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38-462: It was founded in 1901 by Charles Cowman , Lettie Cowman , Juji Nakada , and Ernest A. Kilbourne . In 2023 it operated in 78 countries. OMS was founded in a storefront building in Tokyo , Japan. In 1901, American missionaries Charles and Lettie Cowman partnered with a Japanese pastor, Juji Nakada, holding Christian evangelistic meetings for 2,000 consecutive nights. Japanese churches were organized, and

76-427: A calling to reach a lost world for Christ . ECFA members are located across the U.S. and U.S. territories and range from the very large national ministries to smaller local ministries and churches." Members are required to annually submit a renewal document which includes the recent copy of the audited financial statement (some smaller organizations are allowed to send in reviewed or compiled statements) and answers to

114-598: A cofounder of the Oriental Missionary Society. Upon Nakada’s return to Japan, the Telegraphers’ Mission Band began financially supporting him as a missionary, thus continuing the connection they had made with him while he was in the states. After feeling a deep call on their hearts, Charles and Lettie left America on February 1, 1901, to serve as missionaries in Japan. They worked alongside Nakada , with

152-955: A fellow worker was giving $ 25,000 to open a Bible Training Institute in China. One year later, in September 1925, the Bible Training Institute was up and running in Shanghai. It was fittingly named, “The Cowman Memorial Bible Training Institute.” (page 155) Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability The Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability ( ECFA ) is an American financial standards association representing Evangelical Christian organizations and churches, which qualify for tax-exempt , nonprofit status and receive tax-deductible contributions. Founded in 1979, ECFA accredits over 2,700 member organizations which have demonstrated compliance with its financial standards. As of 2022 ,

190-683: A job in telegraphing. He married Lettie Burd in 1889. After living in Colorado for a year, they spent the next ten years in Chicago where Charles continued his work in telegraphy. In 1894 Charles Cowman began his work as a missionary, preaching to co-workers The Cowmans moved to Japan in 1901 to work with Juji Nakada . In 1918, the Cowman’s returned to America due to Charles' health issues. He spent his final years in physical pain and died in 1924. Born on March 3, 1870, Lettie Burd met her future husband when she

228-525: A mission hall where Nakada could preach the Gospel message and train leaders. The hall held Bible classes in the daytime and was the venue for evangelistic services in the evening. This was the beginning of the Oriental Missionary Society. In 1902, Ernest Kilbourne joined Cowman and Nakada to assist in their growing ministry. A small monthly periodical called Electric Messages began being printed in November 1902. This

266-466: A number of questions related to the membership standards. As an accrediting organization, ECFA provides a seal of approval to those members who adhere to Seven Standards of Responsible Stewardship(TM) (Standard 7 is divided into five sub-standards). Voluntary resignations, mergers, and dissolutions are frequent reasons for terminations. However, ECFA's list of former members also includes terminations for failure to provide information or fully comply with

304-487: A salary comparable to employees who had been working there for many years. On June 8, 1889, at 21 years old, he married childhood friend, Lettie Burd . During their first year of marriage, they moved to the Rocky Mountains in order to escape city life. When the high altitude caused Lettie to become very sick though, they returned to Chicago for the next 10 years. Upon their return to Chicago, Cowman continued his work at

342-480: Is no denying that this threat of government action was one of the stimuli" for the founding of the ECFA. ECFA was founded with the establishment of seven standards of accountability that covered board governance, the requirement for audited financial statements, the requirement for public disclosure of the audited financial statements, the avoidance of conflicts of interest, and standards regarding fundraising activities. It

380-593: The Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability . Charles Cowman Charles Elmer Cowman (March 13, 1868 – September 25, 1924) was a missionary evangelist in Japan. He was also one of the cofounders of the Oriental Missionary Society (now One Mission Society; formerly OMS International). Charles Cowman was born on March 13, 1868, in Toulon , Illinois, to David and Mary Cowman. He grew up in

418-474: The Methodist Episcopal Church . At age 15, he was offered and accepted a summer job as a telegraph operator at a local railway station. Excelling at this new job, he chose not to return to school the following fall and continued with his new profession. He received a number of promotions over the following years. At 18, he was transferred to a station in Chicago, and by the time he was 19, he earned

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456-455: The Gospel and distributing Bibles. Tokyo was the first to be visited, where 3 million Bibles were delivered. From there, workers went out among the provinces to continue with their goal of providing every home with a Bible. Toward the end of 1914, the hard work began to take a toll on Cowman’s health. He and Lettie returned to America for a short time in 1915 to rest and regain his health. The Village Campaign continued to progress while they were in

