Seventh-day Adventist Church in India
The Seventh-day Adventist Church is present in India. The headquarters of its Southern Asia Division is in Tamil Nadu.[1] Among the other states of India with presence of the Seventh-day Adventist Church are Kerala, Jharkhand, Manipur, Bihar, Rajasthan, Haryana and Andhra Pradesh.
History
HOW DID THE EARLY ADVENTIST PIONEERS WORKED TO START THE CHURCHES IN INDIA by Sunil Sarkar, November 25, 1915
The Adventist church history of India can be very helpful to shape the true philosophy in the Adventist church workers today. We indeed have many valuable lessons to be learned from the early Adventist pioneers who had begun the work starting in Calcutta,India. I would like to start the history by saying that the greatest strength behind the establishment of the Adventist churches in India and in other neighboring countries like Bangladesh, Sir-Lanka, Pakistan and Burma was nothing, but, 'God's love' which perused and moved the early pioneers to save many souls for the second coming of Jesus Christ. And then after the regular writings of the General Conference leaders like S.N. Huskell; J.O Corliss and G.C. Tenny in the Review and Herald about the Indian religion, politics, culture and practices to draw attention of the workers for India; it was Elder G. C. Tenny being the first General Conference worker to travel from Adelaide, Melbourne to India on Wednesday, October 12, 1892. First Elder G.C. Tenny had spent few thoughtful days with Mrs. Ellen G. White and A.G. Daniells; and then bored a steamship named “Massilia” to Colombo to travel to Calcutta, India for the first time in Adventist history (1). He had first reached to Colombo, Sri-Lanka; and then after passing many thunders, storms and cyclones in Bay of Bengal via Madras to Calcutta. Elder G.C. Tenny had landed in Madras for two hours and then traveled to Calcutta; where he had reached on Thursday November 3, 1892. Elder G.C. Tenny claimed to be strange in strangest land all alone with the dependence on God (2). Initially he had made connections with some of the Methodist missionaries like Dr. Sheldon who worked in Bindrabon; Mr. and Mrs. Newsham; Mr. and Mrs. Scott; and also went to Cawnpore to meet Mr. W.A. Mansell the Methodist College principal. And during this travel to Cawnpore, he stayed with Mr. Cummin the station master at East India Railway station in Cawnpore for few weeks. And then Elder Tenney had traveled for the General Conference session via Europe to America (3). And this is how this new Adventist field of India was opened to the Adventist evangelists of the world.
After the General Conference sessions; initially few literature evangelists were sent who were mostly Australians. First, an American literature evangelist named William Lenker and an Australian literature evangelist named A. T. Strope was sent to India to sell books. They had landed at Madras on November 23, 1993 traveling by ship from Southampton, England (4). Then Lenker and Strope had traveled to Calcutta and Bombay; and after canvassing for four months, in the month of April, 1894, they had requested 20 more literature evangelists to the Foreign Mission Board of the General Conference (5). And then before January 1895, three more Adventist literature evangelists from Australia were sent to India. From these five literature evangelists three were appointed in Madras, Mysore, and Hyderabad; and two in Calcutta (6). During this time William Lenker had written for the Adventist church workers about the success story of William Carey who had landed in India on November, 11, 1793; had taught agriculture and industries to local people; translated Bengali Bible; made Bengali, Sanskrit and English dictionaries; and had built a mission at Serampore which was 13 miles away from Calcutta. He explained how Carry’s first convert Krishna Das Pal when applied to medical missionary Dr. Thomas was converted to Christianity and after whom 300 souls were converted (7). Since then time to time Brother William Lenker had been calling the workers to work in India describing the great scope of literature evangelism in India.
