Collection 34 [December 1, 2004]
BGEA: Tokyo Office; 1967
Records; 1966-1976, n.d.
1 Box (DC, .5 cubic feet), Photographs
Restrictions
All materials in this collection are on deposit from the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and may not be copied without written permission from the BGEA. Any researcher who wishes to request permission must get the required form from the Archives staff. It is the responsibility of the researcher to fill out the form and send it to the BGEA.
Historical Background
The Tokyo Office of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) grew out of the successful Billy Graham Crusade in Tokyo in 1967. During that crusade, a special edition of the BGEA's tabloid Decision was edited for the Japanese by Kenneth McVety. After the end of the crusade in October, President Donald Hoke of Tokyo Christian College, Rev. Akira Hatori (Graham's interpreter during the crusade), and McVety showed Graham substantial donations which had come in from Japan for publishing Decision in Japanese and they persuaded him to authorize the magazine's publication on a regular basis. After a period of producing bi-monthly issues, it went to a monthly publication schedule. The name Ketsudan no Toki (Your Time of Decision) was adopted. Each issue was made up partly of articles written by Japanese and partly of translations of articles from the United States' edition of the magazine. Sherwood Wirt, edition of Decision, worked closely with McVety, editorial associate and later editor of the Japanese edition.
A branch office of the BGEA in Japan had been set up as an unincorporated, non-profit body
with McVety as director. In the beginning the Word of Life Press of the Evangelical Alliance
Mission (TEAM) helped the Tokyo office by allowing it to use its foreign exchange facilities.
By 1971 the staff included, besides McVety, fourteen Japanese members. The office was
involved in several other activities besides Kesudan no Toki. In 1969 it began arranging for the
showing in Japan of the films of World Wide Pictures (WWP), the BGEA's movie production
subsidiary. These showings usually involved a follow-up program for those interested in finding
out more about Christianity. In 1973 WWP made a film especially for Japan called Shiokari
Togi. The film was later released in the United States as Shiokari Pass. The Tokyo office also,
starting in 1973, aided the television crusades office of the BGEA in arranging for the showing of
a series of Billy Graham television programs and coordinating local churches in follow-up. Biography
*****
Kenneth McVety grew up in Moose Jaw, Canada, and attended Canadian Bible College in Regina, where he met his wife, Olive. After their graduation, they traveled to Japan as missionaries of the Evangelical Alliance Mission (TEAM). In 1950 they founded Word of Life Press in Japan to publish Christian literature. The publishing house eventually grew to over 140 full staff members and published translations of the Bible into thirty-eight Asian languages.
McVety began as director of the BGEA's operations in Japan after the 1967 Tokyo Crusade,
which he helped plan. He continued to hold his preaching and publishing responsibilities. In
addition he also served on the board of Tokyo Christian College, Ochanomizu Student Christian
Center, Total Mobilization Evangelism, and Wycliffe Bible Translators. The McVetys had four children: Sharon, Rose Ann, Jonathan and Daniel.
Scope and Content
[NOTE: In the Scope and Content section, the notation "folder 2-5 means box 2, folder 5.]
The bulk of this collection consists of correspondence, although there are also folders containing posters, Bible study kits, and publicity for films, television programs, crusades, and books. Issues of Ketsudan no Toki were sent to the Billy Graham Center Library. Folders are arranged alphabetically according to title.
The correspondence is almost all between McVety and other departments heads of the BGEA, although a few early letters are with other participants in the 1967 Tokyo Crusade. Sherwood Wirt and Roger Palms, Wirt's replacement as editor, sent regular reports to all the editors of different editions of Decision bringing them up to date on new developments. These reports illustrate very well the internal workings of the magazine. Correspondence with WWP was usually with either William Brown, David Barr, or Kenneth Bliss and involved scheduling of films, finances, follow-up results, dubbing procedures, and the production of Shiokaro Togi. There are many letters and reports from 1970-1976 on the latter film dealing with the development of story concept, problems with distribution, reaction, and the preparation of the film for the U.S. market. Correspondence with Chuck Ward from 1973 to 1976 concern the problems and opportunities of using television as a means for communicating the gospel. Also in the correspondence files are some of the yearly reports McVety filed summing up twelve months of activities and containing numerous quotes from people who had been affected by the BGEA's activities. Other correspondents within the BGEA include George Wilson, Cliff Barrows, W. B. Berryman (director of the Australian office), Russ Busby, and Walter Smyth. Of special interest are newsletters from WWP telling about their activities, several memos in 1972 from John Pollock asking for help in collecting several types of personal testimonies for a book Pollock was writing about the effect of Graham's crusades, and several addresses by Wirt in the folder for the years 1966 to 1970 on Christian literature. They were probably given at a Christian Writer's School.
The posters used in Japan by the BGEA were extremely colorful, as illustrated by the samples in
this collection. They are for every phase of the work of the Tokyo office - Ketsudan no Toki,
television, crusades, films. The folder of publicity materials for the films also contains a number
of color stills from Shiokari Togi. Three folders contain records from the 1967 Tokyo crusade
including instructions on how to carry out visitation, (during the crusade over four million homes
were visited by Christian workers who wanted each family to come hear Graham) and the Bible
study booklets given to those who came forward at the meeting.
*****
Provenance
The records in this collection were received by the Billy Graham Center Archives in December 1977 from the Tokyo office of the BGEA.
Accession 77-26, 77-27
Robert Shuster
November 4, 1977
LOCATION RECORD
Accession 77-26, 77-27
Type of material: Artifacts
The following items have been given to the CENTER MUSEUM:
BGEA, Tokyo, Posters:
Billy Graham television programs; 1974-1977.
Decision; 1968-1976.
World Aflame; 1969-1976.
World Wide Pictures films; 1972-1977.
Tokyo Crusade (1967); 1967
*****
LOCATION RECORD
Accession 77-26, 77-27
Type of material: Photographs
The following items are located in the PHOTO FILE unless otherwise noted. Request by
the boldfaced folder titles at the beginning of each entry below:
WORLD WIDE PICTURES, SHIOKAIR TOGI. Eight color stills, 10" x 14.5" from the film
Shiokari Togi.
CONTAINER LIST
| Box | Folder | Description | |
| BGEA, Tokyo: Correspondence; | |||
| 1 | 1 | 1966-1970, n.d. | |
| 1 | 2 | 1971, n.d. | |
| 1 | 3 | 1972, n.d. | |
| 1 | 4 | 1973, n.d. | |
| 1 | 5 | 1974, n.d. | |
| 1 | 6 | 1975, n.d. | |
| 1 | 7 | 1976, n.d. | |
| BGEA, Tokyo: Publicity for: | |||
| 1 | 8 | Decision; 1969-1970, n.d. | |
| 1 | 9 | Billy Graham television porgrams; 1974-1977 | |
| 1 | 10 | World Wide Pictures films; 1972-1977 | |
| BGEA, Tokyo Crusade, 1967: | |||
| 1 | 11 | Miscellaneous Materials; n.d. | |
| 1 | 12 | Visitation Materials; 1967 | |