Central China Union Mission

By Joshua C. S. Chiu, and Bruce W. Lo

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Joshua C. S. Chiu was born in Hong Kong, China. After graduating with a B.Ed. (Hons) from the Open University of Hong Kong and an M.Div. from the Lutheran Theological Seminary, Joshua was first employed as a teacher in a church school of Hong Kong-Macao Conference. Subsequently, he served as an editor and Internet Evangelist in the Chinese Union Mission.

Bruce W. Lo is the ESDA assistant editor for the Chinese Union Mission.

First Published: April 20, 2022

Territory and Statistics

Before the Adventists in China were disconnected from the world Church in 1951, Central China Union Mission 华中联合会 consisted of four provincial missions: Henan (Honan), Hubei (Hupeh), Hunan, and Jiangxi (Kiangsi); 25 organized churches, and 2,251 members in a region where the total population was 103,945,622.1 There were 48 companies in 1949-1950.2

Prior to Central China Union Mission (1903-1919)

Adventist work in Central China began in 1903 when Drs. Harry and Maude Miller, Drs. Arthur and Bertha Selmon, and nurses Charlotte Simpson and Carrie Erickson arrived at Henan.3 Work quickly expanded. Initially the China mission field was operated under the General Conference. By 1909 the work in this region was reallocated to Asiatic Division and was designated as the Central Mission Field of the China Union Mission. In 1912 the Central China Mission (CCM) was formally organized with Roy Cottrell as director.4 In the two years of 1917 and 1918, preceding the formation of the Far Eastern Division, the Central China Mission was dissolved into individual provincial-based missions.5 When the Far Eastern Division was officially organized in 1919, the Central China Union Mission was established at the same time.6

Central China Union Mission First Decade (1919-1928)

In March 1919 the Central China Union Mission was organized with the provinces of Gansu (Kansu), Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, and Shaanxi (Shensi) as its territory and Hankou as its headquarters. The work had not yet been officially opened in Gansu province. The first superintendent of the newly organized union was F. A. Allum, the first secretary-treasurer was R. J. Brown.7

The first decade of the Central China Union Mission was marked by natural disasters, political upheavals, and anti-Christian unrest. But despite the adversity, the Church continued to make steady progress.

In 1919 floods in Henan destroyed most of the dormitories in the Honan Intermediate School, resulting in costly repairs.8 In late 1919 the membership of the union was about 1,000. In the same year, O. J. Gibson and H. R. Dixson and their families moved to a property at Jiu Jiang to establish the headquarters for the Jiangxi Mission.9 During 1920 the construction of the new Yencheng Hospital was completed and the hospital was opened near the end of the year.10

The table below provides a glimpse of the fluctuation of church and Sabbath School membership during this period of time:

Year Churches Church Members Sabbath Schools SS Members
1919   1,000    
192111   1,121 56 1,984
192212 43 1,217    
192313 26 1,362    
192614 35 1,719 73 2,260
192715 35 1,577 70 1,744
192816   1,596 83 2,186

In 1923 and 1924 an anti-Christian movement swept the Central China Union.17 It was interesting to observed that even though the number of churches had largely decreased, the membership still increased.

A similar tread was seen in the number of schools in the union. In 1922 there were 50 teachers and 719 students in 31 schools. In 1923 the number had decreased so there were only 38 teachers and 463 students in 18 schools. In 1924 there were 42 teachers and 405 students in 20 schools, including the Hankow Intermediate School and the Honan Intermediate School which carried grades 1-9.18 In September 1925 a new provincial school in Hunan opened.19

In February 1926 the Honan meeting was held during the uncertainties of war. Railway transportation and communication were broken down between the union office and the mission offices for more than six weeks.20

In July 1926 the Northern Expedition of the National Revolutionary Army brought chaos to the provinces of the Central China Union. Two foreign families in Xian (Sian) were besieged in the city for more than five months. In Wuchang, Hubei, a group of believers and eight Chinese workers were besieged in the city when the armies surrounded that city on September 1. Then the school chapel in Yancheng, Henan, was burned unexpectedly. Next, a large chapel in Changsha, Hunan, was occupied by the southern armies.21