In the mid of 1895 Elder D. A. Robinson was appointed to be the first superintendent for the field of India. In the month of October, 1895 Elder D.A. Robinson and his wife, their little girl Ethel, Ellery Robinson and Miss. M.M. Taylor had traveled together from London to Calcutta by ship and started to build a mission station (8). Throughout 1896 Elder D.A. Robinson, Mrs. Robinson, Brother Ellary Robinson and Miss Taylor had been learning Bengali language and canvassing in the nearby fields of Calcutta. And then in the beginning of 1897 when Dr. and Mrs. Place had joined them with medical missionary work, it made many local Bengali people to be interested in the Adventist truth as 20 to 30 had joined the Bible readings every Saturdays and Wednesdays and 200 people used to gather in their meeting hall for every Sunday evening meetings (9). In the month of June,1897 after reading a distributed tract on baptism by immersion an educated Bengali man from a high-class Brahman family who was previously converted by the Baptist missionaries to Church of England, had come in Elder D. A. Robinson's compound gate to meet him. But the Hindu gate keeper had told him that Adventists are different from Christians and they observe Saturday Sabbath as their worshiping day. So, first time the educated Indian man had left without meeting Elder D.A. Robinson. But after a month the man had come back, met Elder D.A. Robinson and asked questions about the Sabbath and Sunday observation. Elder D. A. Robinson had answered his questions and given him some readings and that is how he began to keep the Sabbath with them. Since then, the Indian man and his family had started to live in the mission compound and assist the workers and the children. During this time his three daughters had started to learn English with Miss. Taylor and his two sons had studied with Dr. Place to get experiences as nurses. Initially Elder D. A. Robinson had furnished these local Bengali families to preach the gospel among the local people in India. The man's wife was a good Bengali teacher who took care of the compound children when most of them used to go for literature evangelism, conducting Bible studies and worship meetings (10).
Initially the missionaries had drawn the attention of the local Bengalis through literature evangelism; then as they had started the medical work and got the favor of the people, they too had started to conduct the Bible studies and worship meetings in different homes and venues. Brother Ellery Robinson was very successful in canvassing and managing the literature work for the field. Through canvassing he was able to make double money than his monthly salary. By the end of 1897, Brother Ellery Robinson with other workers had begun a new publishing enterprise and managed to work with over eleven hundred subscribers for the papers they used to distribute. And then as Elder W. A. Spicer had arrived at Calcutta via London in the month of March, 1898, the literature work expanded even farther. This time they had found a local publisher to produce Oriental Watchman papers to circulate throughout India with the subscription cost of one rupee for eight months from May to December of 1898. Because of the great scope of evangelism in India, Elder D. A. Robinson had requested six more canvassers and urged the donation to Adventist world to produce the papers for ten thousands subscribers. He also invited self-supported workers who would like to work in India in spite all the hot weather to spread the gospel in the most truth needy field. All the workers that had been working at Calcutta endured all the sufferings and heat to spread the Adventist truth in the fields of India. Most of these workers were from the cold countries and it was hard for them to tolerate the summer heat of Calcutta; and yet they had sacrificed their lives to share the love of Christ to local people of India. Dr. Place and Miss Tylor was from northern New York; Brother W.A. Spicer was from Minnesota; Brother Ellery Robinson and his wife was from Massachusetts; Sister Place and Sister Spicer were from Michigan; Sister D.A. Robinson was from Vermont and Elder D.A Robinson was from the frozen region of Carleton Country, New Brunswick (11). In spite of all the heat, plague, famine, risks, problems and language barriers these faithful missionaries had labored and served the field of India.
In the middle of 1897 when Dr. Place and Mrs. Place had come to this newly made Head Quarter at Bow Bazar, Calcutta to unite medical mission work with literature evangelism and preaching with Elder D. A. Robinson. The Calcutta English speaking church woes the credit of starting the medical mission work carried out the truth in the nearby cities in which Deacon, Mookerjee and Shannon families were the early members (12). In the beginning of 1898 Dr. Place took the medical work to a better place at No. 7 Esplanade East, Wellesly st, 51 Park Street where they had rented the house for sixty-eight dollars a month and Elder D.A. Robinson requested for another skilled women physician to carry out the work they had been doing at Bow Bazar. In the month of August, 1898 they had started a girl’s school in a village about twenty miles from Calcutta under Miss Burrus as she had two native teachers to assist her in her work. And during this time they had about fifty pupils to take care. And the public meeting Elder D.A. Robinson had been holding among the English speaking people in Corinthian Theater for a year was transferred to Dalhousie Institute which was much better place to conduct public meetings (13).