494-650: The O.M.S. Standard that the Japan Village Campaign was complete. About 60 million Japanese were equipped with the Gospel, covering 161,000 square miles (420,000 km ) of land (page 137). While back in America, Charles regained his health for a short time. He traveled for six months, telling the incredible story of The Great Village Campaign. He would have likely continued traveling the country, but numerous heart attacks forced him to rest at his home in California. For

532-450: The OMS bank books to Kilbourne and a businessman named Clark. By 2023, OMS was working with 300 full-time missionaries in 78 countries, in more than 50 languages. Mission areas include Japan, Taiwan, Romania, Spain, Colombia, Haiti, Israel and Canada. The society works with 170 partner organisations in the area of evangelism, church planting and leadership training. The society is a member of

570-585: The States, but soon enough, they returned to Japan to complete the work they had begun. 1917 posed to be the most intensive year of the campaign. In the spring, they went to the large island of Kyushu (home to 9,million residents) to establish temporary headquarters. As the year went on and the completion of the campaign drew near, Cowman once again became ill. He began to have many heart problems, leading Lettie and him to leave Japan for another few months. In January 1918, while at home in America, they received news through

608-567: The Tokyo Bible Training Institute. Through these students, OMS began to make connections with Korea. By 1910, they were able to send two missionaries from England, John and Emily Thomas, to Korea. One year after their arrival, the big and 5-story Seoul Bible Training Institute was newly built just outside Seoul. Similar to Japan’s school, the Seoul Bible Training Institute fostered much growth and transformation of

646-636: The US to attend the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago and returned to Japan as an evangelist. Cowman, who had been helping Nakada financially, received news of Nakada's participation in several mass conversions. Cowman and Nakada established the Tokyo Bible Institute , with Nakada serving as the first president. The institute was used for classes during the day and evangelism in the evenings. An OMS-published book No Guarantee but God writes of Nakada, "It

684-576: The Western Union, his religious upbringing was quickly forgotten. He moved to New York at age 21 and then traveled to Australia, Europe, and New Zealand, settling for a very short time into a job as a telegraph operator in Nevada. He met his future wife, Julia Pittinger and after they were married, Kilbourne transferred to the Chicago office where he met Charles Cowman, who was responsible for his conversion . In 1902, he and his family went to Japan to continue

722-423: The bank books of OMS over to two trustees: Ernest Kilbourne and W.J. Clark , a Los Angeles businessman. On the night of July 17, 1924, Cowman experienced a stroke that paralyzed his entire left side. The doctors said he would only live a few more hours, but he lived a number of weeks more. He passed just after midnight on September 25, 1924 (page 153). Two days after his funeral, a letter came to him stating that

760-581: The collective annual revenue of ECFA member organizations is reported to be nearly $ 34 billion. The organization has, since its inception, been based in the Washington, D.C. area with offices presently in Winchester, Virginia . In 1977, Senator Mark Hatfield , who since 1973 had been a member of the board of World Vision , told evangelicals that they needed to formalize some means for financial accountability or government legislation would be required. At

798-457: The dream of starting a Bible training institute. “The aim of the institute would not be to produce classical scholars, but young men and women who could handle their mother tongue with effect, who were steeped in the Bible and who could so proclaim it as to arrest and influence all classes of people” (page 52). Within a few months of being in Japan, that dream became a reality when they were able to open

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836-478: The ministry community concerning a series of legislative proposals prepared by his staff. ECFA formed the Commission on Accountability and Policy for Religious Organizations to assist in this process. The Commission included a variety of religious representatives, including Judaism and Islam. In addition to the religious panel, there was also a legal panel, and a non-profit panel. In April 2011, ECFA named members to

874-540: The new association, the Japan Holiness Church (JHC), grew rapidly. Not long after their arrival in 1902, the group was joined by Charles' former co-worker, first conversion, and best friend, Ernest Kilbourne and his family. The Society is interdenominational but has its roots in the Wesleyan Holiness tradition. Born on March 13, 1868, Charles E. Cowman grew up in a religious family. At 15, he left home for

912-479: The next six years, he suffered in great pain, yet he always kept a positive attitude while continuing his work for the Lord. “Although broken in body, he kept an oversight of the home office and every department of work on the field, dictating letters by the hundreds” (page 142). He also began to make plans to go into China, so that another Bible training institute could be established. In March 1924, Cowman faithfully signed

950-549: The philanthropic and religious sector." The call for more regulation was also a reaction to public pressure caused by several media reports about scandals related to misuse of funds in charities. In 1979, the ECFA was founded by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and the US branch of World Vision ( World Vision International is not a member of ECFA). World Vision's president Stan Mooneyham stated, "There

