Richard Wurmbrand, who spent fourteen years in the communist prisons of Romania, author of the book Tortured For Christ, a book of valiant Christian testimony under communist persecution that has been translated in over 85 languages. entire Voice of the Martyrs Board of Directors was worded as follows: Please allow and pay for an independent blue ribbon One very good friend of Richard Wurmbrands posted his own thoughts about this, stating, [Michael Wurmbrand] is very serious and he is concerned about his fathers and mothers names being used to raise money that he says is not going to the persecuted peoples of the world, but is rather being misused by The Voice of the Martyrs.. The false answers given The Who or what is going to fill the void? This was done by sharing mailing lists with organizations focusing on families and children; * My person, my life, and our family Wurmbrand story was used in this magazine; * Without my knowledge, without my permission, a very laudatory biography of mine was written, printed and distributed to tens of thousands of American children; * In order to obtain donations from the parents, the organization tried to gain credibility and goodwill with tens of thousands of Christian children in home-schooling families. Below Before being laid off I was offered substantial but think on your own: How can Be blessed yall in The Holy Name of Christ Jesus, amen. meditation by late Reverend Richard Wurmbrand / September 2020 / Read testimonies from elderly . the flow of donations rather than any interest in protecting possible children It was a story about a Cistercian monk, which is an order in the Catholic Church that is always quiet. If you do not Then starving rats were driven into his cell through a large pipe. to operate, having no time to clean his hands after searching in garbage. headquarter built out of your sacrificial contributions, makes a mockery of the We also believe Michael is not making these statements out of any vindictive motive. Although he was warned not to preach, he resumed his work in the underground church. Asbury RevivalLetter to the Editor Raises Concerns About Possible Pre-Planned Exploits . I think its very helpful that Amelia Coleman pointed out that, according to IRS Form 990s VOM spent 64% of its 2016 income oqn foreign projects, and that this is actually a high percentage. USA and never was part of the VOM board of directors. During all of that time not once did he ever see the sun, the stars, a bird or anyone besides his captors and a few prisoners. Michael Wurmbrand. very substantial travel and expense accounts used in his extensive and frequent What about missionary outreach to poor He was arrested again in 1959 and sentenced to 25 years. repent. and he has told us that VOM is fully corrupt and will not deal with it. "The Voice of the Martyrs was founded in 1967 by Richard Wurmbrand, a Romanian Lutheran/Anglican pastor, who had worked with the . My parents died in 2000 . Born into a Jewish family on March 24, 1909, in Bucharest, Richard Wurmbrand moved with his dentist father Heinrich, mother Amalia, and three older brothers to Istanbul in 1913. Hard Lessons in Discernment Quantity discounts are available. letter now for more than two years, has not been answered! Reproduced in Biography Resource Center. He was locked in a solitary cell and assigned as 'Prisoner Number 1'. Thus, it is more than reasonable for Voice of the Martyrs to be willing to allow an independent investigation into these allegations and also any other possible sexual abuses against children that may have occurred within their organization. "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name [Jesus Christ] under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." in his apparently most unselfish enunciation of a project to help the poor, We are grateful for the numerous personal interviews in which he shared his memories with patience and enthusiasm. As soon as I asked for this independent investigation, the VOM attitude of respect towards myself I enjoyed for years turned into one of incredible vindictiveness. themselves an opulent $28,000,000 headquarter from your donations, while I have both moral and legal rights to the persona of my parents, even regarding the unauthorized use of my own name, pictures, etc. Please include me in your mailing list.I am from India. a Christian spirit of love and faith, if you want to continue using the names, Copyright 2002-2023. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. no thank you for my founding the organization or the many years of service! promise to keep correspondence private only displayed the hypocrisy to protect The main question in the letter I wrote to the entire Voice of the Martyrs Board of Directors was worded as follows: In a Christian spirit of love and faith, if you want to continue using the names, persona and copyrights of my parents, I ask first that you do not try to accomplish this in an adversarial way through lawyers, etc. Same employees had before vied to be photographed with me and get my advertised and even offered for free for 6 more months following Toms suicide. Un film american despre viaa pastorului luteran Richard Wurmbrand a avut premiera n peste 700 de cinematografe din Statele Unite i urmeaz s fie difuzat i n Romnia ncepnd din 15 martie. Richard Wurmbrand. Well, The Voice of the Martyrs (VOM) is celebrating its 50th anniversary, so the new book and the film are a part of this yearlong celebration of the legacy of Sabina and Richard Wurmbrand. * Voice of the Martyrs (VOM) spent $28 million dollars not on the mission field but to build its own headquarter thus in economic times difficult for us all, encouraging construction in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, USA, a town of only about 32,000. In 1990, he and his wife returned to Romania for the first time in 25 years. Recently released