In the middle of 1898 after the death of Elder D. A. Robinson; Mrs. Robinson, Dr and Mrs. Place, Elder and Mrs Ellery Robinson, Elder and Mrs. W.A. Spicer had left the field of Calcutta. In the beginning of 1899 W.W. Quantock a graduate of Battle Creek College was called by Foreign Mission Board to carry on the work in India as the secretary and treasurer of International tract society at Calcutta that was carrying on by the literature evangelists like brother Yeoman and Richardson under various disadvantages (14). In the middle of 1899 Dr. and Mrs. Ingersoll had replaced Dr. and Mrs. Place when they had moved the medical mission work to 50 Park Street at Brother L. G. Mookrjee’s place where Brother L.G. Mookerjee had been in charge of the treatment rooms for the men and continued to work there for six years till he and his wife Grace Madeline Kellogg Mookrjee went to work in the new field at Gopalgonj, East Bengal to start with a dispensary in the beginning of 1906. Sister Green, Sister Whites, Brother Edwards and Brother Ellery Robinson were among those others who worked for the treatment rooms with Brother L.G. Mookrjee, Brother Nabo Mookerjee and some members of Shanon family since 1897 (15). During 1900 there were very few mission workers at Calcutta and the local church members had helped the field.
After a year in the beginning of 1901, Elder W.A. Spicer had traveled back to Calcutta for the second time and described the anxiety of the work in India and called for the self-supported and mission workers for India. And in the month of May, 1901 the Foreign Mission Board had approved five more missionaries for India like Professor and Mrs J. L. Shaw; the father of sister Shaw Elder G.K. Owen the Bible teacher; Misses Annie Knight and Dona Humphrey the nurses to work on their own charges (16). During the same time Miss Grace Madeline Kellogg an Adventist Bible worker at Ripon, Wisconsin also had called the Wisconsin Conference to resign the work to sail to work in India in the month of September, 1901 (17). But ahead of everyone; on June, 25, 1901 Brother Luther J. Burgess had arrived in Calcutta and started to master the local language to start the work to reach out to hungry souls (18). In the beginning of September 1901 when Professor J. L. Shaw and group had reached Calcutta and there came a great expansion of work from the Adventist Head Quarter of Calcutta, India. During this time brother Ellery Robinson was sent to central province to distribute Oriental Watchman papers; Brother Quantock was sent for canvassing in different parts of India; Sister Quantock was sent to work with sister Whiteis at Karmatar and learn local language. Brother J.L Burgess was sent to work at the Calcutta sanatorium; Sister Fleming was sent to visit the zenna work; and Brother W.A. Barlows and the wife had been busy preaching and working for sustainability of the people at Simultala (19).
In the beginning of 1903 W.A Barlow and his wife had started the industrial work among the local people starting with planting fruit trees at Santal Mission at Simultala. Brother J.L. Shaw visited brother Barlow and had given him six thousand copies Santali printed tracts of “Second Coming of Christ"; “Signs of Christ’s Coming”; and "The Drunkard's Stomach” for distribution in the Santali (20). During this time Sister Grace M. Kellogg had been working at Chandernagore, Hoogly area and was carrying out the work in spite of the hindrance of Hindu religious people from the surroundings. Because of her Bible studies a young man had taken a stand for Christ; a Hindu man decided to offer his house to conduct worship meetings; and a Muslim man promised to join Bible classes regularly (21). The Adventist truth started to spread from Calcutta, India to different parts of India and the neighboring countries like Bangladesh, Sri-Lanka, Pakistan and Burma.
