Operation Mobilisation traces its roots to the prayers of an American housewife. In the 1950s, Dorothea Clapp began to pray faithfully for the students in her local High School. She asked God to touch the world through the lives of those young people. And God answered her prayers!

Mrs. Clapp gave a Gospel of John to one of the students, who later gave his life to the Lord. That young man was George Verwer, the founder and former international director of OM international

At college, George and two friends met regularly to pray. They became burdened by the needs of Mexico. In 1957 the three friends sold some of their own possessions to raise money and gave up their summer holiday to distribute Gospels and other Christian literature in Mexico. The friends returned the following summer and the next

When they graduated in 1960, George and his friends traveled to Europe. They began work in Spain, sharing the good news about Jesus and distributing literature. But the task seemed overwhelming.

George and his small team realised that God's plan was to mobilise His church to put their faith into action. As they began to share their vision, hundreds of Christians responded. So Operation Mobilisation was born.

By 1963, 2,000 Christians had joined summer teams in Europe. At the same time, the first one-year teams moved into the Indian sub-continent and regions with few or no churches.

Their commitment was to share the good news of Jesus and demonstrate His love in action. Such simple beginnings have shaped OM ever since. Today over 5,400 OMers are working in 110 countries to see lives and communities transformed.

Visit our 50th Anniversary History Website