History
Go Ye Fellowship traces its history back to the early 1930's when Andrew E. and Jennie Mitchell received a vision for foreign mission evangelism.
At their local church, Jennie organized a Sunday School class for young married couples, who called themselves the Go-Ye Bible Class after Matthew 28:19. They pledged $50 a month for missions, wrote letters of encouragement, and met weekly to intercede for each missionary by name.
Jennie challenged the class to take on the full support of one of their own couples and send them out. First one couple, and then another, went to southwestern China. Next a couple left for Borneo, and another for India.
The Mitchells' son Hubert and his wife, Helen, obeyed God's call to Sumatra and were soon included among those supported by the Go-Ye Bible Class.
By 1936, the senior Mitchells saw the need for a stronger home-support base, and the Go-Ye Bible Class became the "Go-Ye Fellowship," an interdenominational missions group with the motto: "No division in Christ, no unity out of Christ."
Over the years, Go Ye ministries included a missionary training institute, radio programs, Bible studies, rallies, field visits, fund raising, art, literature and printing, in addition to sending missionaries.
By 1944 the growth of the Fellowship necessitated incorporation, and the mission became The "Go-Ye" Fellowship, Inc. Soon Go Ye could claim workers on every habitable continent.
Jennie and Andrew trekked across continents bringing the good news of Jesus Christ, visiting and encouraging the Go Ye missionaries. Andrew died in 1964. In 1967, Hubert Mitchell took over leadership of the mission. Jennie continued to minister worldwide until her Homegoing at 92 years, in Nairobi, Kenya, in 1977.
In 1993, Go Ye President Hubert Mitchell handed the reins to Bill Gustafson. The mission had 34 missionaries.
In order to build relationships with the worldwide missions community and draw on advanced resources for a growing number of missionaries, Go Ye moved in 1993 to the campus of the U.S. Center for World Mission in Pasadena, its present headquarters.
In January 2004, Go Ye Fellowship brought its missionaries together for its first Convocation. After 11 years as President, Bill Gustafson turned over the leadership to Gordon Rohn. By this time the mission had grown to 61 missionaries.
Since the Convocation, Go Ye has gained 21 missionaries but lost several as some of our pioneer missionaries have died or retired, resulting in a work force that is, on the average, considerably younger.
Today Go Ye Fellowship includes approximately 65 missionaries, working throughout the world, served by a home staff of six.
The year 2007 occasioned a grand celebration of Go Ye's seventy-five years of missionary service. Go Ye Missionaries and friends came from the far corners to gather for a feast of food, fellowship, and praise to the Lord. A special delight was the presence of one of Go Ye's first missionaries, Borneo Bob Williams, 95 years old.
What a heritage! What a godly example to follow!