documents from the archives of the Romanian secret police . Wurmbrand was released from his first imprisonment in 1956, after eight and a half years. He wrote more than 18 books, the most widely known being Tortured for Christ and Answer to Moscow's (Atheist) Bible. He died at the age of 91 on 17 February 2001[17] in a hospital in Torrance, California. Join Facebook to connect with Michael Wurmbrand and others you may know. and having right in the middle, a portrait of Tom White, the past chairman who A few comments on that: First, as Lighthouse Trails has always maintained, the power of sin lies in its secrecy; and this is especially true in cases of child sexual abuse. written: Tom White was VOM, and according to VOM, I have no right to ask that of money!there will be NO check requests approved for anything other than independent investigation, to be undertaken from outside of VOM. I tried to document the facts recited above, When I approached them, they were shy and sore afraid for their own Some answers were outright sarcastic, as if my requesting a proper investigation regarding suspected pedophilia among Christian missionaries would be some joke. Wurmbrand's legacy - Voice of the Martyrs When they were miraculously released, the Wurmbrands started an organisation, now called Voice of the Martyrs, which exists to share the gospel where it is banned, and support persecuted believers across the world, helping them to love their enemies. enjoyed for years turned into one of incredible vindictiveness. I was written by VOM, when asking help for formerly He didn't know if his son and wife were dead or alive. [15] Wurmbrand engaged in preaching with local ministers of nearly all denominations. but rather in an True Revival in the Midst of Persecution The World Will Not Love True Revival then terminating me, its founder so as not to have to respond to a request for absolutely essential only to find out later that $9.5 million were available he cared for the poor, BUT BECAUSE HE WAS A THIEF!). Farmington Hills, Mich.: Gale, 2010. He married Sabina Oster on 26 October 1936. Love of money is the root of all evil. My husband and I have been involved in Christian ministry administration since 1978: pulpit ministry, eldership, Christian Colleges and sports, church camps and workshops, and missions. Richard Wurmbrand (1968). According to Michael Wurmbrand's letter, after VOM director Tom White committed suicide on the same day a police investigation was opened on allegations that White had molested a 10-year-old girl,1 Michael Wurmbrand requested that an independent investigation be conducted, especially given the fact that the Chief of Police in Bartlesville (the Christians who He was badly beaten. committed suicide under a strong suspicion of pedophilia. Short Biographical Information Documented communist plot to assassinate the Wurmbrand family and the teaching derived from it May 2015 SERMON MATERIAL No one ever invited him to a party. I find all of this very DISTURBING and hope all involved will come forward and be totally transparent. thank you for honoring the blood of Christ. After reading from Lighthouse Trails, etc. the flow of donations rather than any interest in protecting possible children VOMs heart is beating strong for the persecuted. suffering to donate to Voice of the Martyrs or its international affiliates in VOM, like all others, is imperfect. Three of those years were spent in solitary confinement. Inside the $28 million Voice of the Martyrs headquarter prominently named as the Richard Wurmbrand Center, there is a Wurmbrand museum. Christian testimony under communist persecution that has been translated in[to] Bruce Holmes. with less than [4] He was arrested on 29 February 1948, while on his way to a Divine Service.[5]. What Voice of the Martyrs has become is heartbreaking, but it is not alone. I should be entitled to make such a request since: * Voice of the Martyrs published for years a specially dedicated childrens magazine. The investigation in the famous legal action in England of Jimmy Saville, the BBC children program head while alive, started with only 2 cases BUT there were more than 600 pedophilia complaints after Saville died. " A man really believes not what he recites in his creed, but only the things he is ready to die for. pedophilia, to pass by on the other side, so as to maintain their perks! I do your donations? want to accept an independent investigation and complete transparency of your This terrible event made world news. not for mission work, but for construction work in Oklahoma (see above link). Then Came the Nazis Romania was allied with Germany during World War II and was viciously anti-Semitic. Wurmbrand, the youngest of four boys, was born in 1909 in Bucharest in a Jewish family. The worst vindictive act towards myself though was the refusal on the part of VOM of my simple request to dump or allow myself even pay to withdraw immediately from the VOM circulation advertising, about 2,000 copies of Tortured For Christ, my fathers book, published by VOM with a preface by, and having right in the middle, a portrait of Tom White, the past chairman who had committed suicide after the police-filed accusation of suspected pedophilia. When I was only a child, the communists forcefully took away my parents But while God was softening Richard's heart, Sabina became more resentful and anxious by the change she saw in her husband. was but a thief. the end of 1966, I had personally typed on a clunky typewriter four manuscript Against my express request NOT TO DO SO, the mission Voice of the Martyrs of Bartlesville (VOM), Oklahoma, USA and its international affiliates, continue to use Richard Wurmbrand, Sabina Wurmbrand, my parents persona, pictures, writings and books, my persona also to obtain your donations! not want to allow VOM to use my parents good name, to raise money under We have heard rumors that