Chris Lorimer reflects on 50 years of service with OM.
At the end of 2024, Chris Lorimer (USA) celebrated his 70th birthday and chose to take a well-deserved retirement, bringing his involvement with OM to a close. He looks back on his 50 years of ministry, reflecting on all that God has accomplished, and shares what has sustained him throughout this journey.
My journey with OM began 50 years ago during my four years of Bible training in the United States. In the summer of 1974, I decided to take part in a three-week mission in southern Italy with OM. Two years later, at the end of my studies, I set off for France for a year of training.
After joining a summer team in 1976 in Toulouse and Tarbes ('One Way'), and with little money in my pocket, I returned to Scotland to see my family and then visited a friend in Cambridge. However, I did not have enough money to buy a ticket to the orientation conference in Heverlee, near Brussels. So, I bought a ticket that would at least get me to Brussels. In my pocket, I had only a few French and British coins, which were useless in Belgium at the time. I had no idea what to do or how to manage, especially as I did not speak French. On the train leaving Cambridge, I cried out to God: "What am I going to do? I don’t even speak French!"
Arriving at London’s Victoria Station around midnight, in cold and rainy weather, I boarded a packed train to Brussels and ended up sitting in the entrance area for lack of space. Just before the doors closed, who stepped on board? None other than George Verwer, the founder of OM! We got to know each other, crossed the Channel together, and he even paid for my ticket from Brussels to the conference! That moment was a deep source of encouragement and marked the true beginning of my adventure with OM.
First steps in missions
For two years, I worked with a university team evangelising students in the south of France and in Paris while learning French. After that, I joined a pioneering team of five people. Together, we helped establish a church in Fontenay-sous-Bois.
I then took over from Chris Short in organising the summer outreaches. Under his leadership, OM in Europe had mobilised 3,600 participants over six years — 600 each summer — spread across France. These summer outreaches later expanded across Europe with the launch of Love Europe. At the launch conference in 1989, 6,700 people gathered in Offenburg before setting out across the continent.
The success of the Love Europe outreaches was so great that our computers were overwhelmed with registrations. Each OM country had to take in more participants. In France, we had 550 team members divided into three groups — Lyon, Sète and Paris — working primarily among Muslims. A defining phrase from that time, which became a motto for organising the teams, was: "Just get on the bus."
With 10 coaches in the car park, each team leader had to record the names of every passenger before boarding. We evangelised major cities all across Europe. In Lyon alone, our team had 380 people!
In 1992, I handed over this responsibility to my friend Stéphane Deredjian and became the director of OM in France. Based in Fontenay-sous-Bois, we decided to relocate part of OM in France’s ministry to the Pays de la Loire, a region with very few churches. In 1998, together with my friend Marcel Georgel and our families, we moved there to develop a pioneering project.
New horizons and training
After 10 years as director, I joined Wycliffe before returning to OM to focus on training. For a decade, I served as a trainer for the Leadership Matters Course (PLM in French), particularly in Francophone Africa. Today, African trainers are continuing this mission in Central Africa.
At the same time, I also led a church in Montpellier, experiencing the highs and lows of spiritual ministry on the ground. Working as a team was a great source of support. Unlike many pastors in France, who are often isolated, I have been fortunate to always work surrounded by others.
Inspiring readings — C.S. Lewis, Martin Lloyd-Jones, Robert Clinton (The Making of a Leader) — as well as my colleagues, have been invaluable pillars throughout my journey.
And Scripture has always been present. Just eight months after I became a Christian, I joined a Bible school. Every class captivated me, as if a promised land was unfolding before me. The woman who led me to the Lord was my high school teacher. Her love for the Bible left a deep impression on me, and Scripture became my compass.
Significant moments
Some of my fondest memories include purchasing the headquarters in Pontault-Combault in 1997, the work in the Pays de la Loire, and the teams we formed there. I also organised three visits to France for two of OM’s ships.
In 1995, in Nantes, despite strikes paralysing the country, George Verwer came to preach to the youth, and we evangelised the people of Nantes. Those 10 days remain unforgettable, although organising a ship visit in Europe — where it attracts few people — was a challenge.
A deep gratitude
I am immensely grateful to have been part of a unique movement founded by an equally exceptional man. George Verwer, from my home region in New Jersey, became a disciple of Jesus by reading the Gospel of John, just as I did. He deeply believed in the responsibility to share the gospel with every person on earth. This spirit of seeking the lost sheep and the joy of finding them still characterises OM today.
A big thank you to my colleagues and, especially, to my wife Danièle, who worked as an accountant for OM and Farel before the computer age.
A story that summarises everything
During a visit to Wœrth, a village north of Strasbourg, France, Béatrice, from Brittany (a spiritual desert), shared her story:
“In 1980, two young Swedish women knocked on our door to sell a book called One Way. Out of kindness, my mother gave them some francs. The book stayed on the table, but I ended up reading it. Before the team left, I believed.”
This story perfectly illustrates OM’s mission: to bring about dynamic communities of disciples of Jesus among the least-reached people groups with the gospel. I remain convinced that France is one of those peoples.