History

Asia Christian Services has become a movement of evangelists and workers across SouthEast Asia.

J. Russell Morse and his wife Gertrude accepted a call to go to Tibet from the Missionary Pioneer Doctor Albert Shelton in 1921. After one seven-year term in Tibet, the Morse family moved east to western China to evangelize among the Lisu tribe. The family with four children, and coworkers who came to help, successfully led to thousands of converts. They worked steadily for over 20 years including through World War II, until China fell to communism and drove them into Northern Burma in 1949. In Burma they continued work among the Lisu and added a new outreach to the Rawang Tribe including translating the Bible into that language. Political changes forced then to permanently leave Burma in 1965. With tens of thousands of Christians and church leaders in their footprint, part of the family relocated in Thailand to continue working with the Lisu and other hill tribes in that country.

In 1966, LaVerne Morse the youngest son, established Asia Christian Services to empower the tribal leaders still in Burma to continue the missionary work. He worked tirelessly through his lifetime in his role as a Missions Bible College Professor in the USA and the Director of ACS. He continually challenged Asian leaders with annual visits and many letters using his six fluent Asian languages. He guided them to move south and plant churches throughout the country and to cross the tribal and language barriers to as many of the 152 Burmese tribal groups as possible. Leadership training centers and Bible Colleges were established throughout Burma and Thailand. Radio broadcasts into remote tribal areas in new languages were begun. Bible translations into the native tongues of the new tribes were also initiated.

Over 40 tribes now have reproducing churches planted by these workers. A reproducing church is one that is sending out evangelists to establish churches in other places within that tribe and to reach new tribes. In some of these 40 tribes, every village has a church. Ministry to children has opened the understanding of closed-minded parents. Wells and water projects have opened the doors to new communities. Medical work and disaster relief are often bridges to reach the new areas. Through these native missionary evangelists, churches have also been established across the borders of Bangladesh, NE India, and Thailand. LaVerne also led strategic outreaches and gave council and wisdom to evangelize into Cambodia, Laos, Viet Nam, India, and Malaysia.

ACS empowers Asian national missionaries to reach the unreached, plant churches and disciple believers. Your financial support adds fuel to the fire of evangelism that is burning in the hearts of these native workers. Regular monthly support of $100 to $200 will empower a native evangelist to relocate to a new unreached tribal area.