2020 ANNUAL REPORT
ACCELERATE
Digital Scripture
MINISTERING TO YOUNG PEOPLE
Evangelism
AND DISCIPLESHIP IN 2020
Latest Research
GLOBAL YOUTH CULTURE
LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT
Last year was different than anything we ever anticipated — but God guided us through it all, and now, it’s time for a fresh start for your OneHope ministry, too. Our logo has been refreshed; our look is brand-new — what remains the same is our mission to reach every child with God’s Word …
For today’s connected generation, we are expanding the way they can access Scripture. With the Holy Spirit’s direction, we’re innovating, accelerating, and equipping the Church so more children and youth receive God’s Word and can be transformed by the Gospel!
Part of strategically moving forward involves utilizing research. This generation is different. They think differently and act differently, but God’s Word is timeless and speaks in every generation. Understanding where they’re coming from will help us engage them with God’s Word in relevant ways, and this is what our massive Global Youth Culture study is helping us do. You can read about it here. Thank you for taking this journey with us!
Thank you for all you did in 2020 to further OneHope Scripture engagement programs and reach the next generation with the Good News! I hope you enjoy this update from 2020.
Your partner in world missions,
ACCELERATE
THE RAMP-UP FOR 2021!
Accelerate isn’t the word most people will use to describe 2020 … and certainly, last year brought pain, loss, anxiety, and dread to so many.
But as always, what the enemy intends for evil, God can use for good — and in this case, we experienced exciting opportunities for ministry, as our partners around the globe innovated in diverse, new ways to share God’s Word.
— Children’s Ministry Trainer,
West Africa
ACCELERATE DIGITAL
Accelerate Digital
Delivery of God’s Word — all over the world!
With millions forced into pandemic lockdowns and face-to-face ministry canceled or postponed … our global team and partners pivoted into delivering God’s Word through digital means.
And the Holy Spirit empowered our online and other digital programs to impact tens of millions of young lives!
Bible App for Kids
2020 saw the 50 MILLIONTH installation of the Bible App for Kids! Even more exciting: the millions of young lives touched by the app, which is now available in more than 60 languages — and has been downloaded on every continent on earth.
In Japan and in some nations of Africa, our partners began using the app as the basis for digital Small Groups and Sunday School, staying connected to the children in their churches and inviting more kids to join.
More than 1,000 churches in limited access nations in Eurasia are using an adaptation of the Bible App for Kids Sunday School curriculum online, too.
2020 saw the 50 millionth installation of the Bible App for Kids!
Kids Bible experience
In Barna and OneHope’s Guiding Children study, we learned that “the #1 predictor of spiritual health in a child is that they read the Bible regularly.” But, we often see Bible reading decrease as children get older … This is one reason we created the Kids Bible Experience: to keep children interacting with God’s Word even beyond the Bible App for Kids.
The circumstances of 2020 gave us the impetus to accelerate the release of the Kids Bible Experience in partnership with YouVersion, as part of their Bible app. The results are dramatic!
In the Kids Bible Experience, children find:
- Fun, fresh perspectives
- Relevant insights from voices they relate to
- A simple question to help them reflect on what they’ve learned
- A daily verse to help them frame their world in the light of God’s Word
- Content updated regularly with new insights, devotions, and more!
The Kids Bible Experience connects her — and her dad — with God’s Word every day!
Leon’s daughter, Shelly, lives with her mom and stepdad, in another state. While Leon wants Shelly to learn about life in Christ … Scripture and church aren’t priorities in her mother’s house.
So how could he make sure she had the opportunity to study Scripture and know Jesus? The Kids Bible Experience was the perfect solution.
Shelly could download it and so could her dad. Through texts and calls they can discuss the videos and devotionals each day.
It’s helping them stay connected as father and daughter, and also showing Shelly how important it is to stay connected to Christ!
What if it's true?
This exciting online program is helping young people in limited access nations find a safe place to discover answers from God’s Word and connect with a local believer to find out more about Jesus.
