The Story of ACTION
In 1961, Will Bruce from China Inland Mission (now OMF) and Marvin and Sara Graves from New Tribes Mission (now Ethnos 360), along with nine other workers and pastors in Manila, decided to form Christ for Greater Manila (CGM) (now Christian Growth Ministries, Inc.) Their first ministry was called Youth Time, and it consisted of large, well-planned rallies held at the Philippine General Hospital in Manila. By the next year, CGM had expanded into camping — something entirely new in the Philippines. Churches had never had family camps or children’s camps. This was a great success and led to purchase of a large tent for meetings. Later, open-air meetings were held, and then a film ministry was started.
When Will Bruce, due to ill health, had to leave the Philippines, a young couple named Doug & Margi Nichols were just finishing Tagalog language school. They were also with OMF and were assigned in 1972 to direct CGM. Under Doug’s leadership, the outreach expanded to include jail ministry, literature work, bookstores, opening of the Bible League, ministry to street children and prostitutes, church planting among the poor, Gospel ads, evangelism, and discipleship and vocational training for street children, with a much larger involvement of Filipino workers. The staff grew to 166.
ACTION Philippines Team - 1980
Because several expatriate workers were involved, it was decided that a mission should be incorporated in the United States to represent their interests. Thus, in 1974 in Chicago, Action International Ministries first started to function. In 1975, ACTION was officially incorporated in the state of Washington.
First ACTION Board of Directors
First ACTION Board of Directors
From those beginnings, the mission now has over 250 members from eighteen different countries, with ministries in over 30 countries.