The Harvey O. Landis, Mission:
For Free Gospel Literature
By: Michael O'Connor
The Harvey O. Landis Mission was established in 1984 as a memorial to
this precious Brother, who was for more than sixty years a Christian colporteur. He
distributed free Gospel Literature to multiplied thousands, maintaining a sizable mailing list until the time of his departure
at age eighty-four. His ministry was an independent labor of love, motivated
by a burning passion for souls. This task was undertaken as a fruit of his own
labors, being without regular support, help, or secretarial assistance. Thus,
he carried on year after year, even in the wake of a series of heart attacks and strokes.
I was child of four and one half years of age when first
meeting Mr. Landis, who was then canvassing our neighborhood as a house-siding representative.
After conversing briefly with mother and I, he presented me with a Sunday School leaflet, then taking my name and address
down with Mom’s permission, he promised to send some children’s Gospel Literature.
From that day in the fall of 1948, I received free Gospel Literature upon a regular basis until he was called-home
in 1966.
Being raised in a Modernist-Church, which preached only
a “social-gospel,” I sincerely believe the Literature he sent over the years played a large part in my heart remaining
open and tender toward our Lord. At the age of about eight and a half years
of age, a playmate’s Christian mother led me to Christ.
I had a powerful experience and arose from my knees with
a strong assurance of salvation, but since the church I attended was spiritually dead, my growth in the Lord was minimal. At age twelve; becoming tired of form and ceremony, I left (and except
for a few occasions), did not attend anywhere for three years.
During these dangerous and crucial adolescent years, even
though I maintained no communication with him, dear old Brother Landis continued without fail to send the Literature: Christmas,
Easter, Thanksgiving, and Birthday; in addition to the regular mailings, brought lovely Scripture verse cards stuffed with
assorted tracts and frequently a brief message.
In June of 1959, I was invited to a Pentecostal church,
and soon thereafter experienced a deep and thorough dedication of my life to the Lord Jesus Christ. That first year was truly glorious, being filled with much Christ-centered activity. Being a youth leader, musician, and Sunday School teacher, kept me very busy for Jesus (still, Mr. Landis
sent the Literature)!
Somehow, a persistent conviction broke through upon my active
teen-age life, that I should write to him and share the good news (I had written to him only once or twice as a young child
at Mom’s prompting, sending get-well cards, etc., when he was very sick). In writing, I shared my Pastor’s words,
“In order for a person to be born-again, someone must bring them to birth in the Spirit;” that is, someone must
pray them through to conversion.
I expressed to Mr. Landis my curiosity as to who had “prayed
me through!” I honestly did not know anyone amongst my relatives or friends
who would have assumed the responsibility of “praying me through!” Within
days, I received a wonderful, encouraging letter from that dear Saint, wherein, finding my answer: “My dear Michael,
I have prayed for you every single day for the past twelve years; every single day.”
It was my happy privilege to thereafter maintain communication,
praying and visiting with him at length on two occasions: The last time being shortly before he left us for a better home. His mementos disclosed a surprisingly long list of personally acknowledged testimonies
of conversions to Christ, as a direct result of his ministry.
We cannot help but ponder, “How many more shall reach
heaven as the result of a Gospel tract?” Only eternity shall reveal the
fruits of this one man’s labor. Only the Lord knows how many were near
to despair; how many were standing on the threshold of suicide; how many were tottering upon the brink of hell.
A simple Gospel tract has been the turning point for millions;
the connecting link from despair and death to hope and heaven! My personal testimony
herein, greatly abbreviated, is but one amongst countless multitudes of similar accounts by those whose lives have been touched
by a Gospel tract.
Another touching account was related years ago by a young
pastor who had suffered a horrible tragedy, and who was upon the brink of a nervous breakdown and the beginning stages of
alcoholism. Just when he felt he could go on no further, he found himself out
of the ministry and riding a city bus, returning from an unemployment agency.
An elderly African-American lady, who appeared rather poor
and shabbily dressed, boarded the front of the bus and stared straight back to where this young man was sitting, looking deeply
into his eyes.
After about twenty minutes, she arose at her designated
bus stop, but as the bus came to a halt, she turned, and literally ran straight to the young pastor. She ran right for him, grabbing his hand, and strongly pressing something into it. She then turned abruptly, without speaking a word, and ran quickly from the bus.
