This is the story of Operation Mobilisation’s (OM) last fifty years. In the summer of 1976 a friend, completely out of the blue, said God had told her to give me £150, but I had to use it to travel with between my taking the Oxbridge examinations and going up to university. The only organisation that would take me was OM. I wasn’t a Christian when I joined them; I was when I left. So I have a great fondness for this group…and am still in touch with some of their leaders. Here is the review I put up on this book on Amazon…in the last para there’s mention of George Verwer, the extremely funny and idiosyncratic founder. He is no longer the leader, but still very active.
For those wanting a comprehensive overview of the last fifty years of the work of Operation Mobilisation (OM) this is a superb account, not least because Ian Randall tells such a massive and complicated story in just over two hundred pages and still manages to mention many more people by name than just the leaders; ensures no tragedy or triumph is overlooked; and keeps the whole account in its social and mission context. Such is the author's attention to the nitty gritty details of history (dates, places, names) that his book will be referred to for many years for those wanting to check out the main facts of OM's history. There is also some wonderful humour included, such as when the young Greg Livingstone turns up for a prayer meeting and is greeted by George Verwer demanding to know which country he was claiming for Christ. Greg asked, `What's left?' Verwer replied, `Libya - you've got Libya.' However, as the book goes on these anecdotes become rarer, and, sometimes the text feels like a report. So we come across sentences like, `A team of carpenters, plumbers, electricians, and general labourers worked at Agape Orphanage constructing much-needed buildings'. And our eyes begin to overdose on yet another paragraph telling us how many thousands visited one of the ships and how many millions of pieces of literature were distributed. But that is sometimes the nature of history and it is these statistics that ultimately make the final pages so moving as one is reminded of all that God has done through what started as a very small band of committed young people. In a few year's time the dream read would be this excellent overview along side George Verwer's autobiography. For as well as being one of the most passionate preachers of our generation, Verwer is also one of the funniest. It is impossible to think that his version of the last fifty years would ever be boring. So hopefully someone will be able to persuade him to cut down on his meetings for a few months and leave the next generation something of his vulnerable, down to earth, and humour edged spirituality weaved into the story of his life.
For those wanting a comprehensive overview of the last fifty years of the work of Operation Mobilisation (OM) this is a superb account, not least because Ian Randall tells such a massive and complicated story in just over two hundred pages and still manages to mention many more people by name than just the leaders; ensures no tragedy or triumph is overlooked; and keeps the whole account in its social and mission context. Such is the author's attention to the nitty gritty details of history (dates, places, names) that his book will be referred to for many years for those wanting to check out the main facts of OM's history. There is also some wonderful humour included, such as when the young Greg Livingstone turns up for a prayer meeting and is greeted by George Verwer demanding to know which country he was claiming for Christ. Greg asked, `What's left?' Verwer replied, `Libya - you've got Libya.' However, as the book goes on these anecdotes become rarer, and, sometimes the text feels like a report. So we come across sentences like, `A team of carpenters, plumbers, electricians, and general labourers worked at Agape Orphanage constructing much-needed buildings'. And our eyes begin to overdose on yet another paragraph telling us how many thousands visited one of the ships and how many millions of pieces of literature were distributed. But that is sometimes the nature of history and it is these statistics that ultimately make the final pages so moving as one is reminded of all that God has done through what started as a very small band of committed young people. In a few year's time the dream read would be this excellent overview along side George Verwer's autobiography. For as well as being one of the most passionate preachers of our generation, Verwer is also one of the funniest. It is impossible to think that his version of the last fifty years would ever be boring. So hopefully someone will be able to persuade him to cut down on his meetings for a few months and leave the next generation something of his vulnerable, down to earth, and humour edged spirituality weaved into the story of his life.
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