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=                           Frank_Laubach                            =
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                            Introduction
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Frank Charles Laubach (September 2, 1884 - June 11, 1970), from
Benton, Pennsylvania was a Congregational Christian missionary
educated at Union Theological Seminary and Columbia University, and a
mystic known as "The Apostle to the Illiterates." In 1915 (see
Laubach, Thirty Years With the Silent Billion), while working among
Muslims at a remote location in the Philippines, he developed the
"Each One Teach One" literacy program. It has been used to teach about
60 million people to read in their own language. He was deeply
concerned about poverty, injustice and illiteracy, and considered them
barriers to peace in the world.

In 1955, he founded Laubach Literacy, which helped introduce about
150,000 Americans to reading each year and had grown to embrace 34
developing countries. An estimated 2.7 million people worldwide were
learning to read through Laubach-affiliated programs. In 2002, this
group merged with Literacy Volunteers of America, Inc. to form
ProLiteracy Worldwide.

During the latter years of his life, Laubach traveled all over the
world speaking on the topics of literacy and world peace. He was the
author of a number of devotional writings and works on literacy.

One of his most widely influential devotional works was a pamphlet
entitled "The Game with Minutes." In it, Laubach urged Christians to
attempt to keep God in mind for at least one second of every minute of
the day. In this way, Christians can attempt the attitude of constant
prayer spoken of in the First Epistle to the Thessalonians. The
pamphlet extolled the virtues of a life lived with an unceasing focus
on God. Laubach's insight came from his experiments in prayer detailed
in a collection of his letters published under the title, 'Letters by
a Modern Mystic'.

Laubach is the only American missionary to be honored on a US postage
stamp, a 30ยข Great Americans series stamp in 1984. Laubach Road in
Baguio City was named for him.

Laubach had a deep interest in the Philippines. He wrote a biography
of the Filipino national hero, 'Jose Rizal: Man and Martyr,' published
in Manila in 1936. He also translated the hero's valedictory poem, "Mi
Ultimo Adios" (My Last Farewell). His version is ranked second in
ideas, content, rhyme, and style among the 35 English translations in
a collection.

He was a pioneer mover of Maranao literature. He wrote:

The Moro people of Lake Lanao have amazingly rich literature, all the
more amazing since it exists only in the memories of the people and
had just begun to be recorded in writing. It consists of lyric and
poetry with the epic greatly predominating.

His emphasis on the use of Easy English for literacy led directly to
the development by WEC International in 1962 of an evangelistic paper
using his basic vocabulary called SOON! which printed about 3 million
copies a year and distributed worldwide by post, until it ceased in
2015. He also trained ex-missionary Fred Morris in the use of
Worldwide Easy English for his Bible teaching commentaries written in
the USA in the 1990s and published by Manna Publications (UK) since
the year 2000 [https://www.manna-publications.org.uk].


                            Bibliography
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* Laubach, Frank C. 1925. 'The people of the Philippines: their
religious progress and preparation for spiritual leadership in the Far
East'. New York: George H. Doran Company.
* Laubach, Frank C. 1938. 'Toward a Literate World'; with a foreword
by Edward L. Thorndike.  New York: Printed by Columbia University
Press for the World literacy committee of the Foreign missions
conference of North  America.
* Laubach, Frank C. 1940. 'India Shall be Literate.'  Jubbulpore,
C.P., India: Printed by F. E. Livengood at the Mission press.
* Laubach, Frank C. 1942. 'You Are My Friends": Harper & Brothers
Publishers, New York.
* Laubach, Frank C. 1945. 'The Silent Billion Speak', New York:
Friendship Press.
* Laubach, Frank C. 1946. 'Prayer: The Mightiest Force in the World'.
Westwood, N.J.: F. H. Revell Co.
* Laubach, Frank C., translator. 1956. 'The Inspired Letters in
Clearest English' (Portions of the New Testament).  New York: Thomas
Nelson & Sons.
* Laubach, Frank C. 1960. 'Thirty Years with the Silent Billion:
Adventuring in Literacy'.  Westwood, New Jersey: Fleming H. Revell
Company.
* Laubach, Frank C. 1964. 'How to teach One and Win One for Christ:
Christ's plan for winning the world: each one teaches and win one'.
Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House.
* Laubach, Frank C. 1970. 'Forty Years with the Silent Billion:
Adventuring in Literacy'.  Old Tappan, N.J.: F. H. Revell Co.


                          Further reading
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* Roberts, Helen M. 1961. 'Champion of the silent billion: the story
of Frank C. Laubach, apostle of literacy'. St. Paul: Macalester Park
Pub. Co.
* Inglis, Tom (1990), "Could we all come down from the clouds again?
Frank C. Laubach and world literacy," 'International Journal of
University Adult Education', 29(3):1-22, .
* Laubach, Frank C. 'Letters by a Modern Mystic'. Foreword by Alden H.
Clark. Edited and compiled by Constance E. Padwick. Syracuse, N.Y.:
New Readers Press, 1955. First published in 1937.
* Edwards, Gene, ed. 'Practicing His Presence: Frank Laubach and
Brother Lawrence'. Goleta, Calif.: Christian Books, 1973. An
instructive comparison.
* Laubach, Frank C. 'Christ Liveth in Me and Game with Minutes'.
Westwood, N.J.: Fleming H. Revell Co., 1961. A practical guide to
living with God in mind.
* 'Prayer, the Mightiest Force in the World'. Westwood, N.J.: Fleming
H. Revell Co., 1951.
* 'The World Is Learning Compassion'. Westwood, N.J.: Fleming H.
Revell Co., 1958. Chapter 7 deals with Truman's "Point Four" referred
to earlier.
* Medary, Marjorie. 'Each One Teach One: Frank Laubach, Friend to
Millions'. New York: Longmans, Green & Co., 1954. An account of
Laubach's linguistic methods.
* Smith, Jeanne Jacoby. 'Refugees! A Family's Search for Freedom and
the Church That Helped Them Find It'. Publisher: Author's Voice, on
www.Amazon.com, 2016.


                           External links
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* [http://www.proliteracy.org ProLiteracy Worldwide]
*
[http://www.sil.org/lingualinks/literacy/ImplementALiteracyProgram/TheLaubachLiteracyInternationa.htm
SIL's resource page for 'The Laubach Literacy Instructional Program']
* [http://library.syr.edu/digital/guides/l/laubach_coll.htm Frank C.
Laubach Collection], Syracuse University (primary source material)


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