and join us in a concerted effort to lead the whole world to Christ.
