(bell ringing) - I'm late! I'm late for my own wedding! (bell ringing) (birds chirping) - [Narrator] For James
Taylor and his bride, Elizabeth Johnson, this was a
day to remember and treasure, but it was also a day the result
of which would eventually have a huge
impact on millions of people in a
land thousands of miles away, an impact which continues
to this very day. The People's Republic of China
is vast, with the world's largest
population at 1.4 billion. Its economy is the second
most powerful in the world. Steeped in rich history
with great dynasties, it has remained remarkably
insular down through the centuries. The Communist Party has
ruled China since 1949, but despite state persecution, Christianity is growing
at a phenomenal rate. It's estimated that there are up
to 100 million Christians in China
today, staggering when you consider
that just over 200 years ago, there was just one Protestant
missionary in China. Since then, thousands of
missionaries have entered China, their message influencing
a whole nation for Christ. This story is about one of those
early pioneer missionaries, whose name has become synonymous with Christianity and China: James Hudson Taylor, the
great-grandson of the man who was late for his own
wedding. - Shall not the eternal
interests of 1/5 of our race rouse us, spirit, soul, and body to one mighty unconquerable
effort for China's salvation? Do you believe that each
one of these millions has a precious soul, and that there is no other
name whereby they must be saved than that of Jesus? (wind blowing softly) (crickets chirping) (waves lapping on shore) (men chattering) - [Man Wearing Glasses]
James Hudson Taylor's great-grandfather, on the
morning of his marriage, this is the church that he ran
to. - Ran because he was late,
late for his own wedding. - [Man Wearing Plaid
Shirt] The oriel window, one of three in Britain, where James's friend would
have been ringing the bell-- - [Man Wearing Glasses] To give
James time to run across the fields--
- To get here. - [Man Wearing Plaid
Shirt] Because he was late for the wedding, coming,
rushing down this road. - [Man Wearing Glasses] We
know that on the morning of his marriage, he was doing the usual things
that people did in those days, getting the sheaf of corn in
the coal and the water-- - [Man Wearing Plaid Shirt]
Preparing the cottage, really. - Preparing for his
bride, yes, that's right. - But then something
happened to him, didn't it? That he met his Lord. He fell to his knees,
and on standing, he said, "As for me and my
household, from this day, "we will follow the Lord." And that has been the case ever
since. - Been reflected throughout
the family history, hasn't it? Course, his bride, she did
comment that he wasn't the same man that
she knew when she married him. He had changed. I don't know, perhaps she wasn't
happy about that initially, but he worked on her as
well, and eventually, she also came to give her life
to God. - [Narrator] The Hudson
Taylor Group set up a trail in Barnsley to tell the
story of Hudson Taylor, beginning with his
great-grandfather, James Taylor. - It's here that Hudson
Taylor's great-grandfather moved into Barnsley, and it was here that Hudson
Taylor's grandfather, John, was born in this cottage here. - James Taylor was a storeman
in Beckett's Linen Mill, and he was also a lay preacher. - Now, Barnsley, at that time,
it was quite a rough place, but he felt called to
preach, which he did, and one occasion was assaulted, when he had ground glass mixed
with mud rubbed into his eyes, which caused his sight to go at
one point. - And that assault, of
course, was seen by Beckett, the local magistrate, his
employer, who asked whether he was
gonna charge the man, but because of his compassion, I
guess, James Taylor said no, he wasn't
going to. - [Narrator] James and Elizabeth
Taylor led a group that built
a chapel on Pinfold Hill to house the growing
congregation that had started in their kitchen on Old Mill
Lane. - And then, of course, this
started with this underschool, and drew in a lot of the
children from the street-- - That was John, that was his
grandfather, Hudson Taylor's grandfather, who started this underschooling. And apparently, it grew
so rapidly and so large, they had over 600 children--
- 600 children, yeah. - That is amazing, amazing. - [Man Wearing Plaid Shirt] Yes. - [Man With Mustache] And it
wasn't big enough, was it? - [Man Wearing Plaid Shirt]
And it wasn't big enough! - So they had to expand,
which is brilliant when you think about it.
