Collection 215 Records of Overseas Missionary Fellowship (China Inland Mission)

Collection

Identifier: CN-215

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

Correspondence, minutes, directories, newsletters, brochures, photographs, book manuscripts, slides, photo albums, and other materials which document the history of the North American branch of the mission.

Materials cover the origins of the mission's North American branch; its church planting, evangelistic, medical, educational, and literature work in China until the time of its expulsion in 1951; its reorganization from China Inland Mission into Overseas Missionary Fellowship; its work since 1951 in Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Japan and other countries.Among the people featured are: William Borden, Chiang Kai-Shek, J.O. Fraser, George Gibb, Arthur Glasser, Robert Hall Glover, Dixon E. Hoste, George Hunter, Frank Houghton, John and Isobel Kuhn, J.O. Sanders, John and Elizabeth Stam, and James Hudson Taylor. The collection also includes twenty films and thousands of photographs (prints and slides).

Dates

Created: 1853, 1886-1990, 1997, n.d.
Other: Majority of material found in 1889-1990

Conditions Governing Access

The folders noted below are restricted and cannot be used without the written permission of the donor until after the date noted. This restriction does not apply to active members of the Overseas Missionary Fellowship.

5-10 See Folder 5-11

5-13 See Folder 5-14

13-1 December 31, 2008

13-2 December 31, 2010

13-3 December 31, 2013

13-4 December 31, 2017

14-1 December 31, 2012

Requests for permission should be directed to:

U.S.A. Director Overseas Missionary Fellowship

10 West Dry Creek Circle

Littleton, CO 80120

Forms to be sent to the contact person should be obtained from the staff in the Reading Room.

Folders 5-10, 5-12 and 5-13 contain materials on permanent loan to the Center from Overseas Missionary Fellowship.

J. Hudson Taylor's Bible and Chinese New Testament, stored in the Center Library, are also on permanent loan.

The materials in Folders 5-10 and 5-13 cannot be used because of their fragility. Copies of the materials in Folder 5-10 are located in Folder 5-11; copies of items in Folder 5-13 are in Folder 5-14.

Some of the personnel cards in folders 4-82 through 4-102 have been removed and copies substituted, with certain information blacked out. The original cards will be put back in each folder when 25 years have passed from the date of the youngest document in that folder.

Biographical or Historical Information

Nondenominational evangelical mission agency, founded as China Inland Mission in 1865 by James Hudson Taylor. The mission focused its effort on evangelism and church planting in rural communities of inland China until begin expelled in 1950 by Chinese Communists. The mission was later renamed Overseas Missionary Fellowship and began working in other Asian countries, at first in their Chinese communities and then their broader populations. The US Home Council was established in 1901 and incorporated in 1932, administratively under the North American Council until 1969. The Home Council oversaw the screening of candidates, coordinating prayer and information distribution.