The Nazarene World Mission Society

74 / Mission to the Worldand expanded. In this the stated purpose of the organization was theguiding factor. The fourfold purpose as stated in the 1985-89 Constitutionis as follows:1. To encourage our people to pray for all the activities ofworld evangelism through the missionary arm of the Churchof the Nazarene.2. To provide an informative program to increase theknowledge and understanding of the needs of the world andthe efforts of our church to reach all with the gospel.3. To inspire and challenge our youth to keep their livesavailable to God ' s will for their lives.4. To help raise funds to support the missionary outreach ofthe Church of the Nazarene.'In all these areas, the NWMS diligently sought to give both motivationand direction. Prayer was a pervasive theme, epitomized bestperhaps in the Prayer and Fasting program, which continued to be oneof the most enduring of its emphases. In 1953 a prayer chart, providedfor each society, was designed to encourage "definite prayer for specificneeds. " A star was to be placed beside every request when a prayer wasanswered. Although each month of the year had its special emphasis(Bible study, Alabaster, Medical Plan, etc.), Prayer and Fasting washighlighted all year long.Likewise, concern for children and youth was an early emphasis. Achildren's page in the missionary magazine (Other Sheep/World Mission)first appeared in the 1940s and was continued thereafter. Missionarystories and pictures were published for a time in a leaflet titled JuniorLight Bearers. Children's chapters for ages 4 to 11 years were part of thelocal structure. The first reading books written specifically for childrenwere published in 1957, and special study packets for this age-groupbecame available in 1977.For the teenage level, beginning in 1950, three of the adult readingbooks were designated each year as of particular interest to youth. Thisreplaced an earlier program that listed a large number of missionarybooks for young people and encouraged teenagers to read 16 of thoserecommended during a quadrennium. In 1978 study packets for teensbecame a regular production item.In 1932 a Young Women's Foreign Missionary Society (YWFMS)was attempted but met with limited success and was eventually abandonedin 1948. It was replaced by the youth chapters sponsored by theparent organization.