Loren Cunningham, founder of Youth With A Mission (YWAM), went to be with Jesus at 88.
Loren Cunningham
On March 1, Loren’s wife, Darren, announced to the public about Loren’s health and cancer diagnosis. She wrote in a Facebook post that the global evangelist had stage 4 cancer, and that the cancer cells had spread throughout his lungs, bones, and lymph system.
She continued, “We have already decided as a family to prioritize Loren’s QUALITY of life over trying to extend the length of time through chemo or other treatments that could reduce his energy and productiveness. He has Jesus, family, friends, and vision. Who could ask for more?”
On October 6, Loren stepped into eternity at the age of 88.
Youth With A Mission
The international missions organization was born from a vision Loren received from God. One night in 1956, as he was praying, God gave him a picture of a moving world map. “I could see all the continents, and waves were crashing onto their shores. Each wave went onto a continent, then receded, then came up further until it covered the continent completely.”
Then, the waves became young people and kids, evangelizing and preaching the Gospel.
Four years later, Loren started YWAM. It challenged the traditional paradigm that missions were not for young people. Today, YWAM has opened doors for youth to serve Christ across the globe. It has expanded to 200+ countries with 1,100 stations.
Loren would often say, “Well, however large it is, it’s not large enough because Jesus’ last commandment to reach the whole world with the Gospel has not been completed.”
Reference: Youth With A Mission
Header Image: YWAM Kona [@ywamkc], Loren Cunningham, Instagram, October 7, 2023, https://www.instagram.com/ywamkc/?img_index=1