In the beginning of 1902 brother H.B. Meyer had started the work in Burma. On 13 January, 1903 after canvassing in the several cities of Madras and Hyderabad; an American colporteur named Ann Orr with a recently converted young lady had reached to Colombo, Ceylon (Sri-Lanka). The population of Colombo was mostly Buddhists Singhalese with richer life style than Indians (22). In the beginning of this year brother Dr. R.S. Ingersoll also had decided to open a training school to train workers for the medical field at Calcutta Sanatorium (23). And Brother W.W. Quantock went to work in the Central Provinces of India which located in between of Calcutta and Bombay. He had gotten eighty subscribers for Oriental Watchman besides selling other books in Nagpur, Berar, Bilashpur towards Bengal (24). In February, 1903, seven souls were baptized at Calcutta church and Brother H.B. Meyers had declared from Thayemayo, Burma that three souls are willing to be baptized. Literatures were distributed in several parts of Burma before so there was harvest ready, few people started to keep the Sabbath and the tithe financial statement for the field was sent to the Head Quarter at Calcutta for first time (25). During this time Brother and Sister W.O. James had landed in Bombay on March 30, 1903 and initially lived in a Y.M.C. A gentle man’s home as they had started to canvass and conduct Bible studies (26). In May, 1903 Brother J.L. Shaw visited Chandranagor where Sister Madeline Grace Kellogg had been working; and because of her labor three candidates had been baptized in the river of Hooghly before one hundred fifty English and native people. The Hindu native educated man that had accepted Christ had lost his job and his wife returned to her parents (27).
In July, 1903 when Sister S.E. Whiteis with Sister Ratna Mookerjee had visited Sister Grace Madeline Kellogg; they found her giving Bible readings to many English-speaking Bengali lawyers, doctors and teachers at Chandernagor as many of them were interested to accept the Lord. One Bengali babu after getting Bible study had shared to his wife and as she couldn’t speak English it becomes difficult for Sister Kellogg to give her Bible studies. Another woman was interested in zennas work as she knew English (28). In July, 1903 brother and Sister J.L. Shaw had gone to canvass and conduct Bible studies in Darjelling with Brother L.F. Hansen where Brother D.A. Robinson had subscribed the papers and had done the early work. During this time, Brother Harry Armstrong had arrived in Calcutta and had started to work on printing the Oriental Watchman locally on own mission expense and to start with own press (29). The Adventist brethren from America had donated five hundred dollars for the new printing office called "The Watchman Press (30).
As they had been already producing many tracts and papers through the local publishers; Brother J. L. Shaw used to send many these tracts and papers to the Santal students at Simultala for distribution. Beside the industrial work the school boys had been working few hours daily to distribute English, Hindi, Bengali, Urdu and Santali freely at the railway station, highways and byways. At the end of 1903 brother W.A. Barlow and the wife had started to build an industrial training school at Simultala. They used to give Bible lessons to the Santali students, taught the gospel songs and the industrial work for the local communities. Twenty school boys had been engaged in planting vegetables, trees and doing relief work like building the roads as the aid was given by the government. Some of the poor local farmers had joined the planting work by digging holes for planting trees and building roads. In last three months almost twenty people had died in cholera when brother and Sister Barlow had treated eighteen sick people in the village homes and brought few of them for treatment in the mission compound. One young boy named Tulsi had lost his mother, father, brother and became orphan. Brother J.L. Shaw took him to Karmather orphanage where Brother Burgess in charge and he lived. Eight years ago in 1895 brother and sister Barlow had lost their five years old daughter in same kind of plague. In spite of all the famine, plague, flood and crisis Brother Barlow and the wife remained to develop the Santali at Simultala, taught the people to observe Sabbath and get ready for the second coming of the Lord (31).
In the end of 1903 Brother and Sister W.O. James also had travelled to Poona for the first time. They had met many European families who have heard about Adventist for the first time and found seventy five yearly subscriptions for Oriental Watchman and Good Health papers. From the beginning of this year brother and Sister W.O. James had been canvassing in Bombay, Jansi, Bilaspur towards Calcutta. Sometimes they had no house to sleep and stayed in the train station that even didn’t have waiting rooms (32). In the end of the year till December, 1903 brother and sister Shaw had spent eight weeks with Sister Wilcox and Sister Anna Knight at Simla canvassing and giving Bible studies to the natives where several government officials had made their summer homes due to chill weather and have scope for more foreign missionary to come and work there (33).