When COVID-19 put the world into lockdown, digital outreach to the next generation became more important than ever because young people were stuck at home and online more … expansion was a timely response, and today, What If It’s True? is available in 8 languages! We have a faith goal of reaching over 5.8 million young people through What If It’s True? in 2021.
Young people are finding hope from God’s Word on social media and connecting with online missionaries who are introducing them to Jesus Christ! And we’ll see this expansion bearing fruit as online ministry accelerates in 2021!
A Quran scholar finds hope in God’s Word
Ahmet’s father was the imam, the Muslim holy man in their community. Ahmet himself has grown up studying Islam’s holy book … but as he became a teenager and grew into young adulthood, some things about the book began to bother him.
The Quran had many strictures on what it meant to live a life pleasing to Allah, but many of them were not pursued by the heroes of the stories in the book, and were also ignored in the everyday life of other Muslims today. Why would this be?
Ahmet wondered how other religions addressed these things — and online he found What If It’s True?. He began reading about Christianity and the life of Jesus Christ … and then began corresponding via email with other believers in his region.
Today, he says, “I realized God alone could move me from darkness into light!”
He is on the path of truth, digging into the Bible, and yearning to grow closer to Christ.
ACCELERATE RESOURCES
Accelerate God’s Word through tangible resources
World without sickness
As OneHope partners deliver God’s Word, they sometimes have the opportunity to collaborate with other local ministries to distribute tangible resources.
Our World Without Sickness program shares the story of Jesus along with lessons about cleanliness and hygiene, making this program pivotal in 2020. The books were delivered along with donated hand sanitizer and the program supplemented with posters and lessons from our partners about avoiding coronavirus transmission.
World Without Sickness was received throughout many limited access nations and opened the door for ministry in unreached villages in a majority Buddhist nation. Children and families were able to experience Scripture, while learning practical steps on how to stay healthy. We were thrilled this program brought the Good News to communities that had never heard the Gospel!
Partnerships
We also partnered with churches and ministries providing food for the hungry… including an outreach to indigenous people in the Mosquitia Jungle of Honduras, communities that can only be reached by small boat or plane. Our partners collaborated with the Honduran Naval Academy to deliver food and distribute the Book of Hope!
ARTEM is just one of the children in Estonia who received the Bible App for Kids Book of Hope, as our partners in Estonia visited families in need. You can clearly see the joy on his face for his new, life-giving gift!
A ONEHOPE PARTNER personally delivered the Book of Hope to 350 children, as his church brought desperately needed packages to an under-resourced community in Bolivia.
DELIVERING AID to families in peripheral areas of Bolivia’s Tiquipaya and South Zone, OneHope partners also reached 8,000 children with God’s Word!
ACCELERATE EVANGELISM
Accelerate Evangelism and Discipleship
With your help, we’re sharing God’s Word with children and youth all over the world, leading them to Jesus — and helping build them up in their faith, too.
Mathew and friends
The Matthew and Friends program is a tremendous example of this acceleration of evangelism. In limited access nations of Southern Asia, Christian families are given special training to use the Superbook films about the life of Christ (from CBN) and the Book of Hope to reach their non-Christian neighbors.
Children see the Superbook film and receive a special corresponding edition of the Book of Hope to take with them and learn more about Jesus — and are invited to regular meetings of a Superbook Club at their neighbors’ homes.
Lead today
Lead Today is another powerfully effective program that helps lead young people to faith in Christ and shapes them into godly leaders. The program was developed in partnership with leadership expert John Maxwell’s EQUIP organization and shares the attributes of leadership in the Bible with teenagers.
In one limited access nation in Asia, where believers are at risk of persecution, pandemic lockdowns upset plans for dozens of Lead Today outreaches — until the organizers launched online classes. Now 250 young people are studying online together!
Our upcoming digital expansion of Lead Today will accelerate the program even further.
Lead Today
active in
63 nations
Available in
24 languages
Rescued from Drugs
Set on the path to becoming a Christian leader!
