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1964 Pastor Wurmbrand is released from prison in another general amnesty and resumes his work. Rev. W. Stuart Harris and Rev. John Moseley of European Christian Mission arrive in Bucharest. Taking precautions so that they are not followed, Rev. Harris and Rev. Moseley make their way to the little attic home of the Wurmbrands. The pastor recounts some of his prison experiences, while his son, Mihai, looks in the street below to see if anyone is watching. The next day they meet in a park in Bucharest and have their final conversation. Precious Scriptures and other items are handed over. This is the first contact the Wurmbrands have had with outside missionaries since the arrest. 1965 The Wurmbrand family is ransomed from Romania for $10,000 and Richard is again warned by the secret police to keep his mouth shut. |
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| The Wurmbrands travel to Scandinavia and England, then continue on to the United States. Richard is arrested at an antiwar demonstration on Berkeley campus after forcing the microphone from the moderator's hands. The students, taken back by this interruption, are moved by Richard's personal account of Communist brutality. |
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In May, the pastor testifies in Washington DC before the Senate's Internal Security Subcommittee, stripping to the waist and revealing eighteen deep torture wounds on his body. His story spreads rapidly across the country, and the world and hundreds of speaking requests arrive at his home.
1966 Richard and Sabina begin their international speaking tour, revealing the atrocities committed against their brothers and sisters in Communist countries. |
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| Word arrives to Pastor Wurmbrand that the Romanian secret police are plotting to have him assassinated. Even with the continued threat of danger, the pastor cannot be silenced. He continues his speaking tour and becomes known as "The Voice of the Underground Church" and "The Iron Curtain St. Paul." |
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1967 Desiring to serve their persecuted family in a greater way, the Wurmbrands officially begin a ministry committed to this service. In April, "Jesus to the Communist World", later to be named "The Voice of the Martyrs", is formed. "Tortured for Christ", a book highlighting Pastor Wurmbrand's testimony, is released. In October, the first issue of The Voice of the Martyrs monthly newsletter is published in the USA. The desire to assist the persecuted church spreads rapidly as Christian men and women approach Richard offering to leave secular careers and businesses to further the work of The Voice of the Martyrs. |
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| Offices are opened in Germany, Switzerland, Holland, England, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. Within the next few years, VOM missions also begin in Canada, India, Sweden, Finland, Italy, Portugal, and many other countries. | ||||||||||||||||||||
