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WEC International (WEC) is an interdenominational mission sending agency of Evangelical tradition which focuses on church planting, childcare programs, Christian education, missionary education, TEE (theological education by extension studies) and literature production.〔Dodtsey Welliver and Minnette Northcutt, Eds., Mission Handbook 2004-2006, p. 267〕 WEC emphasises the importance of shared life in a local church as a vital expression of Christian life. WEC prioritises the planting of churches among indigenous people groups and unreached people groups, who have little or no access to the gospel of Jesus Christ. ==History== WEC was founded in 1913 by Charles Studd (CT), the cricketer turned missionary. Studd was one of the Cambridge Band also called Cambridge Seven—seven members of Cambridge University who offered themselves for service under the China Inland Mission as a result of a visit by the American evangelist D.L. Moody to the campus in 1884.〔Kenneth Scott LaTourette, A History of the Expansion of Christianity, Vol. 6 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing, 1944), p.330〕 Studd spent several years in China and a time in India before going on in his fifties 〔Norman P. Grubb, With C.T. Studd in Congo Forests, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1946), p. 12.〕 to establish and lead the "Heart of Africa" Mission (HAM).〔LaTourette, p. 330〕 Although broken in health, Studd said, "If Jesus Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him."〔Grubb, With C.T. Studd in Congo Forests, p. 13 This was reported in an interview with C.T. Studd by G. Percy Lister and published in the 'Methodist Recorder" on January 9, 1913. It has become one of Studd's most famous quotes.〕 The ''Heart of Africa'' mission, changed its name to Worldwide Evangelisation Crusade.〔(WEC International website ).〕 Later, recognising some misunderstandings with using the word "crusade", the mission was renamed as Worldwide Evangelisation for Christ (WEC International). The Heart of Africa Mission/WEC International was started as part of what missiologists call "The Second Wave—Interdenominational missions to the continental heartlands (1865-1910) (the First Wave being denominational missions to the continental coastlands (1792-1865)〔Patrick Johnstone, The Church is Bigger Than You Think (Geanies House, Fearn, Ross-shire, IV20 1TW, Great Britain), pp.97-98〕 The Heart of Africa Mission was changed to Worldwide Evangelization Crusade (WEC) in 1919 when Mr. Gilbert Barclay, who married Studd's daughter Dorothy, became Home Overseer. He took the position on the condition that the organization have a worldwide title, scope and work.〔Norman Grubb, ''C.T. Studd, Cricketer and Pioneer'', Fort Washington, PA:Christian Literature Crusade, paperback 1972, p.201〕 Recruitment of missionaries began immediately and in 1922 WEC entered Amazonia. WEC was the parent organization and individual fields were permitted to retain their own subtitles, so the new field became Heart of Amazonia. By the time of Studd's death, the Amazonia field had 16 missionaries with headquarters and mission stations in three tribes.〔Grubb, C.T. Studd, Cricketer and Pioneer, p. 202〕 Central Asia was entered next, then Arabia, followed by West Africa (Spanish Guinea), and then Colombia, South America〔Grubb, C.T. Studd, Cricketer and Pioneer, p. 203-204〕 A branch of WEC International was formed in the U.S. in 1939 and is located in Fort Washington, PA.〔Mission Handbook, p. 286〕 The Heart of Africa Mission was begun in northern Congo in 1913 by Charles Thomas Studd and A.B. Buxton, beginning at Niangara on the banks of the Uele River.〔Peter Falk, The Growth of the Church in Africa, (Grand Rapids, MI:Zondervan Publishing, 1979) p.383〕 After the death of the founder in 1931, his missionary colleague Norman Percy Grubb was appointed General Secretary (leader). Grubb built the mission up from 30 missionaries to 800 in 20 countries and encouraged the establishment of the Christian Literature Crusade as a sister mission in 1941. After retirement in 1965, Grubb lived at the WEC US headquarters in Ft. Washingon, PA, writing extensively and traveling from there until his death in 1993.〔http://articles.ochristian.com/preacher-586-1.shtml Accessed May 4, 2015〕〔http://www.bu.edu/missiology/missionary-biography/g-h/grub-norman-percy-1895-1993/ Accessed May 4, 2015. (From Gerald H. Anderson, Biographical Dictionary of Christian Missions, 1998)〕 In 1941 the Christian Literature Crusade was begun out of the ministry of WEC by Kenneth Adams. It aimed to open Christian book centers in all lands where there was a call for them and to serve existing churches and missions with Christian literature, as well as Gospel Literature Wordwide, Radio Worldwide, and a Survey and Research Department.〔Norman Grubb, C.T. Studd, Cricketer and Pioneer (Fort Washtington, PA:Christian Literature Crusade, 1978) p. 258.〕 WEC has been influential in the movement for countries once known as 'missionary-receiving' lands to become 'missionary-sending' lands. WEC International missionary Leslie Brierley visited Brazil in 1962 to survey that land for its missionary-sending potential. Later, in 1972-73, he and Bob Harvey, also of WEC, began touring Brazil giving seminars promoting the idea. The idea has since matured in Brazil and spread to many other countries. Many indigenous mission agencies were formed as a result, and Brierley formed a "global strategy for launching mission movements in non-Western countries."〔Patrick Johnstone, The Church is Bigger Than You Think, p. 137〕 Another WEC missionary, Phyllis Kilbourne, launched a sub-ministry of WEC called "Rainbows of Hope", geared to children at risk around the world. This grew out of her seeing the devastating effects of the 1990-1997 civil war in Liberia on the children of that country.〔Patrick Johnstone, The Church is Bigger Than You Think, p. 253〕 She later started Crisis Care Training International as another department of WEC to offer training for Christian workers dealing with children in crisis.〔Phyllis Kilbourne, Ph.D., and Andy Sexton, Offering Healing and Hope for Children in Crisis, Fort Mill, SC:CCTI/WEC〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「WEC International」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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