The Christian Brethren of Malaysia, sometimes simply called the Brethren, are an aggregate of independent and autonomous

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

Evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes evangelism, or the preaching and spreading of th ...

Christian churches in

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

, 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 The Plymouth Brethren or Assemblies of Brethren are a low church and Nonconformist (Protestantism), Nonconformist Christian movement whose history can be traced back to Dublin, Ireland, in the mid to late 1820s, where it originated from Anglica ...

movement that arose in the late 1820s. Each Brethren assembly is independent in its administration, and there is no 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 often refers to: * Trust (social science), confidence in or dependence on a person or quality It may also refer to: Business and law * Trust (law), a legal relationship in which one person holds property for another's benefit * Trust (bu ...

and the Christian Brethren Secretariat Malaysia which coordinates joint activities between the local Brethren assemblies.

History

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 is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia along the Strait of Malacca. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Malay Peninsula. Th ...

by the

London Missionary Society The London Missionary Society was an interdenominational evangelical missionary society formed in England in 1795 at the instigation of Welsh Congregationalist minister Edward Williams. It was largely Reformed tradition, Reformed in outlook, with ...

(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 modelled 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 The First Opium War ( zh, t=第一次鴉片戰爭, p=Dìyīcì yāpiàn zhànzhēng), also known as the Anglo-Chinese War, was a series of military engagements fought between the British Empire and the Chinese Qing dynasty between 1839 and 1 ...

and the signing of the

Treaty of Nanking The Treaty of Nanking was the peace treaty which ended the First Opium War (1839–1842) between United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Great Britain and the Qing dynasty of China on 29 August 1842. It was the first of what the Chinese ...

in 1842 opened the possibility of new missionary work and the LMS started to wind down their mission stations in the

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 control of the ...

to focus on the newly opened

treaty ports Treaty ports (; ) were the port cities in China and Japan that were opened to foreign trade mainly by the unequal treaties forced upon them by Western powers, as well as cities in Korea opened up similarly by the Qing dynasty of China (before th ...

in China. In 1843, the LMS school and chapel was administered by Maria Dyer, the widow of

Samuel Dyer Samuel Dyer (, 20 February 1804 – 24 October 1843) 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 t ...

, an LMS missionary known as a

typographer Typography is the art and technique of Typesetting, arranging type to make written language legibility, legible, readability, readable and beauty, appealing when displayed. The arrangement of type involves selecting typefaces, Point (typogra ...

for creating a steel

typeface A typeface (or font family) is a design of Letter (alphabet), letters, Numerical digit, numbers and other symbols, to be used in printing or for electronic display. Most typefaces include variations in size (e.g., 24 point), weight (e.g., light, ...

Chinese characters Chinese characters are logographs used Written Chinese, to write the Chinese languages and others from regions historically influenced by Chinese culture. Of the four independently invented writing systems accepted by scholars, they represe ...

for

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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 A harbourmaster (or harbormaster, see spelling differences) 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 opera ...

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 Evangelisation Society,

George Müller George Müller (born Johann Georg Ferdinand Müller, 27 September 1805 – 10 March 1898) was a Christianity, Christian Evangelism, evangelist and the director of the New Orphan Houses, Ashley Down, Bristol, Ashley Down orphanage in Bristol ...

’s Scriptural Knowledge Institution for Home and Abroad, the

Society for Promotion of Female Education in the East The Society for Promotion of Female Education in the East was a British Protestant Christian missionary society that was involved in sending workers to China during the late Qing dynasty and to other Asian countries. The society was at work in Nazar ...

. 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 Evangelisation 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 () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...

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 Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...

missionary who shared the Chapmans' Brethren conviction on

adult baptism Believer's baptism (also called credobaptism, from the Latin word meaning "I believe") is the practice of baptizing those who are able to make a conscious profession of faith, as contrasted to the practice of baptizing infants. Credobaptists b ...

by immersion. Grant who was staying with the Chapmans to recuperate from an accident and a

typhoid Typhoid fever, also known simply as typhoid, is a disease caused by ''Salmonella enterica'' serotype Typhi bacteria, also called ''Salmonella'' Typhi. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often ther ...

infection acted 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 Chinese may refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people identified with China, through nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **Han Chinese, East Asian ethnic group native to China. **'' Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic ...

Tamil Tamil may refer to: People, culture and language * Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka ** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...

Hindi Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...

, and English. The missionaries also evangelised the captains and crews of the boats in Penang 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 co-ordinate work between the various Brethren assemblies: * Christian Brethren of Malaysia Property Trust Berhad * Christian Brethren Secretariat Malaysia * Emmaus Bible Centre (

Kuala Lumpur Kuala Lumpur (KL), officially the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, is the capital city and a Federal Territories of Malaysia, federal territory of Malaysia. It is the largest city in the country, covering an area of with a census population ...

) * Family Life Ministry * GLO Training School * Inter Brethren Assemblies (IBA) Youth Development / Residential Bible School * Klang Valley Assembly Elders Council * Malaysia Myanmar Ministry * MMS Trust * Pan Malaysia OA Mission

References

External links

Christian Brethren Secretariat Malaysia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Christian Brethren Of Malaysia Brethren