Knocking
Heaven’s
on
Door
By Beth Jordal,
Communications Department,
One Mission Society
Prayer built One Mission Society, and
prayer will reinforce its legacy.
From the beginning, Charles and Lettie Cowman, Ernest Kilbourne, and Juji Nakada
cultivated intimacy with the Lord by reading the Bible and spending time with him in
prayer. Before the founders of OMS set sail to Japan, they started building the Mission
on their knees, asking the Father for guidance.
Once they arrived in Japan, their prayers continued to establish the foundation
and framework for the faith-based ministry. The prayer fervor stretched across the
oceans, as they kept in contact with their supporters,
encouraging the faithful to remain vigilant in prayer for
the nations and the millions entering eternity without
Jesus. The emphasis on prayer and intercession continued to thrive as the society grew, not just within the
organization, but also for the individuals investing in
kingdom expansion.
In the early days of the Mission, and up through
the mid-1960s, prayer circles were formed and met
to pray for missionaries on the field, interceding
for them, as well as for the nations and the lost
therein. OMS’ predecessor to Outreach magazine,
The Missionary Standard, continuously featured
articles to encourage the prayer circles. Infused
with urgency, the language of the articles ener10
ons, OMS volunteers that visit their chosen
fields often and rally prayer support for the
missionaries and their ministries. Prayer
circles, prayer walks, and prayer teams
also intercede for the nations.
Interceding for the world is putting on
the armor of God and joining in the battle.
Intercession was and is strategic, breaking
down the strongholds of the enemy so that
the missionaries can engage the people on
the ground.
The future remains unknown, but One
Mission Society forges ahead in the footsteps of our founders, knocking on heaven’s door for direction and following the
Holy Spirit’s leading. The efforts of OMS
gized prayer into a movement for individuals
and churches to “get in the battle in the air”
(July 1951) and “continue to battle the forces
of darkness on our knees” (December 1951).
In 1965, the prayer circle ministry transformed into World Intercessors, &