A day William Carey had been preaching to a crowd in city of India and met a Brahman priest carried on the shoulders of several man. Carry had handed to him a paper of these written words “I am a sinner; Christ is my Saviour". No one ever dared to tell this Brahman man that he was a sinner as he was regarded more as god. The Brahman priest repeated these words again and again “I am a sinner; Christ is my Saviour "; and finally had said “it is true". I am a sinner and Christ is my Saviour. But the Brahman man wanted to test William Carry first and said in his heart that if this European man is true about the written words; he be willing eat with us and not discriminate us. And on invitation, William Carry accepted to eat rice and dal with him in his house. And the Brahman priest laid aside his priestly robe and offer himself for the baptism. It was the conversation of the first Brahman to accept Christianity in India. And the grandson of this first convert a white haired man Lal Chand Mookerjee in his seventies and lived in the garden house in the suburbs of Calcutta. And His son was brother A.C. Mookherjee the early Adventist worker at Calcutta English Church since the time of Brother D.A. Robinson. In the month of June1897, Brother Ellery Robinson had sold him a copy of “Patriarchs and Prophets"; then a copy of “Great Controversy"; and then a book on” Daniel and Revelation" and brother A.C. Mukherjee had accepted the truth. Brother A.C. Mookerjee had eleven sons and daughters and all of them lived under the same roof. Every morning, noon and night he had gathered the family stopping the work in the printing office to study the Word and pray with them. And these Adventist books were used occasionally for the family devotion. Brother D.A. Robinson had brought him to full light and made him the angel of the message to brighten the heathen land of India. Brother A.C. Mookerjee’s home was like an Adventist training school of fourteen members including his son in law who had accepted the truth. The oldest son of the family brother L.G. Mookerjee had been working as nurse in Calcutta since the time of Dr. Place in 1897; and who would often pray with the patients to ask forgiveness of their sins in their clinic bed in the 1903. The ancestor of the Brahman priest had gotten light from William carry and finally gotten greater light from Elder D.A. Robinson; and father to son and father to son (34).
Because of the collaborative effort of the Adventist mission workers sent from America and the local workers that taught them to learn native language; translated and printed the tracts in local languages; it was possible to reach out the Adventist truth to several parts of India by 1904; and which includes Bombay, Madras, Central Provinces, Colombo and Burma. In the beginning of 1904 Brother Herry Armstrong was sent from Calcutta to open a new field in Colombo, Sri-Lanka (35). In the month of March, 1904 brother Armstrong reached Colombo and opened the new field at Sri-Lanka. Initially brother Armstrong lived in a school master's family named Mr. Henri Tussaint; who was a truth seeker and the first Sabbath keeper. He was privileged to teach him and the family a Bible class each morning. After few days Brother Armstrong also had made relationship with the editor of “Ceylon Independent" paper to write an article each week to communicate with the public of Sri-Lanka. (36). Soon brother Armstrong had started to conduct Sabbath services and three man had joined to worship every Sabbath morning as they expressed their desire to accept the truth (37).
And after two years of work in Burma in 1904 brother H.B. Meyers with his wife and Sister Harrison had started the school of fifteen Burmese students at Rangoon. (38). Beside running the school ; brother and sister Meyers also had been conducting Bible readings in the homes of local people every Tuesday and Friday and regularly canvassed to get subscribers for oriental Watchman and Good Health papers in Rangoon. In the beginning of the year Smith and Sister Enid Sloane had gone to work in Mandalay and on May, 1904 had come back and joined the school work with sister Meyers. By September, 1904 the local converts like Brother Maung Maung , Sister Mah May and Mg. Maung preach in local languages in Barman quarter , Moulmein and Karens (39). In the beginning of July, 1904 brother J.L. Shaw had visited Rangoon to supervise the work (40).