988-482: The same time, Texas Congressman Charles Wilson had drafted a bill that would have required ministries to disclose "at the point of solicitation." A group of representatives from more than thirty evangelical groups met in December of that year to formulate a plan. At that meeting, Hatfield's chief legislative assistant told them that "a voluntary disclosure program" would "preclude the necessity of federal intervention into

1026-409: The standards would be accredited and granted a seal of approval. The ECFA members are organized charities in the US, typically 501(c)3 Evangelical nonprofits and churches. Members range "from evangelism in foreign jungles to race car driver evangelism, from ministry to the elderly, children, the impaired, to those in the military, those on the streets, and to many in between. All members are fulfilling

1064-586: The standards. A notable former member is Gospel For Asia (one of EFCA's charter members), whose membership was terminated in October 2015 after allegations of donation misuse. In a 2004 survey, ECFA was seen by respondents as an effective accreditation program that provided assurance of financial propriety for its members. In January 2011, Senator Charles Grassley (R-IA), a member of the Senate Finance Committee , asked ECFA to facilitate responses from

1102-420: The surrounding region. Burdened by the number of people who remained unreached in Japan, Cowman began The Great Village Campaign in 1913. He had a vision “whereby every person in Japan might hear the Gospel in the next five years” (125). He could not rest until the entirety of Japan’s 58 million-person population was reached. Teams of missionaries visited every town, village and home throughout Japan, proclaiming

1140-430: The telegraph office. His attitude had changed though since the last time he was there. After a strong conviction, Charles recommitted his life to God. “He made it the first thing in his life to be a Christian, feeling he must concentrate all his energy upon it” (Page 19). One way in which he did this was by forming the “Telegraphers’ Mission Band" in Chicago with coworkers who had become Christians because of him. One member

1178-555: The work that had been started by the Cowmans and Nakada. When Cowman died, he became the second president of the organization. Kilbourne died in 1928. He and Julia had three children, who all became OMS missionaries. In November 1902, Kilbourne started Electric Messages , a monthly periodical that detailed what they were accomplishing and encouraged others to donate to the cause. This was later called The O.M.S. Standard before being changed to its current name, OMS Outreach . Lettie Cowman

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1216-494: Was Ernest A. Kilbourne , who would later become a cofounder of the Oriental Missionary Society. The Telegraphers’ Mission Band sent letters explaining the Gospel to telegraphers all over the United States, Great Britain and Australia. In the late 1890s, Cowman met and befriended Juji Nakada at his church, Grace Methodist Episcopal Church. Nakada had come from Japan to study at Moody Bible Institute . He, too, would later become

1254-673: Was a baby, and again when they were teenagers. After moving to Chicago, they heard A.B. Simpson , founder of the Christian and Missionary Alliance , give a missionary challenge. They then decided to dedicate their lives to missionary work and trained at Martin Wells Knapp’s God’s Bible School in Cincinnati. In 1925, she wrote Streams in the Desert about her work and the hardships she experienced, specifically when Charles' health

1292-415: Was believed that the proposed standards of accountability generally exceeded the requirements of law. Charities that met those standards and paid the membership fee were granted a seal of approval. Membership fees were based on donated income. Evangelical charities could apply for accreditation and were required to submit information that would be reviewed and evaluated against those standards. Those meeting

1330-626: Was mailed to supporters in the United States and included monthly reports of the work that was being accomplished. The name was later changed to The O.M.S. Standard and is currently called OMS Outreach. Having outgrown their original building, a need for a larger building for the Bible Training Institute arose in early 1903. By the end of 1903, a new school had opened in Tokyo, providing ample room to grow. The larger space not only accommodated more students, but also provided for great conventions and hundreds of guests. In 1905, two Koreans went to Japan to attend

1368-450: Was not surprising that he was sometimes charged with being domineering, even dictatorial. But by the great majority of Christians, both laymen and clergy, he was held in respect that approached awe." Nakada died on September 24, 1939. Ernest A. Kilbourne was born on March 13, 1865, in Ontario, Canada. He was brought up in a Methodist home, but after moving to the US as a teenager to work for

1406-448: Was rapidly declining. She wrote several other books, including a history of her husband the beginnings of the OMS. In 1928 she became the third president of OMS and held this post until 1949. She continued writing and public speaking up to her death on April 17 1960. Born on October 29, 1870, Juji Nakada was a rebellious youth. His decision to enter missionary work was influenced by a life-long mentor, Reverend Yoichi Honda. Nakada went to

1444-513: Was the active writer for these publications for many years. The OMS founders began the Great Village Campaign in 1913. The goal was to reach every person in Japan with the Gospel in five years. By the time the campaign was completed in 1918, the Cowmans were in America due to Charles' health issues. After regaining his health, Cowman traveled to promote the campaign, but his health forced him to stop traveling. In early 1924 he signed over

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