Communion with God

Penn-Lewis, Jessie

Mrs. Jessie Penn-Lewis was a Welsh evangelical speaker and author whose ministry took her to Russia, Scandinavia, Canada, the U.S. and India. Physically frail but spiritually robust, she had a dynamic message which stressed the centrality of the cross of Christ in the life and experience of the Christian. Her own spiritual journey was influenced by the works of Andrew Murray, and she frequently quoted him in her own writings. Penn-Lewis was present during the Welsh Revival of 1904–1905, and later in her ministry she spoke on the platform of the Keswick Convention. Her writings include more than twenty books which have blessed readers for decades. In the early days of World War II, a young couple, Ken and Bessie Adams, heard Jesus' call to" feed my sheep." Together they worked with the Friends Evangelistic Band in England, holding tent meetings and visiting homes. On many of these visits, they found that they had been preceded by others who left literature, especially Jehovah's Witnesses. Ken declared, "I cannot stand by and … not do something about spreading the truths of the Gospel." So he and Bessie visited homes armed with good Christian literature. Fired by his passion for literature distribution, Ken rented some upstairs rooms in Colchester, named "The Evangelical Publishing House.". This took place even when the government was severely limiting publishing and the opening of bookshops in wartime England. The Adams felt led to align themselves with the WEC International, with plans to help that organization establish bookshops in England. Norman Grubb of WEC was thrilled with the potential of a string of bookshops. Requests, opportunities, and funding began to present themselves to Ken and Bessie, resulting in the formation of CLC as an autonomous ministry established on 1 November 1941.  By the end of the war, there were six literature centres across England and a work serving German Prisoners of War. Growth continued with God’s grace and blessing and today CLC serves in 57 countries where 700 men and women of diverse nationalities are joining hands to feed a world hungry for print.