- It is, indeed. - Yeah, it's excellent. - [Narrator] As well as
leading the Sunday school, John Taylor was a successful
reed maker in the linen industry. His eldest son, James, at 19,
became a local lay preacher like his grandfather. James also studied to be a
pharmacist, and opened a chemist shop in
Barnsley. He married Amelia Hudson, the daughter of Reverend
Benjamin Hudson. - This is where James Taylor
established his chemist shop. And after his marriage to Amelia
Hudson, they came and lived here above
the shop. And of course, this was the
birthplace of James Hudson Taylor. - [Narrator] James and Amelia
Taylor started reading books on China, and were burdened with the
spiritual need of this great land. They began praying that
if God gave them a son, the son might dedicate his life
to China. On the 21st of May 1832, God
granted them their prayer for a boy, and they gave
him both family names, calling him James Hudson Taylor. Hudson Taylor's father would
often read Peter Parley's tales about
China and the Chinese to him and his sister. - [Man Wearing Plaid Shirt]
And he is recorded as saying, "When I grow up, I need to go to
China. "God is calling me to China." - And his mum and dad, I mean, we know that they had a lot of
visitors, some of whom will have been
missionaries. - [Man Wearing Plaid
Shirt] They were involved, by their parents, in the
conversation with all these visitors
who came to their house. - They were getting a glimpse
of the world outside Barnsley that a lot of other
people wouldn't have had, and it made the world
seem an exciting place, and all the possibilities
that it opened up. - Okay, here we are
then, standing outside of the Barnsley and Wakefield
Bank, where James Taylor obtained employment for his
son, James Hudson Taylor, And when James Hudson Taylor
was about 15, 16 years of age, it was here where he learned
the skills of bookkeeping and letter-writing. - I think they sort of
poked fun at him a bit because of his Christian views. - Well, there was one,
in particular, who did, and Hudson found it difficult, which put him into questioning
his faith, and a bit of a spiritual
turmoil, which reflected back at home. - His mum and his sister
prayed fervently for him because they felt, I
think, that he was falling into the ways of the world,
and he was becoming worldly, more interested in money, et
cetera, than anything else. - He had to leave here
because of his eyesight, you know, working in the gas
light. - Working in gas light, yeah. So I think, basically,
after he left the bank, it was a very unhappy
time for Hudson Taylor because he was in a bit of a
turmoil, didn't really know what
direction his life was going in. - Mustn't forget it's
really the consistency of Amelia and her part in all
this. And she was the only one
who he could confide in, even though his mother
was obviously concerned and prayed for him. His dad, you know, he just
lost patience with him, but I think that's just
being human, isn't it? I mean, it doesn't mean
to say he didn't care, 'cause he obviously did. - No, it doesn't suggest
that, no, that's right. - And fathers and teenage sons
do change. - Yeah, no, no, that's right. (laughing) - He read the pamphlet,
didn't he, in his dad's study when he was mooching
around one day at home, his mum was away on holiday. That's when, I believe, that
he gave his life to the Lord. (horse trotting) - While reading the tract, I
was struck with a sentence, the finished work of Christ. The thought passed through
my mind, what was finished? And I once replied, the debt was
paid. Christ died for our sins. I fell down on my knees
and accepted Jesus. - [Narrator] One night, Hudson
was wrestling in prayer, desperate to know what
God was calling him to do. God answered him. - I felt I was in the presence
of God, entering into covenant with the
Almighty. Something seemed to say,
"Your prayer is answered, "your conditions accepted. "Then go to China for me." - [Narrator] He read a book
called China: Its State and Prospects. It highlighted the value of
medical missions in China, and he started surgical
training as an assistant to a Doctor Hardey in Hull. During this time, he lived
on a strict diet of rice as training for China. Soon, his health deteriorated
due to the lack of food, and his family became concerned. - I wrote home saying,
"Who cares for China? "They are dying, dying,
250,000 every week, "without the knowledge of
God, of Christ, of salvation." God has been merciful to us. Let us be like Him. - [Narrator] The main
obstacle to getting the Gospel into China was that no
Westerners could go beyond the treaty ports, which were
established by the British at the end of the First Opium
War in 1842. The Treaty of Nanking ceded
Hong Kong to the British and opened up five port
cities for foreign trade. The war was fought because
the British merchants were exploiting the Chinese
by selling massive quantities of opium to them, and the
Chinese tried to stop the trade. While studying, Hudson came
across The Chinese Evangelisation
Society, an interdenominational
missionary society in London. They were associated with
Doctor Charles Gutzlaff from Hong Kong, who
made many risky attempts to reach the interior of
China with the Gospel, even disguising himself
to look like the Chinese. Hudson moved from Hull to
London to further his studies at the London Hospital. While dissecting an infectious
corpse, he accidentally pierced his own
