Open Air Campaigners US Incorporated

Summary

Open Air Campaigners ("OAC") is an interdenominational evangelistic mission which has been taking the good news of Jesus Christ to those outside the church since 1892 (since 1956 in the US). OAC assists and equips local churches in effective open air outreaches, working through field offices located throughout the US and abroad. OAC evangelists go wherever non-Christians can be reached effectively with the gospel. City-center open-air meetings are an important part of the work in many countries, but the ministry also works in schools, on beaches, in factories, on ships, in hospitals and retirement homes. Much of OAC's work consists of training Christians to communicate their faith more effectively. The ministry gives regular courses at many Bible colleges around the world, as well as in hundreds of local churches, with whom it works closely. OAC is a member of Open Air Campaigners International (OACI) - an association of autonomous OAC affiliates located in other countries around the world and bound together by a common statement of faith and purpose. This organization is a nonprofit, contributions to it are fully tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.

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Organization Details [ Back to top ]

Purpose [ Back to top ]

Open Air Campaigners ("OAC") is an interdenominational evangelistic mission which has been taking the good news of Jesus Christ to those outside the church since 1892 (since 1956 in the US). OAC assists and equips local churches in effective open air outreaches, working through field offices located throughout the US and abroad.

OAC evangelists go wherever non-Christians can be reached effectively with the gospel. City-center open-air meetings are an important part of the work in many countries, but the ministry also works in schools, on beaches, in factories, on ships, in hospitals and retirement homes.

OAC has pioneered a number of visual techniques for presenting the gospel, most notably the sketchboard. In addition, OAC evangelists use other forms of communication, including ventriloquism and object lessons to keep the attention of audiences of all ages.

Much of OAC's work consists of training Christians to communicate their faith more effectively. The ministry gives regular courses at many Bible colleges around the world, as well as in hundreds of local churches, with whom it works closely. Two national open-air training seminars take place in June each year (one in Pennsylvania and another in Boston). This training consists of lecture and workshop instruction, with the vast majority of time spent in on-the-job open-air ministry. Special seminars are held periodically to provide training in all aspects of open-air work.

OAC is a member of Open Air Campaigners International (OACI) - an association of autonomous OAC affiliates located in other countries around the world and bound together by a common statement of faith and purpose. OACI is not a centralized international missionary society. The aim of the organization is to allow the work in each country to take on its own character under local leadership while maintaining a common direction and vision. In the USA, OAC has established branches in Boston, Los Angeles, New York, Baltimore/Washington D.C. and Philadelphia. Other Open Air Campaigners staff minister in Florida, Maryland, Kansas, Minnesota, South Carolina and Wyoming.

This organization is a nonprofit, contributions to it are fully tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.

Mission Statement [ Back to top ]

Open Air Campaigners expresses its statement of purpose as follows:

Open Air Campaigners is an evangelistic ministry of preaching the Gospel to lost people and mobilizing the body of Christ primarily through effective open-air outreach.


OAC's motto is:

Presenting Christ By All Means Everywhere

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Statement of Faith [ Back to top ]

Open Air Campaigners subscribe to the following doctrine:

The Scriptures: We believe God inspired all the words of the Bible without error in the original writings to give mankind his authoritative message.

The Godhead: We believe in one God eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Jesus Christ: We believe in his full deity, his virgin birth, his real humanity, his sinless life, his substitutionary death, his bodily resurrection, his ascension into heaven, his present ministry as High Priest and his future personal return to this earth.

The Holy Spirit: We believe in his full deity. He convicts sinners and saves those who believe in Christ. He indwells, seals and places believers into the body of Christ. He gives spiritual gifts and the power to live the Christian life.

Man: We believe that God created all things as described in Genesis. We believe that the first man, Adam, sinned, bringing spiritual death to all mankind, who, therefore, stand condemned, making the new birth absolutely necessary.

Salvation: We believe that God gives eternal life to those who repent and put their faith in Christ alone, justifying them by the blood of Christ and imputing his righteousness to them.