In 1927 the civil war, the banditry, and the anti-Christian movement continued to affect this union. Some chapels were occupied by armies or entered by agitators. Furniture was burned, broken up, or taken away. The labor unions commandeered the chapels. The main school building in Changsha was sealed.22 The schools were closed in most places. Some of the Sabbath Schools were closed.23

There were some months when the provincial leaders were cut off from their workers and communications were blocked. A union meeting was called at Hankou in November 1927.24 Seventy-six workers attended. Liu Zhong-guang (柳種廣, Liu Djung Gwang) was appointed director of the Jiangxi Mission.25

When troubles subsided, church leaders started the reconstruction phase. Later on, the colporteur force was rebuilt to almost its former numbers.

During 1928 there were 273 new believers baptized, increasing the membership to 1,596. At the end of 1928, there were 13 more Sabbath Schools. The number of Sabbath School members increased to 2,186. There were 428 students in 17 lower primary schools, two higher primary schools, and three middle schools.26 In addition, there were 73 outstations. In the fall of 1928, Wu Zeshan (吳擇善, Wu Dzeh-shan) was appointed the director of the Shensi Mission.27 The Yencheng Hospital-Dispensary had been occupied by armies and closed for a year. It reopened on August 1, 1928.28

Central China Union Mission Pre-War Era (1929-1937)

In 1929 the Central China Union gave study to opening the work in northwest China.29 It also requested an appropriation from the division to open the literature work in Xinjiang.30 During 1930 two colporteurs were selected to pioneer the work in Xinjiang.31 In the spring of 1931 they started the trip.32

At the end of 1930 there were 86 chapels; 56 of them were either owned or fully provided for locally and 30 were rented. There were 25 church schools and three schools with grades 1-9, with 567 students enrolled, 376 of whom were Adventist children.33 The work had been established permanently in only 53 of the 552 hsiens (counties). In Shaanxi, after working for 14 years, there were only 59 members at the end of 1929, but there were 74 baptisms in 1930 alone, despite the terrible famine. During the biennial session of the union in May 1931, it was decided to send two families to Gansu.34

Beginning July 30, 1931, the floods in the Yangtze and Yellow River Valleys affected Henan, Hubei, Hunan, and Jiangxi. The properties on the mission compound at Wangjaidun, Hankou, were covered by 14 feet of water. The compound wall and most buildings of the Hankow Intermediate School collapsed. The chapel building was still standing, but it was damaged beyond repair. The five homes for expats were entirely destroyed. The other two homes had great holes washed out of the walls.35

During the 1932 Quadrennial Council of the China Division, the territory of the Central China Union was changed. The provinces of Henan, Hubei, Hunan, and Jiangxi remained in the territory of this union. The provinces of Shaanxi and Gansu were moved to the territory of a newly organized Northwest China Mission.36 M. C. Warren was selected to be the superintendent of the Central China Union.37

On March 31, 1931, there were 2,062 members in 26 organized churches within the union.38 There were also 3,162 members in 83 Sabbath Schools.39 However, six months later the Sabbath School membership had decreased to 2,787.40 At the end of 1931 there were 2,119 members in 29 churches and 2,905 members in 93 Sabbath Schools.41 After the territory was reduced in 1932, there were 1,902 members in 25 organized churches and 2,680 members in 84 Sabbath Schools.42 On September 30, 1932, the membership in 25 churches had just reached 2,000.43 At the end of 1932, the number of Sabbath School members in 88 Sabbath Schools was 3,069.44

In the fall of 1933 construction was almost completed on the two new school buildings at Wangjaidun which were to replace those destroyed by the flood.45

On September 30, 1933, there were 529 students enrolled in 23 church schools and 316 students enrolled in four intermediate schools. There were 25 churches.46