skin. The lecturer told him,
"You are a dead man." - My first thought was one of
sorrow that I could not go to China. But very soon came the feeling, unless I'm greatly mistaken,
I have work to do in China and shall not die. - [Narrator] Meanwhile,
the Taiping Rebellion was sweeping across the Yangtze
Valley, and in March 1853, the
rebels captured Nanking, making it their capital. They were seeking to overthrow a
decaying and corrupt Qing dynasty. Seizing on this opportunity
to get into China, the Chinese Evangelisation
Society asked Hudson to go, and he agreed, setting
his medical studies aside. He left on the 19th of
September, 1853 from Liverpool on the Dumfries. Before his departure,
his mother came on board. - I told Mother, "Do not weep. "Think of the glorious purpose I
have "to try bring the Chinese
to the knowledge of Jesus." As we parted, I shall never
forget the cry of anguish that rung from Mother's heart. It went through me like a knife. - [Narrator] Hudson
Taylor arrived in Shanghai in March of 1854. - Finding myself on Chinese soil came a vivid realization
of the great distance between me and those I loved, and that I was a stranger
in a strange land. - [Narrator] Hudson had
stepped into a revolution. An imperial army was trying
to expel rebels from the city, and he rented a house right in
the path of all the troubles. He started a medical clinic and went on to the streets
preaching, assisted by an interpreter. (cannons firing) Cannonballs whizzed past his
house on several occasions. One of them just missed him. - It weighed about five pounds, and had it come a few inches
higher, it would have hit me. Shortly after this, I
had to abandon the house. Before the last of my
belongings were removed, the house was burned to the
ground. - [Narrator] From December 1854, Hudson embarked on inland
preaching trips. He bought a boat and filled
it with medical supplies and Christian literature, and traveled in on the
waterways with local helpers. - I preached Jesus in
Mandarin to many people. I was so happy speaking
of the love of God. I rejoiced when I heard a
Chinese man repeating to the newcomers,
in his own dialect, the truths which I had been
speaking. - [Narrator] Hudson made a
radical change to his
appearance. - I decided to wear Chinese
clothing to enable me to fit in better, and I had the front
portion of my head shaved. The remaining hair was dyed
black and put into a pigtail
to look like the Chinese. - [Narrator] This change
brought contempt and disapproval from the Europeans and
other mission societies. The groundbreaking approach was
inspired by Doctor Charles Gutzlaff. The result was that Hudson was
invited into people's homes, and
crowds would gather around him, listening attentively
to what he had to say. Hudson's life would never be the
same when he went to the treaty port
of Ningpo. He met Miss Maria Dyer and
was captivated by her zeal and soul-winning abilities. Just as they were getting
to know each other, the British guns began to
blaze over Canton in the South. The Second Opium War had
ignited. The following year, in 1857, he resigned from the Chinese
Evangelisation Society and started to work in Ningpo with fellow missionary, John
Jones. - I clearly remember one man in
particular who said, "I have long
sought for the truth. "I have traveled far and
near without obtaining it. "I have no rest in Confucianism,
Buddhism, or Taoism, "but I do find rest in what
I have heard here tonight. "I am a believer in Jesus." - [Narrator] Hudson
married Maria Dyer in 1858, and in 1860, he had to return
home, as the six years of hard
living in China took its toll. He left John Jones to
look after the mission while he returned to England
with his family and helper, Wang Laijun, to find help for
the mission and recuperate. In the October of 1860, the
Second Opium War came to an end with the ratification of
the Treaty of Tientsin. Some of the concessions
granted foreigners the right to travel into the interior of
China for the purpose of travel,
trade, or missionary activities. It also granted religious
liberty to all Christians in China. When Hudson arrived back in
London, his plans were shipwrecked. His medical diagnosis was bleak. He would not be able to return
to China in the short-term, or possibly
never. - "My thoughts are not your
thoughts. "Neither are your ways
my ways," says the Lord. How true these words are. Little did I know then that
this absence from China was necessary for what God would
do next. - [Narrator] Hudson
finished his medical studies and became a member of the
Royal College of Surgeons. At the same time, he and Maria
researched what other missionary activity was being carried out in China. Their findings were alarming. Fewer than 100 Protestant
missionaries were limited to coastal cities. China had a fifth of
the world's population, and they estimated that
there was just one missionary for every three million people. - Here we are in the very
historic Wesleyan Reform Chapel of Salem, in many ways, unchanged from the
days when Hudson Taylor would
have preached here. This was his parents' church. He also, of course,
didn't just preach here. He went around the churches
in the area, preaching. - Well, we know he went to
Salem out at Mapplewell, and he went there dressed in
his traditional Chinese dress, and he took with him a
colleague, a Chinese colleague. People at Mapplewell who had