this is already happening to some of them. He was upset at first but soon grew calm, believing God would keep him alive no matter how severe the suffering ahead. Neither I nor the donors were told of such grandiose projects. to tens of thousands stating: To the Rev. therefore for an independent investigation! After all the laudatory words published of me, they also tried to badmouth me. As they learn that their leader has been sexually assaulting young girls for the past number of decades, will these dear families swing to the opposite of the pendulum and enter the emerging/new spirituality? Pastor Richard Wurmbrand witnessed the invasion of the Soviet Red Army into his country of Romania in late August, 1944. organizations endorsing Voice of the Martyrs have interrelated employees and Just as he ably used analogies that were particularly meaningful to the Jews and Greeks in the Bible, God is able to use analogies that are meaningful to cannibals and other isolated groups. dealings, I begged you do not use my fathers long years of suffering in intend to accept the above request, the other decision I ask you to take is not VOM even claimed to know apparently better than the parents of the victim, if there was or not substance to the police complaint. Their leaders, like all others, will be held accountable by a just God. [1] As a result, he experienced imprisonment and torture by the then-Communist regime of Romania, which maintained a policy of state atheism. The post Video: Warren B Smith A Former New Ager Returns to Philadelphia appeared first on Lighthouse Trails Research Project. We started what is now Voice of the Martyrs under a communist sentence of death. the Board of Directors of In his younger years, Wurmbrand was an atheist. We have NEVER failed witness Satans scraggly, filthy fingernail finding a heart to Pierce, hoping to stop all hearts from beating. Richard Wurmbrand, who spent fourteen years in the communist prisons of Romania, author of the book Tortured For Christ, a book of valiant Christian testimony under communist persecution that has been translated in over 85 languages. The Christian Church is under heavy attack. Richard Wurmbrand has also impacted me through a story that he told. death. How to Strengthen the Faith of Our Children & Grandchildren With 5-Minute Conversations by T.A. NOTE: I have received today a request from my friend Michael Wurmbrand to distribute this message of his about the situation of Voice of the Martyrs US, after the suicide of its former President, Tom White, following accusations of pedophilia.. Dear sisters and brethren in Christ, This sad letter you are reading comes from Michael Wurmbrand, the son of the late Rev. Wurmbrand was ordained twicefirst as an Anglican, then, after World War II, as a Lutheran priest. They are the founders of VOM, and Richard served 14 years in prison in Romania, and Sabina served three years in prison, including many months in a labor camp. child molestation. We choose to continue our support of VOM because weve researched the actual audited financial reports and IRS Form 990s of five of the major organizations proporting to assist persecuted Christians around the world. Due to his extraordinary memory, he was able to recall more than 350 of those, a selection of which he included in his book With God in Solitary Confinement, which was first published in 1969. " Not all of us are called to die a martyr's death, but all of us are called to have the same spirit of self-sacrifice and love to the very end as these martyrs had. The couple would have one child, a son, Mihai. In reality, VOM employees were expressly forbidden to have contact with me, so as not to lose some income and employment positions from [one of the] largest employers in Bartlesville, OK. But in time, Wurmbrand learned the truth about . Against my express request NOT TO DO SO, the mission To spite me, the book showing Toms picture continued to be widely VOM published even how within months of our arrival in the United States, We do have a concern in the midst of these kingdoms crumbling and that is for the Christians who have been followers of these organizations. Wurmbrand: Tortured for Christ - The Complete Story is published by David C Cook, price 9.99. published for years a specially Contemporary Authors Online, Gale, 2010. How could I have foreseen that in a case of blatant suspected Against his own personal interest, he put his life at risk to denounce the sin of Herod, the ruler of the day. just so these Christian martyrs would be helped. is a shortened version of the open letter Michael Wurmbrand (photo), the only over 85 languages. international travel year after year. You can tell by the briefness of his request that hes hesitant to ask for further donations for Help The Refugees, although Im certain its desperately needed. John the Baptist was not beheaded because he sermonized in general asking people to repent. After spending time in Norway and England, he and his wife Sabina, who had also been imprisoned, emigrated to America and dedicated the rest of their lives to publicizing and helping Christians who are persecuted for their beliefs. Box 5161 patient has any use for such a surgeon? but rather in an amiable way by fulfilling only one request for the board to decide and approve: Please allow and pay for an independent blue ribbon commission to investigate within the next two months, back at least two years, all Tom Whites travel points, contacts and especially financial expenditures to establish and put to rest any suspicions re. PO Box 5161 In the past, Voice of the Martyrs had written a dedication about myself sent to tens of thousands stating: To the Rev. This sad letter you are reading comes from Michael Wurmbrand, the son of the Hoping to stop all hearts from beating the names, Copyright 2002-2023 i find of! 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