The History of:

1. The History of: Literacy & Evangelism International 1800 S. Jackson Ave. Tulsa, OK. 74107 (918) 585-3826 www.LiteracyEvangelism.org

2. Dr. Robert F. Rice 1921-2002

3. Dr. Frank Laubach 1884-1970

4. Frank Laubach was a missionary to a Muslim tribe in the Philippines

5. Literacy Campaign on Lanao: • “Teach or Die” • 70,000 people learn to read/write • “Each One Teach One” • Primers in 300 languages & 100 countries • “The Apostle of literacy”

6. Laubach said to Ghandi in India: “The greatest single blessing that ever came to the world was the life and teaching of Jesus Christ. If Christ had not been written and if we had not been able to read the Gospels, we would know very little about him.”

7. Bob Rice meets Laubach in 1945 Inspired by the man and his message A vision was born… “ I saw the importance of adult literacy and at the same time an evangelistic potential in literacy missions.”

8. Literacy As a Means of Evangelism on the Foreign Mission Field – Princeton Seminary Thesis “Only the everlasting gospel which is for every nation and kindred and tongue and people can redeem literacy. Then will literacy evangelism be like a sharp sword and a polished shaft in the hand of the Lord. It will not only be a channel for introducing the good news of Christ, but a primary means for enabling the good news to take firm root and bear fruit in ever widening dimensions.”

9. Mission to Korea: 1950-1965 • Rural evangelism • Bible Institute • Ministry to 700 “street children” • Literature • Literacy

10. Alice & boys in Japan

11. Where’s the current LEI director?

12. Dr. Sam Moffatt, “In the early days of the Korean Church, wise missionaries and pastors said, ‘all you need to be saved is to know the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Savior. If you want to become a full member of his church in Korea, you’re going to have to learn to read. You’re not going to be equipped Christians until you read the Word of God for yourselves. Then and only then are you equipped to tell others… what God’s Word is saying to them.’”

13. Birth of Literacy & Evangelism • Oral Roberts University • Laubach co-teaches • Rice invited to join LL • Bob instead begins “L & E”

14. Laubach’s Endorsement “The L&E program is closer to the heart of God than any other…because (it can) win souls to Christ.” F. Laubach

15. Influence of the Summer Institute of Linguistics: • Education & research arm of Wycliffe Bible Translators • Reduce oral languages to writing & translate the Bible • SIL training Norman,OK • Dr. Sarah Gudschinsky (pictured here)

16. Literacy & Literacy Workers: “That person is fully literate who in a language that he speaks, can read and understand anything that he would have understood if it had been spoken to him; and who can write anything he can say, so it can be read.” Sarah Gudschinsky “Literacy workers are needed wherever translation is being done. After all, what’s the use of giving people the Bible if they can’t read it? It would be like putting in a water system for people dying of thirst but not providing any faucets.” “In Other Words” Wycliffe Bible Translators

17. LEI Approach to Primer Construction • Consistent lesson format – Laubach • Syllable boxes – Gudschinsky • Bible-content – Rice • Bible reference in every lesson • Name of Jesus introduced in Lesson 12 • Simple stories about Him in each lesson • 26 simplified passages of Scripture

18. Isaiah 55:8-11 “ My thoughts and my ways are not like yours.    Just as the heavens are higher than the earth,     my thoughts and my ways are higher than yours. Rain and snow fall from the sky. But they don't return  without watering the earth that produces seeds to plant and grain to eat. That's how it is with my words. They don't return to me without doing everything I send them to do." (CEV)

19. Literacy Needs Today: • Conclusions drawn from Laubach, ABS & SIL • 90% world has entire Bible in Mother Tongue • 95% world has the New Testament in MT • 98% world has some Scripture in MT • Yet 45-55% of the world is unable to read the Word of God! • These people are totally or functionally illiterate. • This is a “blind spot” in mission’s today.

20. Literacy Evangelism begins • Founded 1967 • ½ bedroom of the Rice home in Tulsa • Primer done in the Indonesian language • Bob traveled 3-6 months a year overseas • Over 40 round-the-world trips

21. Expansion & growth:

22. An office was built in 1980 and the Tutor Place dormitory in 1987.

23. Rev. John Taylor • Appointed Executive Director in 1994 • Raised in India • Served in Nepal for 7 years then as Director for 10 years

24. Rev. Sid Rice – Executive Director • Worked in corporate world for 20 years • Graduate of Fuller Seminary • Appointed by the Board in February 2006 • Married to Christa • Sons: Phillip, Daniel & David

25. Goals of Literacy & Evangelism: • Teach Christians to read so they can be daily readers of the Bible. • A Pastor in Tambo, Ecuador said,“Some people here want to read more than they want to eat or drink.” • Literacy is a problem in the U.S. • Africa, India, China have larger opportunities

26. Where illiteracy reigns, the church is impoverished • Written on a blackboard of a Christian school in Harrison, Arkansas, “the devil doesn’t want people to read, because God wrote a book.” • John Wesley said, “it cannot be that people should grow in grace unless they give themselves to reading (the Bible).” • Morris Watkins said,”there is no record of the church in any land, being strong spiritually where the leadership was illiterate or where laymen were not encouraged to read the Bible.”

27. Allen & Joan Lovekin serving in Kinshasa, Zaire “Its wonderful. Ten new classes on the coast, 40 new teaching centers in northern Zaire, 100 teaching sites in Kinshasa…. Illiterate people are learning to read their own language from a Bible-based primer. They are having their faith deepened and their minds opened to health, farming and nutrition…”

28. Goals continued: • Teach non-Christians to read and witness to them of the Living Word through the Written Word. • Laubach’s motto , “Each One Teach One and Win One to Christ.” • “literacy mission… is a potent opportunity for evangelism.” Christianity Today Magazine • India Bible Literature • “In every land, in every language, it is the same; where the Bible is read… the life is changed… people are transformed.” Amy Carmichael

29. International Literacy Training Institutes (ILTI) • Held in Tulsa and Belo Horizonte, Brazil annually • 5 week Institute in US • Module 1 is an introduction of LEI ministry • Module 2 is indepth training for overseas workers • 2007 we had 24 people from 12 different countries • 3 wk. Regional ILTI’s

30. LEI Missionaries • 40+ people serving with LEI working around the globe. • Application process, graduate ILTI, finish orientation and 2 year internship • Faith mission • Affiliates

31. English Language Ministry • Church-based ESL programs • Passport to the World of English • Rev. Don Edic • Important tool for missions

32. Our 2020 Word Vision : • Bible-content material for each strategic language • At least some Bible translation • At least 1,000,000 speakers • Church-based ministry for each strategic people group • Indigenous church or church planting effort • High rate of illiteracy or high demand for English

33. Opportunity to join us in shaping LEI’s history… • Use over 200+ Bible-content primers • Lead TTW’s & Institutes • Use Bible-content ESL curriculum • Develop a primer for every strategic language &A church-based literacy ministry for each people group

34. The history of LEI continues to be written in… • India, Nepal, Myanmar • Brazil, Peru, Guatemala • Ghana, Nigeria, Ivory Coast • Mongolia, Kazakhstan, China • Mexico, United States • Korea, Philippines, Laos • ....

35. “Would that this one book were in every language, in every land, before the eyes and in the ears and hearts of all men.” Martin Luther