never heard the Chinese dialect before, they probably would never have
seen a Chinese person before. - Certainly broadening the
horizons-- - Absolutely, absolutely. - One of the things
that makes him stand out as a Victorian missionary,
people got images of that, but he wasn't a typical
Victorian missionary, because he actually went out
there, he lived with the people,
he dressed like them, he spoke like them, and that was
his way of getting the Gospel across
to the Chinese people. Didn't set himself apart, he was
very much a part of the people. - Yeah, very much. (people chattering on street) - A million a month in
China are dying without God. Where such vast numbers
descend to the grave yearly demands absolute attention from
all who regard the Savior's parting
command to preach the Gospel to every
creature. The Church needs to be obedient and fulfill the Great
Commission given to us by Jesus. - [Narrator] Hudson wrote a book called China's Spiritual Need
and Claims. It was filled with statistics
and facts about China. It emphasized China's spiritual
need. - We firmly believed the
more people knew about China, the more would be done for
China. Missionary intelligence was
essential for the missionary effort. - [Narrator] Hudson came to the
conclusion that a special mission agency
was needed for inland China. He would have to establish this
agency, and wrestled with the
idea for some months. - Every day I looked at the
map of the Chinese empire. It reminded me that millions
upon millions of Chinese had net yet heard the light of
the Gospel. It burned into my soul and
weighed heavily upon me. - [Narrator] Under the
weight of such a decision, his health suffered,
and a friend invited him to take a break in Brighton
in the June of 1865. - I wandered out on the sands
alone in great spiritual agony. The Lord conquered my unbelief, and I surrendered myself to God. I came to the realization that
if I was simply obeying God, all the responsibility must rest
with Him. He would direct, care for, and
guide me, and those who might labor with
me. The burden from that moment was
gone. - [Narrator] Two days later,
he opened a new account in the name of the China Inland
Mission. In the October of that year,
he published 3,000 copies of the first edition of China's
Spiritual Need and Claims. The book had a big impact on its
readers. - I established some core values
early on. We accepted missionaries from all leading Christian
denominations. The missionaries' needs
would be met by God's supply, and no salaries could be
guaranteed. The mission would not go into
any debt. My motto was God alone is
sufficient for God's own work. - [Narrator] On the 26th of May,
1866, Hudson and Maria, with their
four children and 16 missionaries, set
sail on the Lammermuir. This group became known
as the Lammermuir Party. They arrived in Shanghai on
the 30th of September, 1866. The whole mission wore Chinese
clothing, and the men had shaved foreheads
with a pigtail at the back. They were nicknamed the Pigtail
Mission by other mission societies. - In the 19th century, to see
photographs of these chaps dressed in
Chinese dress and with their pigtails, that was a very shocking thing for the expat Western community, in places like China, to see. But that principle of seeking
to identify with people, to learn the language well, to learn world view and culture, and really try and understand
where people are coming from, and how does this Gospel
connect with this culture and these people? And there's a great
quote from Hudson Taylor, and it's, "Let us, in
everything,
on sinful become Chinese, "that by all means, we may save
some. "Let us adopt their costume,
acquire their language, "study to imitate their
habits, live in their houses." So we continue to apply that
principle in China, but elsewhere where we
work. - [Narrator] Hudson
started in the capital city of the Cheh-kiang province,
Hangzhou, and made it his headquarters. The following year, the
first baptisms took place, and Wang Laijun was ordained as
a pastor. A clinic was established,
where hundreds of patients were treated daily. Then tragedy struck. Hudson's daughter,
Grace, died of meningitis in the August of 1867. - My flesh and my heart were
failing, but God was the strength of my
heart and my portion forever. It was no vain or unintelligent
act when knowing the land. I laid my family and myself
upon the altar for this service. (people chattering) - [Narrator] By the end of 1867, Hudson had established a
number of mission stations in two provinces. In 1868, he moved to Yangchau
to set up a new headquarters. There was an anti-foreign
sentiment in the city, causing a lot of tension. False rumors were spread
about the missionaries, and a violent mob gathered
outside the mission and started throwing stones. - While I was trying to get
help, a mob looted and set fire to the
building, and my pregnant wife had to
jump from the second floor to get free. All managed to flee the scene, having sustained some serious
injuries. - [Narrator] The fallout was
an international incident, blown out of proportion by bad
press. China offered compensation to
C.I.M. - I did not ask the
British Consul for help. I did not accept compensation, in a spirit of peace and
reconciliation. The press got the story wrong, and there were elements
of the British Parliament, who were wanting all
missionaries out of China. A shadow was cast over the
mission. - [Narrator] In the November of
