Have you ever wondered how ISI started?
The following is taken from an article by Jim Backstrom, March 16, 2008, entiltled :
Vision, Leadership, Partnerships: Learning from Fifty-Five Years of International Student Ministry.
"Following World War II an increasing number of international students began temporarily residing in North America while they pursued higher education. In spite of their accessibility and social and spiritual needs, it was the passion and drive of one man, Bob Finley, that slowly awakened numbers of Christians across America and Canada to these needs and opportunities. Following his attending the World Congress on Evangelism in Switzerland in 1948, Finley and Christy Wilson traveled together by train through France. Their discussion between these two missions-minded men led to a vision for starting a separate ministry to international students. Finley then went to China as a missionary where he noticed how the growth of communism was propagated by young Chinese as they returned from studying in Russia. In1949 his vision for beginning a ministry to internationals in North America was nurtured by Dawson Trotman, founder of the Navigators, during a discussion he had with Finley in Shanghai. In 1951, Dawson Trotman again visited Finley, and his ensuing encouragement led Finley to establish the ministry of International Students, Inc. (ISI) in 1953."
The following is taken from an article by Jim Backstrom, March 16, 2008, entiltled :
Vision, Leadership, Partnerships: Learning from Fifty-Five Years of International Student Ministry.
"Following World War II an increasing number of international students began temporarily residing in North America while they pursued higher education. In spite of their accessibility and social and spiritual needs, it was the passion and drive of one man, Bob Finley, that slowly awakened numbers of Christians across America and Canada to these needs and opportunities. Following his attending the World Congress on Evangelism in Switzerland in 1948, Finley and Christy Wilson traveled together by train through France. Their discussion between these two missions-minded men led to a vision for starting a separate ministry to international students. Finley then went to China as a missionary where he noticed how the growth of communism was propagated by young Chinese as they returned from studying in Russia. In1949 his vision for beginning a ministry to internationals in North America was nurtured by Dawson Trotman, founder of the Navigators, during a discussion he had with Finley in Shanghai. In 1951, Dawson Trotman again visited Finley, and his ensuing encouragement led Finley to establish the ministry of International Students, Inc. (ISI) in 1953."