Brother Lee travelled abroad for the first time in 1958. In April he arrived in San Francisco, passing through North America and then to London and Copenhagen at the invitation of Brother Austin Sparks.
As he passed through North America he visited the People’s Church in Toronto, established by J. Oswald Smith. Here is Brother Lee’s impression:
Twenty-eight years ago I visited the Peoples Church in Toronto, established by Mr. Oswald Smith. Apparently, I was trying to have a sightseeing tour of the country, but my real heart was to see this famous church. They were famous in sending out missionaries. If they had twenty members, they would send one out for missionary work. I looked at their furniture and the church building. Everything was so old, but very clean and well maintained. There had been no fresh painting for years. They saved nearly every cent for sending one out of twenty members as a missionary. It was a great burden for them to carry, but they did it. That impressed me very much; I could never forget that.
(Source: Elders’ Training Book 8, chapter 9, p.135)
In 1963, Brother Lee visited Toronto again. Besides visiting Oswald Smith, he also took time to visit A. W. Tozer, a famous minister in the Christian and Missionary Alliance. Brother Lee asked A. W. Tozer if he was aware of any Christians in Toronto who were practicing the church life according to the New Testament. Tozer responded by saying that he had looked into this very much, but had no knowledge of any such Christians or groups who knew the way of practicing the church life based on the New Testament revelation. Brother Lee asked further if Tozer himself knew the New Testament way of practicing the church life. Tozer replied that he understood. Brother Lee asked again – since Brother Tozer had seen this light, then why did he remain in the Christian and Missionary Alliance? In the same year, Brother Tozer passed away in Toronto.
After his visit with A.W. Tozer, Brother Lee had the assurance that he could start to raise up the proper church life in Toronto. He advised the brothers and sisters in the Far East who considered immigrating to America to pray and consider immigrating to Toronto.
In 1967, Brother Lee again visited the Peoples Church, during which time Oswald Smith referred to Brother Lee as “my friend”, and he asked Brother Lee to speak to the congregation. In this meeting, Paul Young, who is presently meeting with the church in Charlotte, NC, was in the midst as a young man.
via Witness Lee’s Early Visits to Toronto – The Lord’s Move in Canada.