1868, the Taylors were reinstated in
Yangchau. The demands were becoming
greater on the mission, and Hudson was struggling
in his own strength. Worn down, he came to a
revelation, with the help of a fellow
missionary. - God had made me a new man. I looked to Jesus, and what
I saw, oh, how joy flowed! I was resting in Jesus now,
letting Him do the work, which makes all the difference. I would strive no more,
but simply abide in Him. - [Narrator] 1870 was a
devastating year. The Taylors' son, Samuel,
died in the February, and they sent three of the
four children back to England. A pregnant Maria stayed with
Hudson and gave birth to a boy
who they called Noel. He died a few weeks later, and Maria died shortly
afterwards from cholera. - My precious wife and child
were taken, and I was left alone. God knew that the light in my
eyes and the joy in my heart were in her. I was no longer able to
unite with her in prayer. My heart was broken. - [Narrator] Hudson returned to
England to see his children in 1871. On the voyage home, he became
good friends with Jennie Faulding, who
was part of C.I.M.'s work. When they arrived in
England, they were married. Hudson set up a London
Council, who were responsible for sending out missionaries,
promoting the work, and receiving financial
contributions. In 1873, Hudson and
Jennie returned to China, where new mission stations were continually being
established. All the C.I.M. missionaries were
stretched to their capacity. - We needed to do more work
with fewer missionaries. I aimed at claiming every city
for Christ. I was asking for 100 Chinese
evangelists just for one province, and then once the work was
organized, the missionaries could
move to the next province. - [Narrator] Hudson fell
and injured his spine on a river boat traveling up the
Yangtze. He persevered on with
his colleague, Mr. Judd, to establish a station in
Wuchang. The mission now had
work in five provinces, and in 1874, Hudson returned to
England with an injured back, and
was confined to bedrest. - There is a myth in Christian
circles that says missionaries are
superhuman, and Hudson Taylor, through
his own life, realized that, and often said to the China
Inland Mission leaders that resources, strategy, money, and people are not going
to get the Gospel to China. We do need people, we do need
resources, but there has to be a
fundamental
dependence upon God alone, and that was expressed
in a number of ways, particularly in dependence
on God through prayer, Hudson Taylor's emphasis on
faith. But this dependence on God, acknowledging weakness and
seeing God work through very ordinary weak
people is a powerful message still for
today. - [Narrator] In the July of
1875, China's Millions, the
illustrated monthly periodical, edited by Hudson Taylor, was
published. - We filled it with
illustrations, testimonies, statistics, and reports
about the work in China. It provided a vital link
between the missionary and the field, and the
supporters back home. - [Narrator] The mission was
pushed to its financial limits. Hudson's policy was never
to ask for funds outright, but rather, to make the
needs of the mission known. He simply prayed that people
would give to the mission of their own accord,
even when it seemed as if the funds had dried up. - I felt no anxiety. I knew the Lord would provide. God alone is sufficient
for God's own work. - [Narrator] We met up
with Hudson Taylor's great-great-grandson, James
Hudson Taylor IV, in Taiwan to talk about Hudson's life. - Certainly, I think, as I look
back to Hudson Taylor's life this whole idea of faith, and we've talked about,
you know, God's work done in God's way will
not lack God's provision. I mean, there's this great
story of him visiting Moody, Dwight L. Moody, in Chicago, being invited to preach at
Moody's church. And at the end of the
service, Moody gets on stage and says, "Hey, we're
gonna take an offering." And Hudson Taylor, you know,
he's the guest speaker, but he comes on stage and he
says, "No, we have a non-solicitation
policy." And Moody thought he was crazy. But lo and behold, the next
day, a guy brings a check for 5,000 U.S. dollars, and
tells Hudson Taylor that, "If I gave yesterday at church,
I'da only given you $5." We live in a world that,
probably, we overly depend upon our human
efforts to do God's work, whereas
we're called to a simple faith. - [Narrator] In 1876, when
Hudson returned to China, the Chefoo Convention had been
signed by the British and Chinese. An imperial decree was issued, granting full liberty and
protection to British subjects traveling into the
interior, opening the door to the remotest parts
of the Chinese empire. This was what Hudson had been
waiting for. 24 missionaries had
been specially recruited to make their way into the nine
unreached interior provinces where there were no
Protestant missionaries. They traveled over
30,000 miles between them across the interior of
China to Tibet and Burma. At this time, China was
experiencing a great famine in the North. People were stripping the
bark off trees for food. An estimated 12 million lives
were lost. When Hudson returned to England, he asked his wife to go and
help with the orphaned children in Taiyuan in the Shansi
province. Jennie went accompanied
by two other ladies and set up an orphanage. Another important issue for
C.I.M. Was the devastating
effects of the opium trade. - The habit of opium smoking
