OPEN WORD Ministries

Early Beginnings, June, 1970 - July, 1972

Open Word Ministries was birthed in 1970 when Charles Willner answered the call into full-time ministry as a Bible teacher and missionary. In 1967, Charles was ordained by Pastor Bill Britton as an elder of the House of Prayer in Springfield, Missouri. For the next two years, he and his family travelled extensively in the United States, from Missouri to California to New England, sharing in the ministry of the Word.

 

In September, 1970, Charles pioneered a church in Bonnerdale, Arkansas. It was here that "Open Word", a Bible teaching pamphlet, began to be published. In September, 1971, he became founding Dean of Overcomer Teaching Center, at the House of Prayer in Springfield, Missouri. In January, 1972, he was sent by the elders of House of Prayer to Fisherville, Pennsylvania to pioneer a charismatic church. 

 

African Safari, July - August, 1972

In May, 1972, Charles accepted an invitation from the director of the choir of Zion Bible Institute to be one of the speakers on their tour of Africa. He believed that through this tour the Lord would lead him to where he would fulfil his missionary call. He had graduated from Z.B.I., in East Providence, Rhode Island in May, 1962, and stayed on to work on staff. One of his responsibilities was staff sponsor of missionary prayers. In April, 1963, he had received a call to missionary service.

 

The choir tour visited Liberia, South Africa and, what is now Zimbabwe. Charles also spent two weeks in Kenya, visiting the Mombasa Church of Elim Missions of Lima, New York, U.S.A., the Nairobi Pentecostal Bible College of the Assemblies of God in Great Britain and Harvest Fields Bible School, a small faith school founded by Richard Kirby, a missionary from California. 

 

Kenya Mission, October, 1972 - December, 1974

In 1972, after much prayer, fasting, and making a commitment to the Lord, the Willners were led to Kenya, Africa, where because of unforeseen circumstances they arrived with only five dollars. They ministered as missionaries for the Kenya Revival Centre churches for more than two years. While there, Charles and Fern taught at their Harvest Fields Bible School in Nairobi. On weekends Charles travelled up-country to preach in local churches and hold church conventions.

 

During this time, Charles assisted in the construction of five local churches, four of which have continued to grow to this day. Charles and Fern began the Meru Bible Teaching Centre in Meru, which trained local pastors for several years. Charles also helped organize the first airlift of the Full Gospel Business Men to Kenya and wrote their founding constitution of F.G.B.M.F.(K.) to be registered with the government. He also helped to organize the African Charismatic Conference at the Kenyatta Conference Centre in 1975, with delegates from many African, European, and North American countries. 

 

Ontario Church Plant, September, 1975 - December, 1980

Charles was founding pastor of Open Word Assembly, with house meetings in Niagara Falls, and Welland, Ontario. O.W.A. was registered as a charity with the Canadian government under the Independent Assemblies of God International in Canada. More Bible teaching literature was published.

 

Charles also itinerated among several independent Pentecostal churches in Southern Ontario and helped convene a family camp each summer from 1976 to 1980 at Thamesford, Ontario. 

 

Zaire (Congo) Mission, January, 1981 - December, 1984

Charles and his family finally reached the land of his calling, Zaire, now called the Democratic Republic of Congo, Africa! When they arrived in Nairobi, the Lord told Charles that language school was full and that they should go directly to Zaire. After a month of trying unsuccessfully to find housing to learn Kiswahili, they flew on to Congo.  In Kalemie, Shaba (now Katanga) Province, Charles became a missionary for the Community of the Assemblies of God of Eastern Zaire (CADEZA), a mission started by the Assemblies of God of Great Britain.

 

They worked with Fred and Beulah Gardner, independent missionaries from Pennsylvania, to extend Agape Bible Institute from a six month institute to a full three year Bible college. Charles was registrar, treasurer and teacher and Fern was a teacher. On Sundays, they would go out into the bush of Shaba and Tanganyika, holding seminars, preaching, and strengthening local churches. Charles was missionary representative on the Administrative Council of CADEZA. They started the Cranford Memorial medical clinic and ordered medicines from Europe. They lived on the compound of the Garanganze Mission (Brethren In Christ) and preached in their churches.

 

After they returned home at the end of 1984, Ralph and Shirley Hagemeier came to establish their own mission in September, 1985. They had been Assemblies of God missionaries in Tanzania. Under their ministry, they purchased a twenty acre campus where they have built a resident Bible college for eighty students and their teachers, an elementary and a secondary school with classrooms for one thousand students, and a large medical clinic. They have persevered through two lootings by the Zairian army, and a civil war which lasted eight years. All these extreme difficulties have caused sinners to repent, so that if they died from starvation or were killed in the war, they would at least go to heaven. 

 

Open Word Bible College, January, 1986 - June, 2004

After receiving two prophecies and an opportune invitation, the Willners returned to Canada. Open Word Bible College was begun in January 1981 and was located in Faith Tabernacle, with some classes in other London churches. Charles was the founder, President, Academic Dean and an instructor. Fern was Registrar and an instructor. Gerald Kelsey, a retired school principal, was Registrar, Librarian and an instructor. Pastor Dave Ellyatt was Bursar and an instructor.  Ellyatt is now the Director of Arctic Missions in Northern Canada. The Lord blessed us with qualified instructors; three of whom were pastors of local churches and one was a certified counsellor.

 

Open Word Bible College used accredited curriculum materials from the International Correspondence Institute (ICI.U.) (now Global University) of the American Assemblies of God. This program was registered with the Ministry of Education in the Province of Ontario through Eastern Pentecostal Bible College (now Masters College and Seminary) of the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada. 

 

Two degree programs were offered in Biblical Studies, and Religious Education. Several aboriginal students graduated who received funding from Native Affairs for their education for tuition, books and living allowance to study the Word of God. One of these gradiated to become an educational consultant for native education. Another graduate was a pastor and evangelist.

 

Over the eighteen years OWBC was in operation, more than two hundred students enrolled in courses, four graduated with Bachelor of Biblical Studies, three with Bachelor of Religious Education degrees from ICI.U., and many more have received diplomas for the work they have completed. Three of OWBC’s graduates pastored churches. One student became a missionary with W.Y.A.M. in Columbia. Another graduate went on to obtain a graduate degree. One of our instructors returned home and founded the King of Kings Bible College in Jerusalem, Israel. Hundreds of students attended classes and matured in their experience with God and developed their ministries. For one year, Charles assissted in the development of the Prayer Palace Bible Program in Toronto, Ontario. In June 2004, Charles Willner was led to close O.W.B.C. He now is focused on the support of indigenous missions primarily in Kenya and the Democratic Republic of Congo, Africa.