OMF International facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
OMF International

Formation	1865 June 25
Founder	Hudson Taylor
Type	Evangelical Missions Agency
Focus	Unreached People Groups, discipleship, church planting
Headquarters	Shanghai (formerly) Singapore (1950s-Present)
Location	East Asia
Origins	China Inland Mission (till 1964)
Area served	East Asia & East Asians globally
Key people	Hudson Taylor, DE Hoste, JO Fraser, A.J. Broomhall, Patrick Fung, Cambridge Seven,
Website	http://omf.org
Formerly called	China Inland Mission

OMF International is a Christian group that helps share the message of Christianity in East Asia. It used to be called the Overseas Missionary Fellowship and before 1964, the China Inland Mission. This organization was started in Britain by Hudson Taylor on June 25, 1865. Its main office is now in Singapore.

What OMF International Does

The China Inland Mission, started by Hudson Taylor in 1865, focused on faith and prayer. It welcomed missionaries from all walks of life, including working-class people and single women. The group's main goal was to share the Christian message, known as the Gospel, in China.

After foreign workers left China in the early 1950s, the mission changed its focus. Its missionaries began working in other parts of East Asia. The name changed to the Overseas Missionary Fellowship in 1964. Later, in the 1990s, it became OMF International.

A Look at OMF's History

How the Mission Started

Hudson Taylor around 1865

Hudson Taylor first decided to create the China Inland Mission (CIM) in Brighton, England. He believed that missionaries in China should wear Chinese clothes. This would help them connect better with the local people.

On October 3, 1865, Taylor sent his first missionaries to China. In 1866, Taylor himself returned to China with a large group of 16 missionaries. This group, known as the Lammermuir Party, sailed on the ship Lammermuir. The journey took four months.

Spreading the Message Inland

The Lammermuir Party sailed on May 26, 1866.

In 1872, a council for the China Inland Mission was set up in London. By 1875, the mission began a plan to share the Christian message across China. Hudson Taylor asked for 18 new missionaries to go to areas that had not yet heard the Gospel. He later asked for 70 more in 1881, and then 100 more in 1886. These "The Hundred missionaries" were sent to China in 1887.

Taylor traveled to many countries to find people to join the mission. By the late 1800s, the CIM was well-known worldwide. Many people admired the missionaries for being humble and willing to live simply. In 1899, Henrietta Soltau started a training home for women missionaries in North London. Hundreds of women were trained there.

The Boxer Crisis of 1900

Missionary preaching in China using The Wordless Book

In 1900, a major uprising called the Boxer Rebellion happened in China. Christians and foreigners were attacked. The China Inland Mission lost more people than any other group. Fifty-eight adults and 21 children from the mission were killed.

However, in 1901, when other countries demanded money from the Chinese government for their losses, Hudson Taylor refused. He did not want any payment for lost property or lives. He wanted to show the Chinese people the peaceful nature of Christ. That same year, Dixon Edward Hoste became the new director of the mission.

Growth During Times of Change

The early 1900s saw a big increase in missionary work in China. This was after the Boxer Rebellion and during the time of the Chinese Republic. William Whiting Borden, a wealthy young man from America, chose to become a missionary. He wanted to work with Muslim people in northwest China but sadly died during his training in Egypt.

James O. Fraser, a musician and engineer, was the first to bring the Gospel to the Lisu tribes in southwest China. This led to many churches being started among these tribes. These churches are still active today.

The Warlord Era brought danger and lawlessness to China. Missionary work was often risky. John and Betty Stam were a young couple killed by Communist soldiers in 1934. Their story inspired many new missionaries to serve, even during difficult times.

The Japanese invasion of China also made things hard. The Japanese did not trust British or American people. The China Inland Mission moved its main office to Chongqing. Many missionaries, including children and teachers from the Chefoo School, were put into concentration camps. Even in these camps, they found strength in their faith.

Despite these challenges, the number of Christians in China grew. From 100,000 in the early 1900s, it reached 700,000 by 1950. Chinese church leaders like John Sung and Watchman Nee helped the church grow into a strong local movement.

From China Inland Mission to OMF International

Between 1949 and 1952, after the Chinese Communist Revolution, all members of the China Inland Mission had to leave China. The mission leaders met in England and decided to send their missionaries to other parts of East Asia.

The main office moved to Singapore. Work began in countries like Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, and Indonesia. Missionaries helped write down languages, translate the Bible, and teach Christian ideas to tribal groups. They also focused on publishing Christian books and helping people in cities and rural areas.

The mission also provided medical help. They opened three hospitals in rural Thailand and started a program to help people with leprosy. Many patients were refugees. In the Philippines, they started programs to help communities develop.

In 1980, James Hudson Taylor III, the great-grandson of Hudson Taylor, became the General Director. He said that OMF would not try to restart in China in the same way as before. However, he stressed that OMF was still committed to the Chinese people. They continued to pray for Christians in China and help by providing Bibles and Christian books.

In 2006, Dr. Patrick Fung became the first Asian leader of the mission. The work of OMF International continues to this day.

The Old London Office

The China Inland Mission, one of two Grade 2 listed buildings on Newington Green. (October 2005).

