The Overseas Missions Fellowship (OMF) Philippines celebrates its Jubilee this 2016, 50 years after it was launched in February 1966 as an East Asia missions organization and as a publisher, importer and exporter and distributor of Christian literature. Its head agency, OMF International, based in Singapore, was formerly called the China Inland Mission (CIM) which was founded by British missionary to China, Hudson Taylor, in 1865. OMF International-CIM celebrates its 150th year anniversary this 2015-2016.
OMF Philippines is commemorating its Jubilee and the 150th year of CIM with the launching of “Hudson Taylor and the Great Impossible,” a brightly illustrated booklet for children and adults on the life of British missionary Hudson Taylor and how he fulfilled the seemingly impossible task of sharing Christ’s gospel in the provinces of Buddhist China. On February 27, 2016, OMF will hold a Missions Fair and anniversary program at the Davao Evangelical Church in Davao City featuring keynote speaker Dr. Patrick Fung, the first Asian Director-General of OMF International.
The CIM was renamed OMF International in the 1990’s after CIM was forced to leave China during the bloody takeover of Chairman Mao Tse Tung and the Communist party in 1949. OMF International is a missionary organization with 1,400 workers sharing the Christian faith in 40 nations. They are serving over 100 people groups in East Asia, Africa, New Zealand, Australia and other nations.
OMF in the Philippines has sent 40 missionaries to different countries in East Asia, and to provinces locally. OMF Literature and its bookstores are now the leading publishers and outlets of Christian material in the country.
The glossy booklet “Hudson Taylor and the Great Impossible” was written by Singaporean Jojie Wong and illustrated by Filipino artist Jether Amar. It presents the inspiring story of how Hudson survived a deadly illness, storms at sea, great persecution, learned the Chinese language, dressed like a Chinaman and trained many missionaries for China in his passion to bring the love of Jesus Christ to the world’s largest people group.When Hudson launched CIM in 1865, there were only a few dozen Chinese Christians. By 1939, 200,000 Chinese and minority people were baptized by CIM. Today, thanks in part to the pioneering work of Hudson and CIM missionaries, there are an estimated 100 million Christians in China.
“Hudson Taylor and the Great Impossible” is now on sale at OMF bookstores in Mandaluyong, Quezon City and other outlets.