In May 1934 the establishment of medical work in Hankou as a project of the Central China Union was first discussed by the division committee. The committee had sent a telegram to the General Conference to request authorization.47

In April 1935, during the union session, the leaders reported that during the past four years, there was a regression in mission in some areas due to persecution and various natural disasters. Some believers had fled, hid, or abandoned their faith. However, 30 evangelistic efforts were held in 1934.48

In 1935 the believers in Hunan opened new work among the Miao people in the borderland next to Guizhou. The West Hunan Mission was organized, covering nearly 30 counties west of the Siang River valley, largely in the mountains and filled with Han, Miao, and other minorities. Liu Zhong-guang was appointed to be the director.49 The headquarters was in Hongjiang (Hungkiang), Hunan.50

Before the summer, the restoration of the intermediate school property at Wangjaidun, Hankou, had been nearly completed.51 However, during the summer, the territory of the Central China Union was affected by disastrous floods again. The members in Hankou had to protect the church properties.52

In May 1937 the supervision of Wuhan Sanitarium and Clinic had been transferred from the Central China Union to the China Division.53 The Wuhan Sanitarium opened on October 1, 1937, without a formal opening ceremony.54

During 1937 the Miao Mission was organized for the minorities of western Hunan. Two families, D. R. White and He Aidun (賀愛敦, Ho Ai Deng) were appointed to this mission.55 The West Hunan Mission ceased operation.56 One year later the Miao Mission was renamed Miao District.57

Central China Union Mission During Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945)

The Second Sino-Japanese War broke out on July 7, 1937. Some cities in Henan, Jiangxi, Hubei, and Hunan, fell one after another. During 1938 many church members lost their homes and evacuated. Some church properties were entirely destroyed.58 After Wuhan fell, the grounds of the Wuhan Sanitarium became a refugee camp. More than 17,000 people from Wuchang and the surrounding area came there for safety.59 Evangelistic work was carried on for the refugees.60

Since the 1938-1939 school year, both the Hankow Bible and Industrial Institute of SDA and the Hunan Provincial Junior Training Institute had ceased to operate due to the war.61 These two schools had tried to operate a combined school in Changsha, but had to close before the end of the 1937-1938 school year.62 The Honan Training Institute became the only middle school in the Central China Union operating from the fall of 1938 to the summer of 1940. This school continued to operate, although there was bombing or fighting nearby several times.63 Since there were buildings in the Wuhan Sanitarium not needed for the strictly sanitarium purpose, the Central China Union Training Institute was opened in some smaller buildings there in the fall of 1940 with a strong faculty.64

In 1939 Pastor E. H. James was appointed director of Hunan Mission.65 However, he had left China on furlough in June 1938.66 He returned to China on August 17, 1939,67 so the mission was without a director for a few months.

On March 19, 1939, the China Division Committee granted a furlough to O. G. Erich, the secretary-treasurer of the Honan Mission, and his family.68 On May 9, 1939, the China Division Committee assigned G. L. Wilkinson to be director of the Honan Mission,69 but two days later the same committee authorized his early furlough,70 and he and his family left soon thereafter.71 Next the division committee tried to call T. A. Shaw, A. J. Robbins, and D. R. White to be the acting director, but all of these calls were declined.72 From that point onward, there were no leaders for more than seven months. Then, Pastor J. H. Effenberg arrived at Yancheng to take care of the mission.73 G. L. Wilkinson returned from furlough and arrived in Shanghai on June 17, 1940.74

During the absence of the director and secretary-treasurer of the Honan Mission, the workers of Yencheng Sanitarium had used the hospital income to hold a large evangelistic effort for 10,000 people who had been fed by the refugee kitchen.75

In the spring of 1939, D. R. White, Wang Quanrong (王全榮, Wang Chun-hung), and a nurse relocated to western Hunan, near Guizhou, and did medical work among the minority there to break down prejudice and open the possibility for evangelistic work.76