degraded and injured the Chinese. And to know that Britain was
responsible for such an evil brought us grief and
humiliation. We campaigned to bring
an end to the trade. Over the years, opium addict
centers became a vital part of our
mission to help people be free of the
habit. We published many articles
exposing the trade and its effects. - [Narrator] Benjamin Broomhall, who served as the general
secretary of the China Inland
Mission for many years, campaigned against the
opium trade for decades, and lobbied the British
Parliament to bring the trade to an end. He was a great missions
advocate, an activist who was married
to Hudson's sister, Amelia. (water rushing) - Probably for Chinese, the most renowned saying of
Hudson Taylor was actually found within
a letter that he sent to his sister, Amelia. He said, "If I had 1,000 pounds,
China could have them all. "If I had 1,000 lives, I
would give them all to China. "No, not China, but Christ. "Can we do too much for such a
savior?" And that saying, probably, for
Chinese Christians, at least, is the most well-known
saying of Hudson Taylor. (speaking in Mandarin Chinese) - [Narrator] In 1879, on
a voyage back to China, Hudson fell ill. On arriving in Shanghai, he was advised to return to
England. Instead, he decided to go
to the northern port city of Chefoo, which had a
more refreshing climate. He made a good recovery and
established a hospital there for the sick missionaries, and schools for missionary
children. They became vital to the
welfare of all missionaries and their children in China. Jennie Taylor returned to
England in 1881, while Hudson traveled thousands
of miles throughout China, visiting the increasing
number of mission stations. With the work growing so much, there was only one thing to do. He returned to England in 1883, and made passionate appeals
for 70 new missionaries to join the work. The mission cried out in one
voice for the great need, and each missionary signed the
appeal. - If God saw it needful to try
our faith, He could do so, whether we
were 70 more or 70 less. And if He were pleased
to bless us abundantly, the additional 70 would
not be difficult for him. - The face of the
missionary, it's increasingly from the majority world,
the mission force, so we've got a reality today where mission is from
everywhere to everywhere. And the reality is that the
Church in the majority world, in Latin America, in
Africa, in parts of Asia, that's where the Church is
growing, and that's where many of
the newer mission movements are coming from. We are still seeing people
join OMF here in the U.K. There are lots of westerners
from North America, from Europe, joining OMF,
and other mission agencies, but the substantial growth,
as we look at the future, we can see that indigenous
mission movements coming from other parts of the
world, and doing it differently. - [Narrator] By 1884, 73 new
missionaries had joined C.I.M. Among them were seven graduates
of Cambridge University. The press told their
story across the world, and dubbed them the Cambridge
Seven. They were famous athletes, military officers, and
aristocrats. Before leaving for China,
they shared their testimonies at universities across the land. A revival broke out amongst the
students. It was noted the gift
of such a band of men to the China Inland Mission
truly was a gift from God. C.I.M. entered its 20th year in
1885. By now, there were 177
missionaries, and over 100 Chinese
evangelists, pastors, and Scripture bearers working
in the many new hospitals, mission stations, schools, and
chapels the mission had established
throughout China. With such an expansion of the
work, Hudson set up mission districts, each with its own
superintendent. A year later, he formed the
China Council, comprising of those
superintendents. At their first meeting,
they all agreed to send out an appeal for 100 more
missionaries. Hudson saw a great need
to reach the millions in the Guangsi river region
in the Kiangsi province. He hadn't enough men to spare, so he appointed single lady
missionaries to work in all the
stations along the river. - The issue of women's
work greatly delighted and somewhat astonished me. I seriously questioned
whether those provinces and cities in China,
which were utterly closed to male evangelists, would
prove to be open to our sisters. - The only way a woman could
go to the mission field, almost, was to marry a man who was called to the mission
field. But Hudson Taylor, within
China's society, saw that it was very important
for women to be mobilized because China was a very
conservative society, and men couldn't get into
Chinese homes. Only women could get in, so he mobilized women, single
women. And he was lambasted. You know, he had all kinds
of stories told about him, and criticized, but he
saw that as very critical. - [Narrator] Hudson returned to
England and campaigned for the 100
missionaries they desperately needed. And by the end of 1887, the
100 were on their way to China. In 1888, Hudson went to North
America and spoke at conferences,
with unexpected results. Money was given to fund the
sending of 17 American missionaries to
China. 14 of them sailed
straight away with Hudson. The following year, he
returned to North America and established the
North American Council. In the same year, he published a
leaflet called To Every Creature. This was a challenge to
the Protestant Church to evangelize the world,
with an emphasis on China. It said that every family in