The original main office of the China Inland Mission in London was located at Newington Green. This area has a history of religious groups and schools. The CIM building is near other historic buildings, like the Newington Green Unitarian Church.

The building has since been updated and is now called Alliance House. It is used as student housing for City University.

Important Dates in OMF's History

1860s

• June 25, 1865: The China Inland Mission was founded in Brighton, England.
• October 1865: Hudson Taylor's book "China's Spiritual Need and Claims" was published.
• May 1866: The Lammermuir Party sailed to China.
• December 1866: The Lammermuir party arrived in Hangzhou, China.
• 1867: Grace Dyer Taylor, Hudson and Maria's oldest daughter, died of meningitis.
• August 22, 1868: The Yangzhou riot occurred.

Taylors and missionary candidates in 1865

A map showing the nine Chinese provinces in black that were considered unreached by the Gospel message in 1865

1870s

• July 23, 1870: Maria Jane Dyer, called "Mother of the Mission," died in Zhenjiang, China.
• January 1875: An appeal for eighteen new workers was published.
• July 1875: The first issue of China's Millions magazine was published.
• 1875: Henry Taylor was the first Protestant Christian to work in Henan province.
• 1876: Missionaries began working in Shanxi, Shaanxi, and Gansu provinces.
• 1877: Missionaries reached Guizhou, Guangxi, and Yunnan provinces.
• 1877: John McCarthy walked across China from east to west.
• 1878: Jennie Taylor was the first female missionary to travel in inland China.

Cover of the Occasional Paper of the China Inland Mission in 1875

Dixon Edward Hoste and fellow China Inland Mission missionaries in native dress

1880s

• 1880: The first China Inland Mission Hospital was built in Taiyuan.
• 1881: Chefoo School was started at Yantai.
• March 3, 1885: The Cambridge Seven arrived in China.
• 1887: "The Hundred missionaries" were sent to China.
• October 30, 1888: The first American missionaries joined the CIM in Shanghai.

Cover of China's Millions for 1885

First Party of Americans to join the CIM in 1888

1890s

• 1890: The CIM headquarters moved to Wusong Road in Shanghai.
• 1890: The first Australian missionaries arrived.
• 1895: The London office headquarters moved to Newington Green.

First Party of Australians to join the CIM in 1890

The China Inland Mission Headquarters in Shanghai. Late 1800s.

1900s

• 1900: The Boxer Rebellion led to the deaths of 58 missionaries and 21 children from the CIM.
• 1901: Hudson Taylor refused money from the Chinese government for losses.
• 1901: Dixon Edward Hoste became the acting General Director.
• November 1902: James Hudson Taylor resigned as Director.
• June 3, 1905: James Hudson Taylor died in Changsha, China.

CIM missions as of 1902

1910s

• 1910: J. O. Fraser arrived in China.
• 1912: The Chinese Republic was established.
• 1912: CIM membership grew to over 1,000, making it the largest mission in China.

1920s

• 1927: The Chinese Civil War caused most missionaries to leave temporarily.
• 1929-1932: The mission called for "Two Hundred New Workers" to return to their stations.

1930s

• 1930: Headquarters in Shanghai moved to Sinza Road.
• 1934: 1,368 missionaries were serving at 364 stations.
• 1934: John and Betty Stam were killed in South Anhui.
• World War II forced many missionaries inland or into Japanese camps.
• 1939: 200,000 Chinese people had been baptized by CIM workers.

1940s

• 1942: The headquarters moved from Shanghai to Chongqing to escape the Japanese army.
• November 1942: The China Inland Mission School at Chefoo was closed, and students and staff were imprisoned.
• August 1945: The Chefoo School was freed by American paratroopers.
• October 1, 1949: Mao Zedong announced the People's Republic of China.

1950s

• 1950-1953: The China Inland Mission began to withdraw its missionaries from China.
• November 1951: A new headquarters was set up in Singapore. The organization's name changed to The China Inland Mission Overseas Missionary Fellowship.
• October 14, 1954: The mission was reorganized. It allowed non-Western Christians to become full members.
• Missionaries were sent to other parts of East Asia.

1960s

• 1964: China Inland Mission was renamed Overseas Missionary Fellowship.
• 1966-1972: The Chinese Cultural Revolution silenced Christians in China.
• Medical work began in rural Thailand.

1970s

• 1975: The mission merged with the Borneo Evangelical Mission (BEM).

1980s

• 1980-1990: James Hudson Taylor III, Hudson Taylor's great-grandson, served as General Director.
• The Chinese Church grew to millions of members.

1990s

• Overseas Missionary Fellowship was renamed OMF International.
• 1993: First OMF workers entered Mongolia.
• 1999: OMF workers helped after the Taiwan earthquake.

2000s

• 2004: OMF helped after the Asian tsunami.
• 2006: Dr. Patrick Fung became the General Director, the first Asian to hold this role.
• 2008: OMF helped with counseling after the 2008 Sichuan earthquake.

2010s

• 2011: OMF helped after the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami in Japan.
• 2015: OMF celebrated 150 years of work.
• OMF International now has 1400 workers from over 40 countries.

Leaders of OMF International

See Also

• Hudson Taylor
• Cambridge Seven
• James O. Fraser
• John Oswald Sanders