Mission Focus for this month is: European Christian Mission (ECM).
Mission History:
The origins of European Christian Mission stretch back to the year 1904. A young man named Ganz Raud was called by God during an all night prayer meeting to reach Europe once more with the Gospel. He began by travelling to Britain where he spoke everywhere about the need in the continent of Europe.
The 1905 Russian Revolution and the First World War forced Raud to leave for the United States. There he slowly built up a network of people who shared his vision and in 1920 the first office was opened, in New York. Offices in Toronto and London were also established in the years that followed.
By 1923 there were 55 missionaries working for ECM in Europe. In 1927 that number had grown to 81 and 250 volunteers. After the Second World War an ECM office was opened in Paris. Raud died in 1953, but the organisation still continued to grow after his death.
Today ECM has 160 missionaries active in 17 different countries. From indigenous communities in Northern Sweden to the sunny beaches of the Algarve. From developing Albania to the developed West. From big cities to rural communities. From centres of tourism to forgotten villages. ECM is involved everywhere in the mission which God began through Ganz Raud more than a hundred years ago.
Australia Office:
The committee members of ECM (Australia) consists of Rev. Dr. Alan Mugridge (Senior New Testament Lecture at Sydney Missionary and Bible College), Rev. Dr. Jim Bosma (Armadale Congregational, WA. Former director of ECM International), Rev. Romeo Dinale (St Matthew’s Anglican Church, Wanniassa), Mr. Guy Freeman (Good Shepherd Anglican Church, Greenacre), Mrs. Madeleine Koo, and Mrs. Ruth Richardson (Wollongong City Central Church, PCA), headed by Rev. Peter Dixon (Marrickville Church of Christ)
For more information about European Christian Mission, please visit www.ecmaustralia.org.