The Beginnings of World Gospel Mission

Rev. Woodford Taylor, Dr. Cecil W. Troxel, and their families traveled to China as missionaries in 1909. Lacking the support of a mission board, they soon encountered financial problems and were forced to return to the United States. They shared these burdens with their Sunday School teacher, Mrs. Iva Durham Vennard. Mrs. Vennard became very burdened for their work and pursued the establishment of a missionary department within the National Association for the Promotion of Holiness.

In June of 1910, this missions department was opened with the goal of spreading the Word of God to the ends of the earth. In October of that year, the Troxels and the Taylors returned to China as the organization’s first missionaries.

Later the organization became known as the National Holiness Missionary Society. In 1954 the name was changed to World Gospel Mission.

Mrs. Beatrice C. Beezley became the first General Secretary of the Board when the missionaries went to China. She traveled throughout the United States organizing prayer bands and raising support for the missionaries. In 1919 she published the first issue of The Call, WGM’s official magazine now published bi-monthly.

World Gospel Mission Today

Today, World Gospel Mission is an interdenominational missionary organization with about 300 missionaries and support staff in twenty-five areas of the world. WGM is Wesleyan/Arminian in doctrine and believes in spreading the gospel of full salvation to all people in every area of the globe.

World Gospel Mission in Uganda

Officially the first World Gospel Mission Uganda staff, Rev. and Mrs. Lawrence McPherson, arrived in 1992. WGM Uganda was an outreach of WGM Kenya, and several exploratory trips were made prior to the McPhersons moving to Uganda. Along with a team of Ugandans, the McPhersons planted a church in Kampala.

Community Based Health Care and church planting have been partner ministries from the beginning of WGM’s existence in Uganda. WGM Uganda works with the Africa Gospel Church to proclaim and preserve the message of full salvation and to demonstrate God’s love to all through ministries of mercy.

Although technically independent of each other, WGM Uganda and WGM Kenya still partner together in order to reach the lost souls of East Africa with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ.