Evyn is a retired professor, missionary and pastor. He has been working for the OMS International since 1993 in teaching at some of the OMS seminaries and advising in curriculum building. In 1993 he taught at Chungtai Theological College in Taichung, Taiwan, in 1994 at Allahabad Bible Seminary in India and at SAIACS (South Asia Institute for Advanced Christian Studies) in India. From 1995 to 1997 he taught at the Moscow Evangelical Christian Seminary in Russia where he was dean.
Evyn was born in Japan of missionary parents. He served as a missionary of the Board of Global Missions of the United Methodist Church for 15 years from 1951 to 1967 in Hokkaido, Japan. He worked with the United Church of Christ in Japan, engaged in pioneer evangelism, the planting of new churches. He was the founder and director of HOREMCO, a mass communications program of radio, film and print evangelism. In 1967 he turned the program over to Japanese leadership. The ministry of HOREMCO still continues in Hokkaido, being paid for by individuals and churches in Hokkaido.
In 1993, he retired from teaching religion for 22 years at the University of Hawaii and from 12 years as pastor of the Lanakila Congregational Church, a Hawaiian congregation. He is also retired from the Desert Southwest Conference of the United Methodist Church.
Evyn is a graduate of Asbury College (1941), Asbury Theological Seminary (1948), and received his Doctorate in Philosophy of Religion from Drew University, Madison, New Jersey in 1969. His doctoral thesis was a research into the problems of communicating the gospel in Japan.
He has three daughters and five grandchildren, most of who are living on the island of Hawaii. His wife Joy passed away in October 1992. On December 30, 1993, he and Neva Simms were married. Many in Illinois remember James Simms who was killed in an accident. He was a church planter and pastor in Southern Illinois Conference and an inner city specialist for the Board of Global Missions, United Methodist Church.
Neva has two sons in Belleville, both married, and 2 grandchildren.
Neva and Evyn have recently taught intensive courses in Christian history, Theology, Bible and Philosophy as needed in Bangalore, Calcutta, and Allahabad, India; Moscow; Central Asia; Hong Kong; and the Philippines. He is also teaching Christianity in East Asia.
Evyn is a missionary theologian well versed in comparative religion and so will bring a message that will help your people understand the present religious and missionary situation in East Asia, India, or Russia. His message will help anchor your church members in a firm missionary commitment. You will enjoy hearing Evyn for he speaks out of 30 years experience as a pastor, 25 years as a missionary, and 35 years of teaching.
Missionary ID #465380