China could be reached within five
years by 1,000 evangelists. This led to partnerships
with missionary organizations from many countries. - When I was asked about
the difficulties working with different denominations, I simply replied, "The great
work of the mission field, "which is the call to us all, "overrides theological
differences." Our motto was all one in Christ. - [Narrator] Shanghai was now
the headquarters of C.I.M., with new premises, which proved
invaluable to the mission. It housed large groups of
missionaries on their way to the field,
and became a safe haven for the mission in times of
crisis. Hudson traveled to Australia in
1890, holding meetings across the main
cities, sharing the vision for the
thousand. The Australian Council was set
up, and the first 12 missionaries
traveled with Hudson back to China. The mission was growing rapidly, but not without its challenges. - It is hard for people to
realize what it was like to be out there, to hear of
their sorrows, and the difficulties of our dear
workers, receiving telegrams of arson and
riots, or even a death from sickness, and all the untold incidents
of nearly 500 missionaries. There was just one way to
avoid being overwhelmed. I brought everything as
it arose to our Master, and He did help. - [Narrator] By the January of
1895, C.I.M. had 630 missionaries, 244 mission stations and
outstations, 233 chapels, and 149 organized
churches, 209 schools, four hospitals, 35
centers for opium addicts, and 14 dispensaries, 306 paid Chinese helpers,
and 108 volunteers. 16 of the 18 provinces had
resident Protestant
missionaries, but Hunan and Kuangsi were
still difficult places to establish permanent stations. Over the years, Hudson's
children joined C.I.M., continuing the legacy. "As for me and my house,
we shall serve the Lord." - People mostly call me Jamie. Actually, my given name
is James Hudson Taylor IV. So, growing up, my parents were
missionaries here in Taiwan, so I grew up on the mission
field, and obviously, within a Chinese context. And so, even growing up in
church, I was very cognizant of the fact that I was a part of
a family that had been involved with
Chinese and with the Chinese world
for many generations. And actually, my Chinese name literally means to follow in the
footsteps of my ancestors. And so, even growing up,
I was asked that question, are you also gonna be a
missionary? At least during my teenage
years, I saw this more as a burden,
rather than a blessing. I was pretty fed up of being
asked, "Are you gonna be a missionary?" And in fact, really, I
didn't become a Christian until I was 18 years old. I think every generation has
to come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, and has to be
obedient to what God might be calling
that generation to do, in terms of responding
to the Great Commission. So as I hear people talk
about Hudson Taylor, I think it's a fresh reminder
to me of how I'm called to be faithful in my generation, just like he was faithful
in his generation, or just like Herbert was
faithful in his generation, or James II, James III, my
father, or for me, and a prayer for my
son, that he would also be
faithful in his generation. To go back to Hudson
Taylor's great-grandfather, "As for me and my house,
we will serve the Lord." I think that verse has
really been the key verse for our whole family throughout
these nine generations, and even into our son's
life, and into his family, or his relationship with his
wife. - [Narrator] Hudson had called for 1,000 missionaries in 1890. By 1895, 672 women and 481
men had responded to the call, joining various mission agencies
in China. By this time, China had
been defeated by Japan during the first Sino-Japanese
War for control over Korea. China had to sue for
peace, paying a heavy price in war reparations, and
ceding territories to Japan. Hudson felt a real urgency to
hasten the evangelism effort in China, and launched a
Forward Movement campaign. They were praying for an
outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the believers in China, and encouraging them to take
up the Great Commission. In 1898, the Chinese
emperor was sidelined, and his aunt, the empress
dowager, took control. During this period,
Hudson's health failed him, and he was confined mostly
to bedrest in China. Recovering slightly, he
traveled to Switzerland for recuperation. Foreign powers had been
exerting their own interests in China for decades, which gave rise to patriotic
volunteers, known as the Boxers by
westerners. They incited hatred towards
foreigners and proclaimed that all
foreigners should be driven out of China. When the rains failed in 1900,
and the drought followed, the Boxers blamed the
foreigners. The empress dowager now
openly backed the Boxers, who unleashed their rage. A bloody campaign ensued,
where 135 missionaries and 53 of their children, and
over 2,000 Chinese Christians were murdered by the Boxers. The worst effected province was
Shansi. - They exchanged a murderous mob for the rapture of Jesus's
embrace, His presence, His
smile. They received a crown of
glory that does not fade away. They walk now with Jesus in
white, for they are worthy. - [Narrator] There were
more than 700 C.I.M. missionaries in the field at the
time of the Boxer Rebellion. Some made safe journeys back to
Shanghai, while others endured horrific
journeys, suffering terrible injuries. Tragically, 58 C.I.M.