In the month of July 1904 Calcutta Sanatorium where Brother L.G. Mookerjee was working had been moved to No. 50, Park Street (41). During this time Sister Rigan from Burma and brother and sister Burgess were given leave to go back to America (42). Since the beginning of 1904 Brother A.C. Mookerjee had been conducting Bible lessons on Daniel and Revelation specially the prophecies with charts at 39-1, Free School Street, No.1, Dehi Serampore Road, Calcutta. Some of the local Bengali people had sent funds to A.C. Mookerjee to circulate tracts by post in advance at International Tract Society. There were 24 regular Bengali Sabbath keepers attending the Serampore church (43). In the month of August 1904 Brother A.G. Watson had initially joined to work with the local International Tract Society Press at Serampore. In August a baptism service was conducted at Serampore church when three souls have accepted Jesus as their personal saviour (44). And then on February, 9, 1904 Brother L.G. Mookerjee and Sister Grace Madeline Kellogg had been married and lived at Calcutta Sanatorium for a while. Beside the nursing work at the treatment rooms; Brother L.G. Mookejee had been conducting the Bible classes with Sister Grace Madeline Kellogg Mookerjee at Calcutta sanatorium (45).
Since the beginning of 1905 brother A. C. Mookerjee had been making several inquiries on Gopalgonj, those days at Faridpur District of East Bengal where he had found the residence of 200 families living in the watery land and few protestant Christians were present there. During these inquiries and tract readings two people from Faridpur had expressed their desire for the truth and few others had expressed to start the work in Faridpur, East Bengal as they have learned the truths from the translated tracts and subscriptions. One of the local missionary from Faridpur District had come to Brother A.C. Mookerjee to discuss the truth and was satisfied with the answers. In the end of 1905 A. C. Mookerjee had been sending tracts and answering their questions with many people of East Bengal (46). And this is how the Adventist work started in Bangladesh.
In the beginning of 1905 many missionaries were sent by General Conference to work in different parts of India; specially to work in Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri-Lanka and Burma as they were Indian countries. Brother and Sister W.W. Miller were sent to work in Calcutta, Brother Votaw and the wife in Rangoon Burma; Brother J. C. Little and the wife at Karmatar with the press. And sister Burrowy for can canvass in India (47). Brother A.G. Watson and A.C. Mookerjee had been translating Oriental Watchman in Bengali along with other Bible tracts. During this time a man named Mr. M.K. Chakrovorti who hated Christians before; but with the influence of a Baptist missionary he was baptized in to Baptist mission. He knew many protestant Christians of East Bengal and Calcutta followed the New Testament and did not obey the fourth commandments the Sabbath truth. A preacher had told to Mr. Chakravorti that brother A. C. Mookerjee was a bad man with bad moral character; but it only made him more interested to meet him. And as brother A.C. Mookerjee read Bible with Mr. Chakravorti; he declared Adventist messages as the truth. Finally Mr. Chakravorti had resigned his teaching job with the Baptist Missionary College on August 23. 1905 and on Friday August 25, 1905 had come to Calcutta, reside with Brother A. C. Mookerjee (48). Latter Mr. Chakravorty had joined the Calcutta Sanatorium to work with Mr. singh and Nabo Mookerjee the son of A.C. Mookerjee .In the end of1905, Mr. Chakravortiy also helped editing and translating Bengali tracts like “ His Glorious Appearing” and “ The Immortality of the Soul”; and during this time Brother A.C. Mookerjeee had been translating“ Is Sunday Sabbath”? (49). Brother Chakravorti had written two books "The Daughters of Light" and "The Bible changes the human heart" (50).
In the month of January, 1906, Brother L. G. Mookerjee and His brother in Law had visited Gopalgonj,East Bengal (Bangladesh), for the first time to inquire about the interest created out through the literature ministry of Brother A.C. Mookerjee through Bengali tracts and correspondence (51). Since then Brother L.G. Mookerjee had started to visit East Bengal time to time; and one time in the month of March, 1906; he decided to stay about five days in East Bengal visiting several villages and meeting many nonbelievers. In this field Brother L.G. Mookerjee had found many new people interested to know about God and he woke up every morning 2 to 3 AM to preach and discuss with many Hindu, Muhammadians and other Christians about the second coming of Jesus, Prophecies and Sabbath truth. He also had started to teach some children to memorise the Bible verses. Even though Brother L.G. Mookerjee was from medical field, he realised the need and joy of preaching to save the nonbelievers. Brother L.G. Mookerjee had been working in this field for past three months and was able to organize some Sabbath keepers in three different villages. Some of the protestant Christian who had joined the Sabbath meetings were persecuted by their church leaders. During this time brother L.G. Mookerjee also had applied for a mission board about a mission ground, a bungalow and a boat to travel from village to village to permanently start the work in East Bengal (52). And finally in faith with the love of preaching the people of East Bengal brother L.G. Mookerjee and Sister Grace Madeline Kellogg Mookerjee had fully moved to Gopalgonj to carry on the work on their own expense (53).