The Church: We believe in the universal church to which all believers belong. We believe in the importance of the local church which is made up of believers who gather for worship, fellowship and teaching. We believe in the responsibility of the Church to fulfil the Great Commission of Christ, preaching the Gospel to all nations.

The Future: We believe in the eternal existence of the soul, the resurrection of the body, the eternal blessedness of believers, the eternal punishment of unbelievers.

History [ Back to top ]

Open Air Campaigners began in 1892 When a lawyer in Australia named E. P. Field, began preaching the Gospel in Sydney. He was concerned that the majority of Australians did not attend church. If someone did not take the Gospel to them, how would they ever hear? The group of people who came to help E.P. Field first called themselves the New South Wales Prayer Band. Later, the name Open Air Campaigners was adopted.

Following the principle of taking the Gospel to where the people are, rather than waiting for them to come to us, Beach Sunday Schools began. OAC teams regularly took the Gospel to Australian beaches, reaching crowds of young people who rarely, if ever, went to Sunday School. OAC’s evangelists have always been innovative. Early in our history, we adopted visual techniques, using sketch boards to illustrate our messages.

Before the second world war, we were using Gospel Wagons so teams could quickly take the Gospel to many people. We used music, drama, puppets, object lessons and more to communicate clearly and powerfully to non-captive audiences.

The hymn writer from America, Homer Rodeheaver, visited in Sydney and reported: "I have been in the thick of evangelistic work for 20 years; Billy Sunday and I thought we had explored every avenue of doing God's work effectively, but I have come to Sydney only to discover we have more to learn. Those efficiently equipped vans eclipse anything in America." It was not until 1956 that Open Air Campaigners came to North America when an invitation came from Dr. Paul Smith of the Peoples Church in Toronto, Canada. The team toured for seven weeks, ministering in key cities in the United States and Canada.

Jim Duffecy led the initial team and had a profound impact upon the entire history of the work in North America. Mr. Duffecy and his dear wife, Joyce, were born in Sydney, Australia. He was converted to Christ at the age of twelve at an Open Air Campaigners meeting at Coogee Beach. Joyce was four years old when the Lord saved her in Sydney. For twelve years, Jim was employed as a photo engraver on the staff of "The Sydney Sun," one of Australia's largest newspapers. Joining the staff of Open Air Campaigners in 1940, Mr. Duffecy spent three and a half years working with the Australian Army. After World War II, he became a staff evangelist in Sydney before being appointed as Field Director for OAC. In this position, he opened the first overseas branch of Open Air Campaigners in New Zealand in 1954, then during 1956, led the team mentioned above to Canada and the USA, which spearheaded the commencement of the first North American branch in Chicago. Jim and Joyce moved their family to the States the next year where Jim became North American Director and later opened the New York City branch during the 1964 World's Fair. He was appointed International Director at the first International Conference of Open Air Campaigners in 1966 and in 1978 became the International President.

Currently, the ministry of OAC extends to over 19 countries around the world. In the USA, OAC has established branches in Boston, Los Angeles, New York, Baltimore/Washington D.C. and Philadelphia. Other Open Air Campaigners staff minister in Florida, Maryland, Kansas, Minnesota, South Carolina and Wyoming.

Ministry Needs [ Back to top ]

Open Air Campaigners is looking for committed Christians who are willing to use their gifts and abilities to glorify God as people are reached for Christ. A variety of gifts, talents and abilities are needed within our mission including; evangelists, follow-up secretaries, disciplers, church team workers, administrators, and bookkeepers. These positions can be filled by full-time, part-time or volunteer help, including retirees. Open Air Campaigners is a faith ministry whose staff members trust God to supply their personal and ministry needs through His people. Reasonable support levels are set for each person as they trust God to raise up churches and interested individuals for prayer and financial support.

Research Analysis

Transparency Grade [ Back to top ]

MinistryWatch.com 5 Star Financial Efficiency Ratings [ Back to top ]

Ranking Category	Rating	Overall Rank	Evangelism Sector
Overall Efficiency Rating		40 of 353	2 of 27
Fund Acquisition Decision		102 of 353	9 of 27
Resource Allocation Decision		97 of 353	8 of 27
Asset Utilization Decision		46 of 353	5 of 27