Daniel’s community in Colombia is a place where alcoholism and illicit drug use are common — and by the time he was a teenager, Daniel had been dragged into that scene.
But then, he was invited to join in the Lead Today program and began discovering how his life could have purpose and meaning through Jesus Christ.
He committed his life to Christ, and today he says:
“I can say everything has changed for me, and I have a goal and a vision to reach … I know I can influence the lives of others, and that from my position, I can begin to lead.”
Thank you for showing Daniel he can live a new life in Christ and help lead others to faith and eternal hope, too.
ACCELERATE CHURCH PLANTING
THE LUMIÈRE PROJECT
The Lumière Project — shining God’s light in French-speaking Africa — is designed to reach six million children and youth with God’s Word and help our African partners plant new churches to impact a generation!
2020’s pandemic lockdowns created challenges to the exciting forward momentum of this project … and yet, God made a way!
In one village of Sierra Leone, our ministry partner preached up and down the neighborhood streets so that children and families could listen from their homes during the pandemic.
Another pastor and church-planter, George Mwathi, told us:
“My greatest thirst is to see people know Jesus and live for Him all their lives.”
Prayer point
Please pray for church planters and new churches being launched amidst the pandemic and often amidst opposition and persecution!
HOSANNA PLAN
Our partners in Russia are also reaching children and youth with God’s Word and planting churches as they go through the Hosanna Plan, designed to see a Christian fellowship established in every town, village, and city of Russia — but they’ve come up against tremendous opposition.
Anti-evangelism laws designed to suppress the evangelical Church make it practically illegal to tell a young person about Jesus outside of a registered church setting.
Bishop Edward Grabovenko and New Testament Church of Perm, Russia, faced government prosecution — but in a real miracle, the courts decided in Bishop Edward’s favor! Praise God!
Prayer point
Please keep praying for the ministry teams in Russia, as they share the Good News. Pray more volunteers will join the Hosanna Plan outreaches and live with bold faith.
Global Prayer Relay
JOIN US IN COVERing THE WORLD WITH PRAYER
The purpose of every OneHope program: To help children and youth experience the hope of God’s Word!
In 2021, we want to share the Good News with 135 million young people. Around the world, our church and ministry partners will use OneHope Scripture programs to engage children with God’s Word … and they would love to know that you are praying for them.
Pass along the following page to a friend, so they can join you in praying for the children of the world and for the urgent prayer requests of our global partners.
Africa:
- Pray that we can effectively reach, equip, and develop children and youth in a sustained way to prepare them to play their missionary role to the rest of the world.
- Pray as 2021 is projected to be our largest church-planting year ever using OneHope Youth Films and Books of Hope.
Asia Pacific:
- Pray for God’s continued protection and provision for our teams and partners. Please pray for sensitive countries, as we navigate the constantly changing government landscapes.
- Please pray for continued innovation and implementation, as we develop and deploy digital programs.
Latin America:
- Pray for the congregations that have lost pastors due to the pandemic. Many churches are hurting because many pastors lost their lives last year.
- Pray for the economically marginalized in Latin America, the people that rely on the informal economy to survive since they have been some of the most affected by the events of last year.
- Pray for the leaders in youth and children’s ministry that have been separated from their students since last year and for many students who can’t connect digitally.
Eurasia:
- Please pray that we’ll be able to engage youth in a deeper way in limited access nations through digital programs and new initiatives. There are many places in Eurasia that we can’t visit in person, so digital is the way forward in these countries.
- Pray for the protection and restoration of the family unit. Across Eurasia, the divorce rate continues to climb, leaving many children struggling with feelings of abandonment. Over the last year, families have been strained by job loss, insecurity, and lack of clarity for the future. Let’s ask God to provide for these families and strengthen their relationships.
Southern Asia:
- Pray as we aim to reach millions of children and teenagers across Southern Asia. Pray for our leadership to operate in excellence and integrity, as we reach the next generation. Pray for God’s continued protection and provision for our teams and partners.