In 1939 the eastern part of Hunan Mission was joined with the western part to form one Hunan Mission.77 Then Miao Mission and Miao District Mission were discontinued.78 During 1939 the director and the secretary-treasurer of Hupeh Mission had to relocate almost constantly for safety reasons.79 Since Jiangxi was in the Japanese-occupied region, the mission president, J. E. Frick, was restricted in his movement to the immediate surroundings for almost an entire year. His assistant, Peng Xianwu (彭憲武, Peng Hsien-wu), the secretary-treasurer, had to care for the southern part of the mission. Despite all these difficulties, several evangelistic efforts were conducted and the foreign compound was still intact.80

In 1940 the colporteurs in this union sold almost $30,000 worth of literature. The Harvest Ingathering campaign also had a good result; $11,000 was received for regular funds and an additional $4,000 was received for relief funds.81 There were 139 new members baptized in Honan province that year. This was the second largest number of baptisms in Honan Mission since 1917.82

By early 1941 the refugees in Wuhan Sanitarium had all moved away, but the patronage was still good due to the spiritual work done for the refugees. A group of truth seekers had been baptized.83 The supervision of Wuhan Sanitarium and Clinic was transferred back from the China Division to the Central China Union.84

In 1941, during the biennial council of the division, it was decided that in each union two national leaders would be selected as the general field director and the associate treasurer. For the Central China Union, Du Shuren was appointed general field director and Dai Yafu (A. F. Tai, 戴亞夫) was the associate treasurer.85

After the Pacific War broke out in December 1941, G. J. Appel continued as superintendent until 1947.86 Then H. C. Currie was asked to be director of the Kiangsi Mission.87 The Wuhan Sanitarium and the Central China Union Training Institute at Wuchang were still under the control of the Central China Union.88

In 1944-1945, the lines of communication between Hunan and Kiangsi Mission were broken. Many workers lost their lives. In Hupeh Mission, the church property in Hankou was preserved, but the church properties in Zhangshe (Changsha) were totally destroyed.89

Central China Union Mission After World War II (1945-1951)

After the war the colporteur work was restored. By the end of the second quarter of 1946, the 26 colporteurs of the Central China Union had already sold $14,831,750 (national currency) worth of publications.90 The city church and workers’ quarters in Changsha, which had been burned, were rebuilt.91

On October 14, 1947, M. C. Warren, who had returned to China from the United States, had reached Shanghai and took over as superintendent of the Central China Union.92

At the end of 1947 there were 64 Sabbath Schools with 3,289 members, 15 branch Sabbath Schools, and one family Sabbath School.93 In Henan there were 14 churches with 1,932 members and 34 Sabbath Schools; in Hubei, there were four churches with 386 members and 11 Sabbath Schools; in Hunan, there were four churches with 268 members and 11 Sabbath Schools; in Jiangxi, there were five churches with 250 members and three Sabbath Schools.94

During 1947 the civil war in Henan killed more than 15,000 people. Some missionaries were caught in the crossfire. The believers there still insisted on holding one evangelistic effort in the fall.95

In December 1947 many cities in Henan province were liberated and the main hospital building was burned one night.96 In early 1948 the Wuhan Sanitarium was reopened. The union session was held on its property in mid-February. Its city office in Hankou had also been reopened. Meanwhile, the civil war swept through central Henan. Many workers evacuated to Hankou. While some were captured, their lives were spared.97 The missionaries who were in Hankou included M. C. Warren, O. G. Erich, Dr. R. W. McMullen, Gertrude Green, and J. E. Christensen.98

In 1948 the union had planned eight evangelistic efforts in the spring, two in each province. The war conditions in Henan made it difficult to hold these meetings, but the church members insisted. As a result, six efforts were held in Jiangxi, five in Hunan, and three in Hubei. Jiangxi reported 60 baptisms, Hunan 80, and Hubei 122. Although no effort was held in Henan, 57 were baptized. A total of 319 new members were baptized that year.99

