World Missionary Press celebrates its
45th anniversary this year.
WMP began in the hearts of Watson and Rose Goodman while they were missionaries.
"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." —Hebrews 11:1
World Missionary Press celebrates its
45th anniversary this year.
WMP began in the hearts of Watson and Rose Goodman while they were missionaries.
On their wedding day they dedicated themselves to missions. Having died to self and being totally committed to God, they began their 16-year ministry in South Africa. In 1951, they established Gospel Centre Work, a faith ministry, concentrating their efforts mainly on evangelizing the children and youth in neglected black areas.
At home, the Goodmans would clear off their dining room table, place a mimeograph machine on it, and run pages with Scriptures and pictures to color for the 2,000 black children they taught weekly in the five townships surrounding Germiston, South Africa.
Watson and Rose's printing progressed to a small printing press in their garage. They began printing the 48-page Scripture booklet Help From Above in the Zulu language, stapling the booklets by hand.
Watson's vision for reaching the world through Scripture booklets distributed free of charge grew in intensity. In 1961 God led them to the U.S. to establish World Missionary Press in Winona Lake, Indiana. A small building was dedicated November 11, 1961.
Watson's initial three goals for WMP were:
1. To believe God eventually for a million dollars a year.
2. To send out one million Scripture booklets a month free of charge.
3. To print in 300 languages.
God's provision has far surpassed Watson's first two goals. Income
has risen to about $2.1 million a year. WMP currently prints 5.2 million Scripture
booklets per month for free distribution in 209 countries and islands. The third goal
was reached in January 2000 with the production of language number 300—Hmong
Daw for Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam. We are
currently printing in 318
languages.
In 1970 WMP outgrew its Winona Lake facilities, and due to rezoning was unable to expand on-site. Believing that "disappointments are God's appointments," the Goodmans searched for a new location.
A
couple from New Paris, Indiana, who had been driving to Winona Lake to
volunteer at World Missionary Press, had been impressed by God not to sell their land in New
Paris just yet. When Watson and Rose Goodman approached them about buying the land for
WMP's new headquarters, the couple offered the land at one-fourth of its value, because it
was to be used for the Lord's work.
Rose always remembered her precious black children in South Africa, whom she tearfully but obediently left behind. So in 1991, when given the opportunity, she gladly wrote the illustrated children's booklet, The Way to God. WMP now prints 19 publications, including topical Scripture booklets, Bible studies, and New Testaments.
Watson and Rose passed the baton when they retired from WMP in 1987 to begin another work, Enterprises For Emmanuel, producing children's salvation coloring books including He Is Risen!. However, in January of 2000 EFE closed its doors and publication rights were given to World Missionary Press to produce the coloring books. Watson Goodman passed away in January 2002 at the age of 82. Rose Goodman passed away in February 2006 at the age of 86.
Presently overseeing the work of World Missionary Press are President Jay Benson and Treasurer Vicky (Goodman) Benson, (oldest child of Watson and Rose).
In 1994 World Missionary Press joined hands with Every Home for Christ by committing to print six million special 2-in-1 Scripture booklets in nine African languages for distribution to every black home in the Goodmans' adopted homeland of South Africa.
For 45-plus years Scripture booklet production and free worldwide distribution have continued through dependence on God and the efforts of staff, volunteers, and distributors, just as Watson and Rose Goodman had first envisioned.