- Please pray for our partners in all Southern Asia nations as we navigate ongoing challenges sharing God’s Word due to government and cultural restrictions. Pray for the expansion of our digital programs that will help us reach more children and youth in the coming years.
Celebrate
and Accelerate!
We are praising God that in 2020 — the year when so many in-person ministry opportunities were canceled or scaled back — more than 105 million children and youth still received God’s Word through OneHope programs!
The global Church is coming together to make the vision of God’s Word. Every Child. a reality! This is a reason to rejoice.
While we celebrate all that God did in the lives of these children last year, we know that millions of young people are still waiting to receive the Good News. We believe OneHope Scripture engagement programs can reach them.
One way to make sure our programs are designed from the ground-up to engage young people with God’s Word in the most relevant way is through research. Our research reveals the reality of teenagers today, and one thing is clear … they need hope!
Global Youth Culture
A Landmark Research Project
Over half (52%) of teens globally believe all religions teach equally valid truths. Christians are just as likely as non-believers to say this.
Generation Z, today’s teens, think differently than any previous generation.
We wanted to learn more about the beliefs and behaviors of this connected cohort so that we can share the truth of God’s Word in the most engaging way. How could we find out? Research!
We carried out our Global Youth Culture research project in 2020. We believe it is the most comprehensive study of its kind in the world in terms of taking a deep look at the faith of digitally connected teenagers globally.
Their responses gave us insight into their views on identity, technology, personal struggles, and their attitudes about God, Jesus, the Bible, and the Church.
8,394 Digitally
Connected Teens
Ages
13-19
70 Item
Survey
What We Learned
1 in 3 teens have NO religious affiliation … part of the group popularly called the “nones.”
71% of non-Christian teens said most Christians they know are kind and caring
43% of teens surveyed self-identified as Christian. Only 7% display the beliefs and habits of a Committed Christian.
The research also confirmed something we already suspected:
Committed Christian teens are less likely to say they’ve been depressed or experienced suicidal thoughts than other teens, and they’re less likely to exhibit risky behaviors, too.
A Landmark Research Project
Believe God exists and they can have a personal relationship with him
Believe God exists and they can have a personal relationship with him
Believe God exists and they can have a personal relationship with him
Believe God exists and they can have a personal relationship with him
Believe God exists and they can have a personal relationship with him
Believe God exists and they can have a personal relationship with him
You and your church are welcome to discover more of what we learned through the Global Youth Culture study. Go online for all the results and resources we’ve developed to help churches and parents engage teenagers, too.
Accelerate the Mission
GOD’S WORD. EVERY CHILD.
We gave God’s Word to the first child reached with the Book of Hope back in
1987 — then reached the 50 millionth
child in 1998, just 11 years later.
With the prayers and support of partners like you, by 2000 (just 2 years later!) we reached the 100 millionth child, and in
2008, the 500 millionth … just 6 years later in 2014, we presented God’s Word to the
1 billionth child to receive it!
Clearly, God has blessed OneHope to accelerate in ministry — but now we are considering an even greater jump forward. In the wake of COVID-19 … how will the pandemic change things? We believe the Holy Spirit has been calling us to emphasize five things in the next year:
1. Courage
A crisis provides the dramatic reset necessary for leaders to have a call to action, an “all hands on deck” urgency that can awaken dormant passion.
2. Unity
Crisis, properly managed, puts people first. It fosters an ethos of togetherness that needs to be immediately turned into constructive teamwork and initiative.
3. Partnership
Instead of hunkering down in survival mentality, now is the time to reach out and do more together, whether it has to be managed digitally today or can be face-to-face tomorrow.
4. Imagination
As Peter Drucker put it, “The best way to predict the future is to create it.” The pandemic laid bare the flaws in existing systems and set us free to imagine what should happen going forward.
5. Commitment to change
The crisis will come to an end. That is the very nature of a crisis. Thus, a commitment to change after the crisis is equally important as in the middle of a crisis.