In mid-1948 plans were made to rebuild the main building of the Central China Union Training School next to the Wuhan Sanitarium property. Since the Honan Training Institute had not yet reopened, some Henan students from grades 7 to 10 also attended the union training school which had reopened in the fall of 1948.100

In late 1948 the foreign missionaries in central China evacuated to south and southwest China. Some went to Hong Kong or Taiwan. M. C. Warren evacuated to south China and tried to keep contact with the work in central China. O. G. Erich, the secretary-treasurer, had evacuated to Guangzhou (Canton). He served as manager of the Canton Sanitarium.101

At the end of 1948 the number of churches in Jiangxi had increased to six, the membership had increased to 307, and the number of Sabbath Schools had increased to eight. The number of churches in Hunan had remained at four, the membership had increased to 357, and the Sabbath School number had increased to 13. The number of churches in Hubei had remained at four, the membership had increased to 521, and the Sabbath School number had decreased to ten. The number of churches in Henan had decreased to 11, the membership had decreased to 1,856, and the Sabbath School number had decreased to 28.102

During 1949 there was a need to have a native minister as president of the Central China Union, as a foreign missionary could never go back to that position. Shen Tianran was appointed to be the first indigenous president and the last.103

At the end of 1949 the Sabbath School number in Jiangxi had increased to 11, the number in Hubei had increased to 14, the number in Hunan had decreased to 12, and the number in Henan had further decreased to 20.104

During 1950 the Sabbath Schools and their members were still increasing.105 Shen Tianran, the president of the union, attended the General Conference session.106

In 1951 the connection between Seventh-day Adventists worldwide and the Central China Union Mission was broken.

Directors and Presidents of the Central China Union Mission

F. A. Allum (1919-1922), O. A. Hall (1922-1925), Frederick Lee (1925-1927), N. F. Brewer (1927-1932), M. C. Warren (1932-1939), George J. Appel (1939-1947), M. C. Warren (1947-1949), Shen Tianran (沈天然, T. R. Shen/Wellington Shen) (1949-1951).

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Notes

  1. “Central China Union Mission,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Washington, D. C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1951), 101.

  2. “Central China Union Mission,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Washington, D. C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1950), 96.

  3. Bruce W. Lo “Jacob Nelson Anderson and Emma Marie Thompson Anderson” in www.adventisminchina.org accessed 4/20/2020 https://www.adventisminchina.org/individuals/1-expatriates/andersonjn .

  4. See the ESDA article on “Central China Mission” or use the hyperlink provided in this article.

  5. Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook. Washington, D. C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1918 and 1919.

  6. Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook. Washington, D. C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1920.

  7. C. C. Crisler, “Notes from the Spring Council,” Asiatic Division Outlook, March 1, 1919, 5, 6; F. A. Allum, “Biennial Report of the Central China Union-1919, 1920,” Asiatic Division Outlook, October 1, 1921, 5; “Central China Union Mission,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Washington, D. C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1920), 155-57.

  8. C. P. Lillie, “Biennial Report of the Honan and the Shensi Missions-1919-21,” Asiatic Division Outlook, October 1, 1921, 7.

  9. “A Station in Kiangsi Province, China,” Asiatic Division Outlook, January 1-15, 1920, 3; “We may count one more of China’s eighteen provinces…,” ARH, March 25, 1920, 32 (416).

  10. Harry H. Hall, “Glimpses of the Land of Sinim: Surprising Discoveries in Money, Schools, and Dispensaries,” The Signs of the Times, September 23, 1919, 6; H. C. James, “Dispensary-Hospital Work in Yencheng,” ARH, August 3, 1922, 18.

  11. Eva Allum, “Central China Sabbath School Department January 1919 to June 30, 1921,” Asiatic Division Outlook, October 1, 1921, 7.

  12. O. A. Hall, “Biennial Report of the Central China Union Mission, 1921 and 1922,” Asiatic Division Outlook, December 1, 1923, 2.