In the month of September, 1906 when their self-owned house to work in East Bengal (Bangladesh) was almost complete brethren W.W. Miller, J.C. Little, W. A. Barlow and A.C. Mookerjee had visited Gopalgonj. And an evening meeting was held to invite the delegates and people came from several villages to join the meeting. The people attended the meeting was revived by the Adventist preachers. During the meeting one man stood and hoped to be an Adventist (54). But some of the other protestant church members had started to spread the rumors against Adventist church and one of them named Dr. Rouse had even produced tracts like “Sunday as Sabbath” and distributed to the people of Gopalgonj (4). As some of the Scotch church members joined Sabbath keeping Mr. Bose had told the Sabbath keepers to move out of Gopalgonj. Few others threatened Brother L. G. Mookerjee and told him to leave Gopalgonj or they would burn him live (55).
While making their own house to live and work in Gopalgonj, East Bengal ( Bangladesh); Brother L.G. Mookerjee and Grace Madeline Kellogg Mookerjee also had rented a jute godown to use as dispensary in the heart of Gopalgonj bazar to give treatments to the sick people. They had been giving Bible studies, distributing tracks, conduct meetings and organizing churches to different villages of East Bengal traveling through boats village to village. During this time Sister Grace Madeline Kellogg Mookerjee had received the tropical water disease while working in the field of East Bengal. And finally while giving the birth of the only son Marcus Kellogg Mookerjee on November 14, 1906 she became very sick. Due to this reason Brother L.G. Mookerjee and Sister Grace Madeline Kellogg Mookerjee had traveled back to Wisconsin, United States of America for two years (56). During this time brethren A.C. Mookerjee, J.C. Little, W.W Miller, A.G. Watson and J.L. Burgess had traveled time to time in this new field of East Bengal to nurtured and organize the church members under all the disadvantages.
Even though Sister Grace Kellogg Mookerjee could not fully get rid of the sickness; the family returned to Calcutta on March, 1909. She took the two years little boy Marcus Kellogg Mookerjee with her in different areas of Calcutta and distributed tracts, Oriental Watchman and Adventist home and health books. During this time brother L.G. Mookerjee had been traveling in the East Bengal fields from Calcutta to preach the gospel and organize the churches (57). And, in the month of July, 1909 Sister Grace Kellogg became severely ill again and Brother L.G. Mookerjee had taken the family for the Adventist treatment room in Darjeeling (58). Sister Grace Kellogg had been taking the treatments there for a while; but the little boy Marcus Kellogg Mookerjee did not do that well in Darjeeling (59). So, they had finally returned to Calcutta to the work place. And finally due to the rapid tropical disease that Sister Mookerjee had received from the field of East Bengal; on 12th November, 1910, in the Sabbath afternoon at 4pm Sister Grace Madeline Kellogg Mookerjee had breath her last breath (60). And that is the lesson to be learned from an Adventist Bible worker at Calcutta and East Bengal (Bangladesh) that gives her life to preach the gospel of Christ in spite of all the sickness and sufferings she has gone through.
To be continued…
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21. Grace M. Kellogg, “Field Reports," Review and Herald; Vol.80, No.11. March 17, 1903: p. 19.