The greatest response to the pandemic is to move forward with a new, generative culture that is edgy, more united, partner-rich, and full of imagination, so we can accomplish our ministry’s vision: God’s Word. Every Child.
This vision can happen — because, thank God, every $1 donated to OneHope shares Jesus with three children and youth somewhere in the world.
As the Lord leads you, pray about this and consider: how many children can I reach with the Good News today?
Thank you for being part of the OneHope family!
A journey to hope for a young girl in need
She lives in Lesotho, a country where 75% of the people are poor or at risk of falling into poverty — Her father died; her mother abandoned the family, and Tando, a teenage girl, was overwhelmed by the pressure to provide for her younger siblings.
“Why can’t I be like any other kid? Why am I forced to be the mom?”
Tando’s future, and her family, were at dire risk. Our partners at World Vision stepped up to help Tando with groceries — Then a friend like you reached out to her with God’s Word through the Journey to Hope program. OneHope and World Vision collaborated to create this Scripture resource that helps young people process difficult circumstances. Journey to Hope launched in Africa and continues to reach millions of children like Tando with the Gospel.
“Hope started to fill my heart,” Tando says today. “I felt such relief knowing that God was watching over me … He will never leave me nor forsake me.”
Journey to Hope helped Tando see that Jesus is her friend and Savior!
And now, although she still faces many challenges, she is filled with hope and knows that she is not alone. Praise God!
2020
Revenue
$46,565,481
Expenses
$36,567,306
Assets
$46,418,452
Equity
$42,138,616
Liabilities
$4,279,836
ONEHOPE
FINANCIALS
We believe our OneHope family of support are co-laborers — and one of our core values as a ministry is, “We believe that we are accountable to God and man.”
In order to be transparent and accountable, we’ve included the graphs and numbers here to show you the sources of income for the ministry and how the resources are used to help further the vision of God’s Word. Every Child.
We are a member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA) and uphold its standards. To see a complete listing of our audited financial statements, visit: onehope.net/financials.
FOR EACH DOLLAR RECEIVED:
Board of Directors
Dale Berkey | Chairman
JoAnn Butrin
Dave Byker
Joe Champion
Chuck Gomes | Vice-Chairman
Bobby Gruenewald
Carolyn Haas
Bob Hoskins | Founder
Rob Hoskins | President
David Meyer
Ryan Pinto
Lisa Stewart
Stephan Tchividjian
A Personal Word
From Founder Bob Hoskins
I began regularly traveling in preaching ministry at the age of 9, was called to global missions at the age of 17, and now am 84 years old. Do you know … the months of lockdown in 2020 represented the longest time I’ve spent in one place since I began ministry!
For the past 34 years of OneHope ministry, my schedule was one of constant travel to meet with our wonderful partners, all over the world.
Staying home gave me time to write, strategize, and learn to minister in a new way, too: digitally. Last year encouraged me to adapt — 2020 encouraged us all to adapt — and we, as the OneHope ministry, will continue to adapt — so we can move forward, as God leads, and accelerate in this mission of sharing God’s Word with every child and youth.
We started with one Scripture book in El Salvador in 1987. Now, we have hundreds of Scripture engagement programs in use around the world — programs that prove God’s Word is not bound to a book and a printed page, but will touch lives and transform futures even when it is delivered in a film, on illustrations without printed words, or through
an app.
Praise God for the places He has brought us, and the places He is taking us, as we accelerate into this new year of ministry!
Thank you for being part of it all and may God bless you,
Bob Hoskins
So is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
— Isaiah 55:11 (NIV)
So is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
— Isaiah 55:11 (NIV)
In partnership with local churches, ministries, and governments around the world, OneHope has reached more than 1.7 billion children and youth with God’s Word. Based on in-country research OneHope conducts, Scripture programs are designed to be age and culturally relevant. Since 1987, OneHope has helped kids experience God’s Story, sharing the life-changing message of hope with children and youth in every country.
