Christian Brethren of Malaysia
Encyclopedia
The Christian Brethren of Malaysia, sometimes simply called the Brethren, are an aggregate of independent and autonomous Protestant Evangelical
Christian
churches in Malaysia, which are networked together through a set of shared Biblical doctrines and practices. Most of these churches are associated with the faith and practices of the Plymouth Brethren
movement that arose in the late 1820s.
Each Brethren assembly is independent in its administration and are not governed by a larger policy making body or federation. The primary organised links between the Brethren assemblies are the Christian Brethren of Malaysia Property Trust Berhad which holds the properties of the local Brethren assemblies in trust
and the Christian Brethren Secretariat Malaysia which coordinates joint activities between the local Brethren assemblies.
In 1821, a mission house was purchased in Penang
by the London Missionary Society
(LMS) and used as a Chinese girls' school. A chapel was opened in the same premise in 1824. In 1826, the Independent Church, Mission Chapel Prince of Wales Island was officially founded as an independent, non-denominational church modeled on the primitive New Testament Church. Based on their own description, their practices resembled those of the early Brethren, which emerged at precisely the same time in Britain.
The conclusion of the First Opium War
and the signing of the Treaty of Nanking
in 1842 opened the possibility of new missionary work and the LMS started to wind down their mission stations in the Straits Settlements
to focus on the newly opened treaty ports
in China.
In 1843, the LMS school and chapel was administered by Maria Dyer, the widow of Samuel Dyer
, an LMS missionary known as a typographer for creating a steel typeface
of Chinese characters for printing
to replace traditional wood blocks. Maria Dyer remarried fellow nonconformist missionary, Johann Georg Bausum, in 1845. The administration of the LMS school was entrusted to the Bausams in 1846 in recognition of Maria Dyer's contribution as a missionary wife in exchange for its upkeep.
Maria Dyer's death in 1846 left the school in the care of Bausum. In 1847, Bausum informed the LMS that he had purchased an adjacent property to expand the school but the newly purchased property was not transferred to the LMS. On Bausum's death in 1855, both the properties came under the temporary charge of the harbourmaster
of Penang, George Felix Gottlieb, and the school remained under the administration of independent nonconformist missionaries who were supported by diverse various missionary societies including the Chinese Evangelization Society
, George Müller
’s Scriptural Knowledge Institution for Home and Abroad, the Society for Promotion of Female Education in the East
.
In January 1860, Gottlieb wrote to the LMS reporting the arrival of John Chapman and his wife:
The arrival in Penang of the Chapmans, who were encouraged to leave Bristol
and work in the island by George Müller, marked the beginning of formal Brethren missionary work in Malaysia..
by immersion. Grant who was staying with the Chapmans to recuperate from an accident and a typhoid infection acted upon upon his convictions and was re-baptised by the Chapmans, severing his ties with the Presbyterian church.
Typical missionary work conducted by the Chapmans and Grant included frequent itineration to villages both on Penang Island and on the mainland, distributing tracts in Malay, Chinese, Tamil, Hindi, and English. The missionaries also evangelized the captains and crews of the boats in Penang’s harbour, offered medicine to opium addicts, and distributed tracts to the inmates in Penang’s Debtor’s Prison .
In 1866, the Chapmans visited England and returned with three new recruits, Mr. and Mrs. William Macdonald and Miss Lucy A. Judd. The mission work was handed over to the Macdonalds in 1868 who remained in Penang until 1911.
Evangelicalism
Evangelicalism is a Protestant Christian movement which began in Great Britain in the 1730s and gained popularity in the United States during the series of Great Awakenings of the 18th and 19th century.Its key commitments are:...
Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
churches in Malaysia, which are networked together through a set of shared Biblical doctrines and practices. Most of these churches are associated with the faith and practices of the Plymouth Brethren
Plymouth Brethren
The Plymouth Brethren is a conservative, Evangelical Christian movement, whose history can be traced to Dublin, Ireland, in the late 1820s. Although the group is notable for not taking any official "church name" to itself, and not having an official clergy or liturgy, the title "The Brethren," is...
movement that arose in the late 1820s.
Each Brethren assembly is independent in its administration and are not governed by a larger policy making body or federation. The primary organised links between the Brethren assemblies are the Christian Brethren of Malaysia Property Trust Berhad which holds the properties of the local Brethren assemblies in trust
Trust law
In common law legal systems, a trust is a relationship whereby property is held by one party for the benefit of another...
and the Christian Brethren Secretariat Malaysia which coordinates joint activities between the local Brethren assemblies.
Early nonconformist missionary work
Early Brethren missionary work in Malaysia is not well recorded but can be traced to the early work of nonconformist Christian missionaries.In 1821, a mission house was purchased in Penang
Penang
Penang is a state in Malaysia and the name of its constituent island, located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia by the Strait of Malacca. It is bordered by Kedah in the north and east, and Perak in the south. Penang is the second smallest Malaysian state in area after Perlis, and the...
by the London Missionary Society
London Missionary Society
The London Missionary Society was a non-denominational missionary society formed in England in 1795 by evangelical Anglicans and Nonconformists, largely Congregationalist in outlook, with missions in the islands of the South Pacific and Africa...
(LMS) and used as a Chinese girls' school. A chapel was opened in the same premise in 1824. In 1826, the Independent Church, Mission Chapel Prince of Wales Island was officially founded as an independent, non-denominational church modeled on the primitive New Testament Church. Based on their own description, their practices resembled those of the early Brethren, which emerged at precisely the same time in Britain.
