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Charles E. Cowman
Charles Elmer Cowman (1868 - 1924). American missionary and co-founder of the Oriental Missionary Society (now One Mission Society), born in Toulon, Illinois. Raised Methodist, he worked as a telegraph operator from age 15, rising to a high-paying role in Chicago by 19. Converted in 1894 after hearing A.B. Simpson at Moody Church, he married childhood friend Lettie Burd in 1889. In 1901, they moved to Japan, co-founding the society with Juji Nakada and Ernest Kilbourne, establishing Bible training institutes in Tokyo by 1903. Cowman led the Great Village Campaign (1913-1918), distributing Gospels to 10 million Japanese homes across 161,000 square miles. Known for holiness preaching and organizational zeal, he authored no books but inspired Streams in the Desert by Lettie. They had no children. Health issues forced his return to Los Angeles in 1917, where he continued guiding the mission. His work sparked revivals and trained thousands of native evangelists.
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Charles E. Cowman preaches about the power of faith, using the example of the woman with great faith in Matthew 15:28 and the story of the walls of Jericho falling down by faith. He challenges believers to walk by faith daily, believing in the promises of God even when they seem unlikely. Cowman emphasizes the importance of truly believing in the Bible and being willing to surrender our powerlessness and insignificance to God, trusting that with faith, we can move mountains and overcome obstacles.
Thresh the Mountains
"Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt" (Matt. 15:28). By faith the walls of Jericho fell down--yet what more unlikely! We walk by faith. Do we? What record is there on high of things that by faith we have obtained? Is each step each day an act of faith? Do we, as children of God, really believe the Bible? Are we ready to take the place of even a worm, as our Master did--"But I am a worm and no man"? Or if we realize our powerlessness and our insignificance, do we believe that it is possible--that it is God's will for us--that we should thresh mountains? "Fear not," said the Lord by the prophet of old, "fear not, thou worm Jacob...behold I will make thee a sharp threshing instrument having teeth: thou shalt thresh the mountains and beat them small, and shalt make the hills as chaff. Thou shalt fan them, and the wind shall carry them away, and the whirlwind shall scatter them: and thou shalt rejoice in the Lord, and shalt glory in the Holy One of Israel". How then, do we ask, are we to thresh mountains? Let us listen to our Master: "Have faith in God. For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass, he shall have whatsoever he saith." Do we ask when this shall be? The Lord continues: "What thing soever ye desire when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them". Let us therefore "be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let our requests be made known unto God".
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Charles Elmer Cowman (1868 - 1924). American missionary and co-founder of the Oriental Missionary Society (now One Mission Society), born in Toulon, Illinois. Raised Methodist, he worked as a telegraph operator from age 15, rising to a high-paying role in Chicago by 19. Converted in 1894 after hearing A.B. Simpson at Moody Church, he married childhood friend Lettie Burd in 1889. In 1901, they moved to Japan, co-founding the society with Juji Nakada and Ernest Kilbourne, establishing Bible training institutes in Tokyo by 1903. Cowman led the Great Village Campaign (1913-1918), distributing Gospels to 10 million Japanese homes across 161,000 square miles. Known for holiness preaching and organizational zeal, he authored no books but inspired Streams in the Desert by Lettie. They had no children. Health issues forced his return to Los Angeles in 1917, where he continued guiding the mission. His work sparked revivals and trained thousands of native evangelists.