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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 importance of staying where God has placed us, even when we desire to be elsewhere, emphasizing the need to trust in God's timing and purpose. He encourages patience, trust, and faithfulness in the midst of mundane routines, believing that these qualities prepare us for greater opportunities in the future. The sermon highlights the value of obedience and contentment in the present circumstances, knowing that God's plan is always better than our own desires.
Patience in the Routine
"Be thou there till I bring thee word" (Matt. 2:13). "I'll stay where You've put me; I will, dear Lord, Though I wanted so badly to go; I was eager to march with the 'rank and file,' Yes, I wanted to lead them, You know. I planned to keep step to the music loud, To cheer when the banner unfurled, To stand in the midst of the fight straight and proud, But I'll stay where You've put me. "I'll stay where You've put me; I'll work, dear Lord, Though the field be narrow and small, And the ground be fallow, and the stones lie thick, And there seems to be no life at all. The field is Thine own, only give me the seed, I'll sow it with never a fear; I'll till the dry soil while I wait for the rain, And rejoice when the green blades appear; I'll work where You've put me. "I'll stay where You've put me; I will, dear Lord; I'll bear the day's burden and heat, Always trusting Thee fully; when even has come I'll lay heavy sheaves at Thy feet. And then, when my earth work is ended and done, In the light of eternity's glow, Life's record all closed, I surely shall find It was better to stay than to go; I'll stay where You've put me." "Oh restless heart, that beat against your prison bars of circumstances, yearning for a wider sphere of usefulness, leave God to order all your days. Patience and trust, in the dullness of the routine of life, will be the best preparation for a courageous bearing of the tug and strain of the larger opportunity which God may some time send you."
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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.