22. Ann Orr, "Ceylon," Review and Herald; Vol.80, No. 17. April 28, 1903: p.20.
23. Dr. R.S. Ingersoll, "Mission Notes" Review and Herald; Vol.80, No.12. March 24, 1903: p. 16.
24. W.W. Quantock, “Central India," Review and Herald Vol.80, No. 15; April 14, 1903: p.15.
25. J.L. Shaw, "India," Review and Herald; Vol.80 No. 18; May 5, 1903: p.20;.
26. W.O. James, “India," Review and Herald; No.80, Vol.21. May 26, 1903 : p.16
27. J.L.Shaw , " India," Review and Herald; Vol. No. :p.17
28. S.E. Whiteis, “India," Review and Herald. Vol.80, No.30. July 28, 1903: p.18
29. Harry Armstrong, “India," Review and Herald; Vol.80, No. . August 4, 1903: p. 19
30. J.L. Shaw, “India," Review and Herald. Vol.80, No.34. August 27, 1903: p: 14
31. W.A. Barlow, “Among the Santals," Review and Herald. Vol.80, No.47. November 26, 1903 : p. 14
32. W.O. James, “India," Review and Herald; Vo.80, No.51. December 24, 1903: p.17.
33. Mrs. J.L. Shaw, "Shimla Summer Capital of India," Reveiw and Herald. Vol.80, No.52. December 31, 1903:p.16.
34. Mrs. J. L. Shaw, “An Interesting Brahman Family," Review and Herald, Vol. 80, No. 26. June 30, 1903: p.13.
35. L. J. Shaw, “ Extension,” Eastern Tidings, Vol. 2, No. 7, July 1904 :p. 9-10
36. Herry Armstrong, “Ceylon,” Eastern Tidings, Vol. 2, No.7, July 1904 : p. 26-27
37. Herry Armstrong, “Ceylon,” Eastern Tidings. Vol.2, No.8. August, 1904: p. 26-27
38. H. B. Meyers, “Rangoon,” Eastern Tidings, Vol.2, No.3. March, 1904: p. 11
39. H.B. Meyers, “. Rangoon,” Eastern Tidings, Vol.2, No.7. June, 1904 : p. 23
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47. W.W. Millar, “Not Forgotten,” Eastern Tidings, Calcutta, Vol. 3. No.4, May, 1905 :p.2
48. M.K. Chakravorti, “My Conversion and Christian Experience,” Eastern Tidings, Calcutta, Vol/3, No. 3, October, 5, 1905 : p.3
49. A.C. Mookerjee, “ The Bengali Work,” Eastern Tidings, Calcutta, Vol. 3, No. 4, November, 1905 :p. 5
50. A.C. Mookerjee, “The Bengali Work,” Eastern Tidings, Calcutta, Vol.3, No. 3. October, 1905 :p.6
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53. J.C. Little, “Note,” Eastern Tidings, Calcutta, Vol.3, No.6. April, 1906: p.8.
54. W.W. Miller, “About the Field,” Eastern Tidings, Calcutta, Vol.3, No.8. August, 1906:p.1.
55. W.W. Miller, “Bengali Christian Conference,” Eastern Tidings, Calcutta, Vol.3, No.10. October, 1906:p.1-2
56. Marcus Kellogg Mookerjee, “ Rare Tale Likes in Law’s Kink : Accident of Birth Bars Doctor, member of Old Wisconsin Family, “Milwaukee Journal Newspaper, Wisconsin, March 5, 1933 :p.1
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58. International Tract Society, “Note”, Eastern Tiddings, Lucknow, Vol.4, No.8 , August, 1909: p. 8
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Dear Readers,
I am still looking for the pioneer’s families to get further information as I have gotten some pictures and documents from some of them. Please, feel free to pass me the pictures or documents so that I can put them down in the book. God bless you.
Author :
Sunil Sarkar
Social works
Unlike several Christian denominations Seventh-day Adventist Church is also concern with charity. Adventist Christian believe that only one's faith is a requisite of salvation, and that one's works are insufficient to gain or lose salvation. In 1896, 1897 first Adventist schools for girls Dores Robinson. An orphanage for boys opened in 1897 but moved to Karmatar, Jharkhand (1898) for vocational training.[2] Dr O. G. Place and nurses Samantha Whiteis and Maggie Green opened the first treatment rooms in 1896. The Adventists moved their headquarters to Lucknow in 1909 and opened several Urdu schools (1910) and an English school at Mussoorie (1911).[3] Adventist missionary activity started at the end of the 19th century.[4] The Adventist Development and Relief Agency India is active since 1992.[5]
