Now Is the Time

No one understood the momentous nature of the event that occurred that evening. It was the winter of 1961. The annual missions conference was in progress on the campus of Pillsbury Conservative Baptist Bible College, then in its fourth year of existence. On this particular night, Dr. Viggo Olsen had given a presentation for his field of service which was East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). He told the student body how God had called and burdened him for that country. In the middle of the meeting, and before the speaker of the evening began to preach, it happened. Dr. Monroe Parker was the president of Pillsbury, and the growing student body numbered about 300 at that time. Dr. Parker stepped to the pulpit and asked an impromptu question. "Students, how many of you would be willing to go to the mission field if you knew God was calling?" One hundred of us stood that evening! The result of that missions conference service and Dr. Parker's subsequent article titled "Now is the Time" was the impetus for the establishment of the World Conservative Baptist Mission (now known as Baptist World Mission) on September 15, 1961, in the Marquette Manor Baptist Church of Chicago. Our purpose in this narrative is to recount the history leading to the formation of Baptist World Mission, to remember the purpose for which it was called into existence, to honor the courageous leaders who led in its formation, to rejoice in God's blessing through fifty years, to remind ourselves that "now is the time" for us and succeeding generations to dedicate ourselves anew to the original intent, and to carry that vision forward for succeeding generations until Jesus comes. - Publisher.