  13. H. E. Rogers compiled, Seventh-day Adventist Conferences, Missions, and Institutions: The Sixty-first Annual Statistical Report Year Ending December 31, 1923 (Takoma Park, Washington: General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, 1923), 8.

  14. H. E. Rogers compiled, Seventh-day Adventist Conferences, Missions, and Institutions: The Sixty-fourth Annual Statistical Report Year Ending December 31, 1926 (Takoma Park, Washington, D.C.: General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, 1926), 8.

  15. H. E. Rogers compiled, Seventh-day Adventist Conferences, Missions, and Institutions: The Sixty-fifth Annual Statistical Report Year Ending December 31, 1927 (Takoma Park, Washington, D.C.: General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, 1927), 8.

  16. H. E. Rogers compiled, Seventh-day Adventist Conferences, Missions, and Institutions: The Sixty-sixth Annual Statistical Report Year Ending December 31, 1987 (Takoma Park, Washington, D.C.: General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, 1928), 8.

  17. O. A. Hall, “Biennial Report of the Central China Union Mission, 1923-1924,” Far Eastern Division Outlook, May 1925, 9.

  18. D. S. William, “Educational and Young People's Work in the Central China Union-1923-24.” Far Eastern Division Outlook, July 1925, 12.

  19. C. H. Davis, “The Hunan Mission-1923-24,” Far Eastern Division Outlook, July 1925, 12.

  20. Frederick Lee, “Provincial Meetings in Central China,” Far Eastern Division Outlook, July 1926, 3.

  21. Lee, “The Situation in Central China,” Far Eastern Division Outlook, October 1926, Extra.

  22. Crisler, “Our Faithful Chinese Workers in Hunan,” ARH, May 12, 1927, 9; Lee, “Experiences of Workers in Central China,” ARH, February 16, 1928, 10.

  23. Frederick Griggs, “Reconstruction in Central China,” ARH, January 31, 1929, 15.

  24. Lee, “Good News from Central China,” ARH, February 9, 1928, 7-8.

  25. H. W. Miller, “Central China Meeting,” Far Eastern Division Outlook, December 1927, 4-5.

  26. C. A. Carter, “Central China Union Educational and Y. P. M. V. Report for 1928,” Far Eastern Division Outlook, June 1929, 9.

  27. N. F. Brewer. “The Central China Union Mission: 1925-29,” Far Eastern Division Outlook, June 1929, 8-9.

  28. L. H. Butka, “Yencheng Hospital-dispensary,” Far Eastern Division Outlook, June 1929, 9.

  29. Brewer, “The China Division,” ARH, June 2, 1941, 114.

  30. E. L. Longway, “Publishing and Home Missionary Depts. — Central China Union — 1925-1928,” Far Eastern Division Outlook, June 1, 1929, 13.

  31. Strahle, “The Publishing Dept. — Far East — 1929,” August 1930, 6c.

  32. Brewer, “Central China Union,” The China Division Reporter, June 1931, 3.

  33. Ibid.

  34. E. R. Thiele, “A Note of Courage from Central China,” ARH, July 23, 1931, 20.

  35. C. C. Morris, “The Yangtze Flood,” The China Division Reporter, October 1, 1935, 8, 9; “The Flood in China,” Pacific Union Recorder, December 17, 1931, 5, 6; “From Flooded China,” ARH, December 10, 1931, 24.

  36. “Formation of a New Mission Field,” The China Division Reporter, February and March 1932, 5.

  37. “Announcements of Changes in Administrative Staffs,” The China Division Reporter, February and March, 1932, 5.

  38. “Statistical Report of the China Division Mission, Quarter Ending March 31, 1931,” The China Division Reporter, August 1931, 7.

  39. “Report of the China Division Sabbath School Department for Quarter Ending March 31, 1931,” The China Division Reporter, August 1931, 5.

  40. “Report of the China Division Sabbath School Department for Quarter Ending September 30, 1931,” The China Division Reporter, January 1932, 3.

  41. “The China Division of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists: Statistical Summary-Including Provincial Missions-Year Ending Dec. 31, 1931,” The China Division Reporter, June 1932, 7.