The conclusion of the First Opium War
First Opium War
The First Anglo-Chinese War , known popularly as the First Opium War or simply the Opium War, was fought between the United Kingdom and the Qing Dynasty of China over their conflicting viewpoints on diplomatic relations, trade, and the administration of justice...
and the signing of the Treaty of Nanking
Treaty of Nanking
The Treaty of Nanking was signed on 29 August 1842 to mark the end of the First Opium War between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and the Qing Dynasty of China...
in 1842 opened the possibility of new missionary work and the LMS started to wind down their mission stations in the Straits Settlements
Straits Settlements
The Straits Settlements were a group of British territories located in Southeast Asia.Originally established in 1826 as part of the territories controlled by the British East India Company, the Straits Settlements came under direct British control as a crown colony on 1 April 1867...
to focus on the newly opened treaty ports
Treaty ports
The treaty ports was the name given to the port cities in China, Japan, and Korea that were opened to foreign trade by the Unequal Treaties.-Chinese treaty ports:...
in China.
In 1843, the LMS school and chapel was administered by Maria Dyer, the widow of Samuel Dyer
Samuel Dyer
Samuel Dyer 台約爾 , was a British Protestant Christian missionary to China in the Congregationalist tradition, who worked among the Chinese in Malaysia. He arrived in Penang in 1827. Dyer, his wife Maria, and their family lived in Malacca and then finally in Singapore...
, an LMS missionary known as a typographer for creating a steel typeface
Typeface
In typography, a typeface is the artistic representation or interpretation of characters; it is the way the type looks. Each type is designed and there are thousands of different typefaces in existence, with new ones being developed constantly....
of Chinese characters for printing
Printing
Printing is a process for reproducing text and image, typically with ink on paper using a printing press. It is often carried out as a large-scale industrial process, and is an essential part of publishing and transaction printing....
to replace traditional wood blocks. Maria Dyer remarried fellow nonconformist missionary, Johann Georg Bausum, in 1845. The administration of the LMS school was entrusted to the Bausams in 1846 in recognition of Maria Dyer's contribution as a missionary wife in exchange for its upkeep.
Maria Dyer's death in 1846 left the school in the care of Bausum. In 1847, Bausum informed the LMS that he had purchased an adjacent property to expand the school but the newly purchased property was not transferred to the LMS. On Bausum's death in 1855, both the properties came under the temporary charge of the harbourmaster
Harbourmaster
A harbourmaster is an official responsible for enforcing the regulations of a particular harbour or port, in order to ensure the safety of navigation, the security of the harbour and the correct operation of the port facilities.-Responsibilities:Harbourmasters are normally responsible for issuing...
of Penang, George Felix Gottlieb, and the school remained under the administration of independent nonconformist missionaries who were supported by diverse various missionary societies including the Chinese Evangelization Society
Chinese Evangelization Society
The Chinese Evangelization Society was an early British Protestant Christian missionary society that was involved in sending workers to China during the late Qing Dynasty. It was founded by Karl Gützlaff. Hudson Taylor was the first missionary to be sent overseas in 1853...
, George Müller
George Müller
George Müller , a Christian evangelist and Director of the Ashley Down orphanage in Bristol, England, cared for 10,024 orphans in his life...
’s Scriptural Knowledge Institution for Home and Abroad, the Society for Promotion of Female Education in the East
Society for Promotion of Female Education in the East
Society for Promotion of Female Education- in the East was a Protestant Christian missionary society that was involved in sending workers to countries such as China during the late Qing Dynasty....
.
In January 1860, Gottlieb wrote to the LMS reporting the arrival of John Chapman and his wife:
With respect to the Chapel I have not the time to draw up an estimate of the probable expense of putting in order but as the missionaries for this place Mr. and Mrs. Chapman, and Miss O Callaghan (of the Chinese Evangelization Society) have arrived at Singapore, and are expected here in a few days; I had better, I think, leave it with Mr. Chapman to make his report to you on the condition of the Chapel.
The arrival in Penang of the Chapmans, who were encouraged to leave Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
and work in the island by George Müller, marked the beginning of formal Brethren missionary work in Malaysia..
Early Brethren work
The Chapmans were joined later in the year by Alexander Grant, an English Presbyterian missionary who shared the Chapmans' Brethren conviction on adult baptismBeliever's baptism
Believer's baptism is the Christian practice of baptism as this is understood by many Protestant churches, particularly those that descend from the Anabaptist tradition...
by immersion. Grant who was staying with the Chapmans to recuperate from an accident and a typhoid infection acted upon upon his convictions and was re-baptised by the Chapmans, severing his ties with the Presbyterian church.
Typical missionary work conducted by the Chapmans and Grant included frequent itineration to villages both on Penang Island and on the mainland, distributing tracts in Malay, Chinese, Tamil, Hindi, and English. The missionaries also evangelized the captains and crews of the boats in Penang’s harbour, offered medicine to opium addicts, and distributed tracts to the inmates in Penang’s Debtor’s Prison .
In 1866, the Chapmans visited England and returned with three new recruits, Mr. and Mrs. William Macdonald and Miss Lucy A. Judd. The mission work was handed over to the Macdonalds in 1868 who remained in Penang until 1911.
Inter Brethren agencies
The following agencies organise and coordinate work between the various Brethren assemblies:- Christian Brethren of Malaysia Property Trust Berhad
- Christian Brethren Secretariat Malaysia
- Emmaus Bible Centre (Kuala Lumpur)
- Family Life Ministry
- GLO Training School
- Inter Brethren Assemblies (IBA) Youth Development / Residential Bible School
- Klang Valley Assembly Elders Committee
- Malaysian Myanmar Ministry
- MMS Trust
- OA Ministry