Our History

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"The history of OM UK goes back to when I was arrested by the Soviets and thrown out of Russia. God gave me the name Operation Mobilisation, and it was then He told me we needed to work more with the church…. We had a new vision to mobilise people from around Europe and so in February 1962 we moved to London. A few months later we had 90 British people on the summer mission. The following summer (1963) we had 900." -- George Verwer, Founder and International Coordinator of OM.

As work began in the UK, a vision grew for an evangelistic work here. In 1977, Friends from Abroad (FFA) was launched to share Jesus with Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs and Jews in Britain.

Friends From Abroad

"In 1977, many factors forced us to return to the UK (from India). This was much against my struggling heart, but I found that it really was God's will. We joined in the birth of FFA. How we praise God for allowing us, together with those who prayed, to be part of His plan for spreading the Gospel. Our aim is to reach the most unreached people in Britain with the Gospel - Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs and others."
Les Wade, Founder of FFA

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Over the next eleven years, FFA reached over 250,000 Asian and Jewish homes through literature and personal witness, developed Easter and summer campaigns and established an operating base in Coventry.

OM LUKE - a wider vision

In 1988, the ministry was re-launched as OM LUKE to coincide with the launch of OM’s summer outreach programme ‘Love Europe’. Although growing out of FFA, OM LUKE had a broader emphasis on training and evangelism. LUKE quickly outgrew its Coventry home and £400,000 was raised to purchase and refurbish an empty warehouse in Halesowen, West Midlands. By 1993, a residential training centre had been opened for those participating in the Global Challenge and Global Action programmes.

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"God's provision was outstanding - we were amazed by the generosity of His people. It is great to have a facility where we can train, organise and operate on a national basis."   Edward Disbury, ex-director of OM LUKE (now Lifehope)

OM Lifehope - a promising future

Today God is opening up many new opportunities for OM Lifehope (formerly OM LUKE) to engage with local communities – bringing life and hope in Jesus Christ.
 
In response to the needs and challenges facing us in multi-cultural Britain, teams are working in partnership with churches to demonstrate and share the Gospel right in the heart of the community.   We are pioneering and developing ministries that address people’s needs on every level – emotional, physical, spiritual and social.
To express this new focus, we have now changed our name from OM LUKE to OM Lifehope.

Our commitment to discipleship and our passion for evangelism remain unchanged.  We believe that this new name reflects our desire to see lives and communities transformed through Christ and more accurately describes our ministry on every level.

OM Lifehope’s mission is:

  • Bringing life and hope to communities in the UK.
  • Partnering with the Church in its mission.
  • Reaching and discipling people from many nations.