As he opened his hand, there lay a well-worn Gospel tract,
folded four times, with the title thereof being precisely the words needed to unlock his situation. He never again saw that dear lady, but from that moment his life turned around for the Lord (Oh! The power
of a Silent Preacher!).Think of the masses down the ages since the printing process was invented, whose only hope of receiving
Christ’s Gospel has been through the printed page. Yes, the tract has
been called “The Silent Preacher!” And so it is, for it can
go and preach where we cannot!
This Mission is established as a result of more than fifty-five
years of personal burden and conviction. I gave-out my first tract at around
age nine, and as a result, I was sturdily threatened and reprimanded. I left
a little children’s tract (on the three little pigs; the wolf of course, representing the devil) in the door of an elderly
neighbor lady for whom I felt a dread concern. Somehow in my young heart I feared
that she was unsaved and bound for hell (in hindsight, I’m confident that my concern was valid, as she surely exhibited
the behavior of an unsaved person). She seemed in good health, but after angrily
rejecting my tract and threatening to call the police if ever I left another, she lived only a short while. The talk in the neighborhood was that she died a hard death.
Think about this, friends.
Here was an innocent little lad upon whom our Lord had laid his burden for a lost soul.
The lad took the only tract he could find and left it in the door of this one.
God had sent His messenger and His Word. Our Lord surely was doing His
part to reach out to one standing upon the brink of eternity, for he is not willing that any should perish, yet, the sad result
was the rejection of the Lord, His Word, and even a scathing rebuke to the child whom the Lord used.
Our goal is to provide free Christian Literature dealing
with Gospel subjects, via tracts, pamphlets, books, and audio-visual media wherever sincere need is expressed.
Our purpose is to reach the Lost at home and abroad, and
to provide teaching and instructive literature to establish Christian Believers, especially new converts and those young in
the Faith.
The need for such upon the Mission Field is staggering! Both missionaries, and indigenous peoples and ministries are pleading for the same. While they continue to plead, extremists, cultists, and other radicals are running
their presses day and night, flooding these nations with tons of free literature; vomiting out their devilish doctrines which
captivate the hearts and minds of the innocent; gripping them in an evil vice of deception; injecting their souls with lethal
lies and putrid poison, to damn their eternal souls.
Friends! The
hour is late; the night is upon us! What we do, we must do with expedience! Untold millions around the World are lost and certain of an eternity in hell. We must employ every possible means to present to them the Gospel of Christ, rescuing
as many as possible before it is everlastingly too late. In this day of amazing
technology, it is possible as never before, to get the Gospel out to the people, by satellite, short-wave, and more recently,
the internet. Oh! Please, dearly
Beloved! Please! Please! Pray with us that we may be able to reach as many as we are humanly able, by our
Lord’s grace and enablement!
There can be no wiser investment of our time, resources,
devotion, and labor, than in souls. Far greater than any commodity, stock, certificate,
or wager, is the worth of a human life, having an eternal soul! For every soul
won to Christ, hell has no more terrors! Fear, despair, and anguish fade from
view as the realities of a loving Savior and a bright home awaiting in heaven, loom upon the horizon of consciousness.
Dear friends, perhaps you may not feel called to be a “Preacher,”
but we are all called to be Soul-Winners. If you cannot preach, you have the
power in your hand to send a “preacher” in your stead. I speak of
that little piece of paper known as the Gospel Tract!
This vision, this ministry, this mission, continuing in
the train of our Brother, Harvey O. Landis, is a labor of love, being absolutely non-profit, non-denominational, and non-sectarian! Mr. Landis was one of the most dedicated souls ever I have known! All his life he lived frugally in a ghetto area with the most meager fare, laboring long into the night,
toiling and working in secular jobs so long as he was physically able, so that others could receive the bread of life.
My last memory of him is precious. He had recovered from heart attacks and strokes, and though somewhat impaired, was still of sound mind
and still continuing in the great work to which he was called. I recall that
precious little white-haired man whose face radiated the presence of Jesus like a golden light. Still I can see those sparkling blue eyes light up as he talked about His wonderful Savior and of the
great privilege which had been granted him to carry the Gospel via the printed page.
Truly his life was spent in sending forth portions unto those for whom
nothing had been prepared (Nehemiah 8:10). He was able to bring hope and salvation
through printed literature into hospital, prison, asylum, the sick room, and only our Lord knows into how many other dark
and desperate caverns of human suffering and depravity. He never charged a dime,
but was known to send money to the needy when he himself had to pray in every stamp, every envelope, and every tract, having
hardly food to eat upon his own table. This is why his name is being so highly
honored! This is why his work yet lives and is being carried on.