  42. “The China Division of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists: Statistical Summary-Including Provincial Missions-Quarter Ending Mar. 31, 1932,” The China Division Reporter, July 1932, 11.

  43. “Statistical Report of the China Division Mission, Quarter Ending Sept. 30, 1932,” The China Division Reporter, January 1933, 7.

  44. “Report of the China Division Sabbath School Department for Quarter Ending December 31, 1932,” The China Division Reporter, April 1932, 11.

  45. “In Central China,” The China Division Reporter, October 1933, 4.

  46. M. C. Warren, “Central China Union Mission — 1933,” The China Division Reporter, January 1934, 23.

  47. China Division Committee, May 20, 23, 1934, 509, 511-14, Folder China Division Jan - Dec 1934, General Conference Archive.

  48. M. C. Warren, “The Central China Union,” The China Division Reporter, May 1935, 4; “Opening New Missions in Central China,” The China Division Reporter, August 1935, 3.

  49. “Opening New Missions in Central China.”

  50. “West Hunan Mission,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Takoma Park, Washington, D. C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1935), 107.

  51. “Hankow Mission, Central China,” The Church Officers’ Gazette, July 1935, 31.

  52. “Disastrous Floods,” The China Division Reporter, August 1935, 2.

  53. China Division Committee, May 23, 1937, 916, Folder China Division Jan – May 1937, General Conference Archive.

  54. J. L. McElhany, “War Losses in China,” Southern Tidings, December 1, 1937, 1; Miller, “The Wuhan Sanitarium and Clinic,” ARH, June 16, 1938, 13.

  55. Ibid, 3, 4; “Miao Mission,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Takoma Park, Washington, D. C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1938), 104.

  56. “Central China Union Mission,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Takoma Park, Washington, D. C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1938), 102-104.

  57. “Miao District,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Takoma Park, Washington, D. C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1939), 106.

  58. George J. Appel, “In the Central China Union Mission,” ARH, October 27, 1938, 11.

  59. Stanton B. May, “The Wuhan Sanitarium,” The China Division Reporter, September 1, 1940, 1.

  60. Appel, “Central China Union,” The China Division Reporter, January 1, 1940, 7.

  61. “Hankow Bible and Industrial Institute,” “Hunan Provincial Junior Training Institute,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Takoma Park, Washington, D. C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1939), 258, 261.

  62. Appel, “The Central China Union Mission Report for 1939,” The China Division Reporter, August 1, 1939, 4.

  63. Appel, “Training Our Youth in Honan,” The China Division Reporter, October 15, 1940, 4.

  64. W. H. Branson, “A Visit to Hankow,” The China Division Reporter, April 1, 1940, 1; Appel, “The Central China Union,” The China Division Reporter, March 1, 1941, 6.

  65. “Hunan Mission,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Washington, D. C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1940), 105-106.

  66. “News Notes,” The China Division Reporter, June 1938, 8.

  67. “News Notes,” The China Division Reporter, September 1, 1939, 8.

  68. China Division Committee, March 19, 1939, 176, Folder China Division (Section II) January-December 1939, General Conference Archive.

  69. China Division Committee, May 9, 1939, 2187, Folder China Division (Section I) 1939, General Conference Archive.

  70. Ibid., May 11, 1939, 2191.

  71. “Sailings,” The China Division Reporter, July 1, 1939, 8.

  72. China Division Committee, August 10, 1939, 2268, Folder China Division (Section I) 1939, General Conference Archive; China Division Committee, August 29, 1939, 2271; September 3, 1939, 2272, 2273.

  73. “Division Notes,” The China Division Reporter, January 1, 1940, 8.

  74. “Division Notes,” The China Division Reporter, July 1, 1940, 8.

  75. Appel, “Central China Union.”

  76. Appel, “The Central China Union Mission Report for 1939,” 5.

  77. China Division Committee, August 25, 1939, 2270, 2271, Folder China Division (Section I) 1939, General Conference Archive.

