“All the paths ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be.” Psalm 139:16
Great is His faithfulness
Conception: 1997-1998
OneWay Founder, Michael Thompson, and his wife Rachel serve as missionaries in Ghana, West Africa with Pioneers. During this time, a vision for OneWay Ministries is born.
In the Beginning: 2000
OneWay Ministries is formally established. OneWay’s first short-term team is sent out as African and American teammates joined hands for a month of outreach throughout Ghana.
The Early Years: 2000-2006
OneWay’s vision slowly grows as projects and partnerships are established. Evangelism and training teams are sent to Ghana and Botswana 1-2 times per year.
A New Era: 2006
In October 2006, Director Michael Thompson begins serving with OneWay full-time. A growing team of volunteers work together as new ministries develop.
A Growing Team: 2007
God graciously raises up new workers and expands the ministry. Jim and Heidi Johanik officially come on board. A core team of volunteers devote significant hours to the ministry. Ray and Cynthia Mensah become OneWay’s first full-time international missionaries, overseeing the Livingstone School of Missions and a growing team of national missionaries in Botswana.
Stateside, nearly 5,000 copies of Driftings, OneWay Studios’ new evangelistic Christmas album, are distributed. OneWay leadership begins to seriously look for a place to potentially relocate the ministry to accomodate future growth.
An Exciting Year Unfolds: 2008
OneWay sends its largest short-term team to date to Botswana. Twenty-one student atheletes from Wabash College conduct sports ministry camps in partnership with the existing national missionary team. An estimated 1,000 indicate decisions for Christ in the schools, prisons and villages of the unreached Ngamiland region.
OneWay launches OneVoice, a new ministry aimed at recording and distributing evangelistic audio material among oral people groups.
Continuing to Grow: 2009
With the launch of Prayercast.com and the growth of other ministries, OneWay is fast outgrowing its basement facility. Anticipation builds towards moving into new office space offered to us by Wellness Inc.
A Landmark Year: 2010
OneWay finally moves out of its first home (a basement) and into a 7,000 sq. ft. office building in Aurora, IL that God graciously provided in answer to years of prayer and searching. Many volunteer to help make the facility ministry-ready!
Our internship program expanded to include ten wonderful interns who were a tremendous help to the work.
Prayercast continues to grow its online resources, spurred on by a partnership project with Operation World. Chris Ruge joins OneWay’s staff full-time and takes on the leadership of this strategic prayer mobilization ministry.