I remember the first time Jamie and I heard preaching on prosperity. The message was great, and we needed to hear it again and again. But we couldn’t afford to buy even one tape. Jamie was eight months pregnant, and we hadn’t eaten in days—we couldn’t afford food. As I looked at the tears in her eyes, I made a commitment to God: “If You ever give me something that will help others, I will never refuse them access to it because of lack of money.”
I really had no idea what that would mean, but thanks to the faithful support of our partners, we have now given away over six million tapes, CDs, books, videos, and study guides.We receive emails and letters every day thanking us for the free materials and telling us how their lives were changed as a result.
Those early times in the 1970s were days of humble beginnings, to say the least. There was absolutely no evidence back then that would have convinced anyone of where the Lord would one day take this ministry. As I look back over the years, I am amazed at what He has done.
Today we have the potential of reaching one-third of the people on the planet with the Gospel Truth television program. Our signal is being broadcast around the world by satellite and being received by viewers through satellite dishes and cable and even old-fashioned antennas in underdeveloped countries like Uganda. Certainly not everyone who could view our programs does, so there is much still to be done.
We have begun broadcasting in other languages. This year the Gospel Truth can be heard and seen through the CNL network across the eleven time zones of Russia, in their language. I can hardly imagine what I must sound like speaking Russian or Hungarian.
Much of the world now has internet capability. Anyone, anywhere, anytime can go to our website and watch or listen to the Gospel Truthand download hundreds of hours of teaching materials. We are currently receiving nearly 600,000 website visits per month in the US (and over 15,500 per month here in Europe). And new for 2010, we have just launched Charis Bible College (CBC) Online.
The CBC Online school is changing everything about the way people can study. We will go to them wherever they are via the Internet, with downloadable lessons and videos and a facilitator to lead interactive discussion forums online. This will be as close as one can get to attending classes in person. Based on the interest we’ve already gotten, I believe that thousands of students from across the globe will be enrolling in online school in the next few years.
The CBC first-year curriculum is designed to build a strong biblical foundation through basic course study; therefore, it can easily be accomplished online. The second year, however, requires class attendance because it goes beyond study to hands-on practical ministry. Second-year students participate in events, are given opportunities to minister, and must travel abroad on a missions trip.
Upon completion of the first-year classes online, many of these students will find themselves wanting to enroll in one of our schools to complete their second year. In America, besides our parent campus in Colorado Springs, we have schools in Atlanta; Chicago; Kansas City; Dallas; Jacksonville; and Dyer, Indiana.
Worldwide CBC schools are located in Walsall, England; Belfast, Northern Ireland; St. Petersburg, Russia; Belize City, Belize; Chennai, India; Kampala, Uganda; and soon, Heidelberg, South Africa. We currently have over 1,000 students attending our schools, over 1,000 enrolled in correspondence courses, and now the online school will provide thousands more the opportunity to learn.
In addition, new in 2010, we have just launched a third-year CBC program, available only at our Colorado Springs campus. The third-year “Vocational School of Ministry” curriculum is designed for those who desire to make the ministry a career. It will offer courses emphasising everything from music to business administration in the church.
Happy Caldwell, Duane Sheriff, and Bob Yandian will anchor the third year by teaching the “School of the Pastors” courses. Each area of study has qualified and experienced leaders teaching the classes. For details, go to our website at www.charisbiblecollege.org.uk
During my recent trip to Europe, I witnessed the power of books and literature. Will Graham, the director of Andrew Wommack Ministries Europe (AWME), has overseen the translation of many of my books into thirty-seven different languages. Every place we held meetings, from Poland to Hungary to Germany, teaching materials in printed form were in high demand. When people can read about the message in their languages, it makes all the difference. When I leave, those materials stay behind and keep on teaching. They are usually passed from one person to the next, affecting dozens of lives.
To help distribute materials and serve needs more efficiently, we have opened several new offices in addition to the AWME office in Walsall, England. We are now operating from offices in Toronto, Ontario, Canada; St. Petersburg, Russia; Kampala, Uganda; Heidelberg, South Africa; and Chennai, India. As you can see, offices and schools usually work hand in hand using the same facilities.
To say the ministry is experiencing growth is an understatement.Since 2001, when I first began on television,we have grown at the rate of 28 percent per year. That means we have doubled every 2.6 years. I could give you all of the statistics that measure the growth, but there is something much more important than statistics: The lives that those statistics represent.
In America, for instance, over 20,000 people per month call our Helpline, most of them in need of prayer. We see people healed and set free all day, every day, through the anointed people in the Phone Centre.
Our Production Department ships over 30,000 packages of teaching materials each month. Combine that with the 122,000-plus downloads through the website, and it gives you an idea of how hungry people are for the truth of the Gospel. By the way, all downloads are free, and 52 percent of what we ship has been requested and mailed without a gift of any kind. Thank God for the many faithful partners who make all of this possible.
Growth is a blessing, but it also presents us with the challengeof accommodating the results. In Europe, our AWME and Charis Bible College have never had a permanent home, but in these past few years, we have seen great growth in our Charis Bible College and in the number of staff that we need to continue the too-good-to-be-true news to the nations of the world.
For the last four and a half years AWME/CBC have been meeting in a rented building in Walsall, England, for which we are thankful – but which has not proved to be the most effective and useful resource for the ministry, with several problems which many of you have been aware of. Now, however, praise God, we are looking to build a new European HQ only 6 miles from our present location for around £3.5 million. This will accommodate the continued growth of Charis Bible College and AWME.
In the autumn of 2009 we decided to build a new HQ at Cannock 6 miles from were we presently have our office. We’re currently working on a master plan with developers and architects and going through the process of planning approval. It is my hope that we will complete this project by the Spring of 2011. It will include an auditorium, facilities for the school and phone centre and the rest of the AWME departments.
In the enclosed brochure you will find artist pictures of the property and other details. Please prayerfully consider becoming a Foundation Builder. Ask God what He would have you do to help with this building program.
Jamie and I could not be more thankful to our partners. Yes, God is changing the lives of thousands through this ministry. However, it’s not just Jamie and me. We cannot complete this project any more than we can provide free teaching materials without the Lord first speaking to you about helping. God has built a team to accomplish His purpose. Thanks for being a part of the team.
God bless you,
We love you,
Andrew and Jamie
P.S. There is so much that the Lord is doing in and through this ministry, below is a video entitled “State of the Ministry 2010.” Please take the time to watch it and rejoice with Jamie and me over God’s goodness.
Go to our website at www.awme.net where you can learn more about Foundation Builders, the new building project, and the lives you’re helping to change around the world. Check out our newest webpage, “Ministry News,” for the latest information about AWM.