  78. “Central China Union Mission,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Washington, D. C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1940), 105-107.

  79. Appel, “Central China Union.”

  80. Appel, “The Central China Union Mission Report for 1939,” 4; J. E. Frick, “Kiangsi Mission,” The China Division Reporter, December 15, 1939, 4.

  81. Appel, “The Central China Union.”

  82. Ibid; “Statistical Summary –Including Provincial Missions –Year Ending Dec. 31, 1940: The China Division of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists,” The China Division Reporter, November 1941, 8.

  83. Appel, “The Central China Union.”

  84. China Division Committee, January 16, 1941, 2461, Folder China Division 1941, General Conference Archive.

  85. “Further Recommendations from the Biennial Council,” The China Division Reporter, May 1941, 7.

  86. “Central China Union Mission,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Washington, D. C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1943), 86; “Central China Union Mission,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Washington, D. C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1946), 91.

  87. W. H. Branson, “Encouraging Word from China,” ARH, August 20, 1942, 12.

  88. “From the China Division,” ARH, April 30, 1942, 32.

  89. E. L. Longway, “The China Division,” ARH, June 14, 1946, 184.

  90. D. A. McAdams, “Literature Sales in China,” ARH, November 21, 1946, 24.

  91. Appel, “Central China Union Session,” The China Division Reporter, June 1948, 5.

  92. “Arrivals,” The China Division Reporter, November 1947, 8.

  93. Mount, “A Glimpse of Our Sabbath Schools,” The China Division Reporter, June 1948, 7.

  94. Claude Conard compiled, Eighty-fifth Annual Statistical Report: Seventh-day Adventist Conferences, Missions, Institute 1947 (Takoma Park, Washington, D.C.: General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, 1947), 8.

  95. M. C. Warren, “Central China Union,” The China Division Reporter, March 1949, 4.

  96. “Division Notes,” The China Division Reporter, February 1948, 8; Appel, “Central China Union Session,” 4.

  97. Appel, “Central China Union Session,” 4.

  98. N. W. Dunn, “Central China Missionaries,” ARH, January 22, 1948, 24.

  99. Warren, “Central China Union.”

  100. Appel, “Central China Union Session,” 4, 5.

  101. Branson, “Emergency Plans for Our Work,” The China Division Reporter, January 1949, 2.

  102. Claude Conard compiled, Eighty-sixth Annual Statistical Report: Seventh-day Adventist Conferences, Missions, Institute 1948 (Takoma Park, Washington, D.C.: General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, 1948), 8.

  103. “Central China Union Mission,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Washington, D. C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1950), 96.

  104. Claude Conard compiled, Eighty-seventh Annual Statistical Report: Seventh-day Adventist Conferences, Missions, Institute 1949 (Takoma Park, Washington, D.C.: General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, 1949), 8.

  105. “With Our Departments and Institutions,” The China Division Reporter, October 1950, 4.

  106. “G. C. Delegation,” The China Division Reporter, May 1950, 8; “Delegates to the General Conference,” ARH, July 11, 1950, 10; “An Evening with the China Division,” ARH, July 23, 1950, 246; “News Notes,” The China Division Reporter, First Quarter, 1951, 8.

×

Chiu, Joshua C. S., Bruce W. Lo. "Central China Union Mission." Encyclopedia of Seventh-day Adventists. April 20, 2022. Accessed February 11, 2025. https://encyclopedia.adventist.org/article?id=68A4.

Chiu, Joshua C. S., Bruce W. Lo. "Central China Union Mission." Encyclopedia of Seventh-day Adventists. April 20, 2022. Date of access February 11, 2025, https://encyclopedia.adventist.org/article?id=68A4.

Chiu, Joshua C. S., Bruce W. Lo (2022, April 20). Central China Union Mission. Encyclopedia of Seventh-day Adventists. Retrieved February 11, 2025, https://encyclopedia.adventist.org/article?id=68A4.