missionaries and 21 of their children lost
their lives. Recovering in Switzerland, Hudson received telegram after
telegram recounting the stories
of massacres and murders. - I cried out to God
for them day and night. I just wanted to go to
them, to comfort them. The anguish of my heart was
killing me. It got to the point where
I couldn't read, think, or even pray. But I could trust in God. I knew that from God's
standpoint, all things would work
out for the highest good. - [Narrator] In 1901, the Boxer Rebellion was brought
to an end. Now came the huge task
of rebuilding the field. China offered compensation
on all foreign claims for destruction of
property and loss of life. The mission needed to make a
decision whether to make a claim or not. - We claimed for nothing and
refused all compensation. Reconciliation and
forgiveness was our way. I knew that God alone was
sufficient for God's own work. - [Narrator] This action placed
the mission in a good light with the Chinese people. In 1902, at the age of 70, Hudson resigned from
the China Inland Mission and Dixon Hoste was
appointed his successor. In 1904, Hudson's wife, Jennie, died from cancer in Switzerland. In the years following
the Boxer Rebellion, there was a rapid
interest in Christianity, and encouraging reports
were reaching Hudson. - I started to hear the
phrase as never before. Men crowded into our preaching
halls as never before. There was a friendliness
towards the missionary such as never before. China was coming to
Christ as never before. - The most effective way
of sharing the good news is through lives, which
themselves demonstrate the transforming
power of the Gospel. I could have brilliant language, Thai, Malay, Japanese, Chinese, I could have all the resources
that OMF could bring to me to work in Indonesia or Taiwan,
wherever it happens to be. Unless they see the reality in
my life of the transforming power of the
Gospel and the reality of Jesus Christ
in me, then all of those resources
and that good language, Hudson Taylor recognized
this doesn't really matter. So that pursuit of
holiness, that love for God, that ongoing being transformed, all of that is crucial and
indispensable for what we do. - [Narrator] Filled with a new
zeal, Hudson returned to his beloved
China. He toured some of the mission
stations, including Chenkiang, where
his first wife, Maria, was laid to rest. There, the names of his
four children were engraved beside their mother's. While there, he spoke a
few words of loving counsel to a group of young missionaries setting out for inland stations. - I told them my dear wife died
there. I said, "In spirit, our loved
ones may be nearer to us "than we think, "and Jesus is near, nearer than
we think. "The Lord Jesus will never
leave nor forsake you. "Count on Him, enjoy Him, "abide in Him. "Be true to Him and to His
word." - [Narrator] Hudson was full of
joy when he reached the mission
station in Changsha, the capital of Hunan province, which had been closed and
resistant to the Gospel for decades. But now, the work was thriving. Two days later, on the third
of June, 1905, he died. He was buried next to Maria in
Chenkiang in the Kiangsu province. At the time of Hudson's passing
in 1905, C.I.M. had 721 mission
stations and outstations, 703 chapels, 150 schools, 418 churches, 825 missionaries, and 1,152 Chinese helpers, seven hospitals, 37
dispensaries, 101 centers for opium addicts, and over 18,000 recorded
baptisms. Over the next 10 years,
China Inland Mission went through unprecedented
growth and doubled in size. - The China scene, politically, changed radically in the 1940s. Communist leadership came into
power, and foreigners and missionaries, such as the China Inland
Mission missionaries left. We describe it in OMF
as our reluctant exodus, and it was a time of great
turmoil and upheaval and uncertainty. And the leaders, after much
prayer and consultation, came to the conclusion that the
C.I.M. should look more widely across
East Asia. Chinese communities
are all over East Asia, but to look beyond the
Chinese communities as well and begin sharing the Gospel
with all of the peoples of East Asia. So the name changed initially to China Inland Mission
Overseas Missionary Fellowship, and then it changed to
Overseas Missionary Fellowship, and then to just OMF. - I've often wondered what
Hudson Taylor and what the early
missionaries would have thought if they saw the Church in China
today. Of course, when they came, many places did not have the
Gospel. And so, today, as we look at
China and see the growth of the Church
in China, the exponential growth
of Christians in China, I think they would just be
utterly amazed and so thankful. And in a sense, affirming the sacrifice
that many of them made so that the Gospel could take
root. Hudson Taylor said, "The Great
Commission is not an option "to be considered. "It's a command to be followed." And I think the Church today,
especially in the West, is facing that in a
new and in a fresh way. How do we see the Great
Commission of Jesus Christ? Matthew, chapter 28. (waves lapping on shore) - [Hudson Taylor] A
million a month in China are dying without God. Where such vast numbers
descend to the grave yearly demands absolute attention from
all who regard the Savior's parting
command to preach the Gospel to every creature. The Church needs to be obedient and fulfill the Great
Commission given to us by Jesus!
