The holdings at OMF International Center include collections of CIM-OMF books, public and internal publications, audio-visual materials produced by CIM-OMF, and microfilm of CIM holdings in the Billy Graham Center. Documents held relate to CIM, most of which are post-1950 relating to the operations of OMF International Headquarters.
The holdings at OMF UK include extensive collections of photos, books, periodicals, prayer letters, maps and other records, some dating from the foundation of CIM, and some relating to mission in China generally, pre-dating CIM. There is also an archive of individual CIM/OMF missionaries’ documents, both paper and electronic. There are also audio-visual materials relating to OMF.
The OMF USA archives is composed primarily of books and periodicals relating to the history and work of CIM/OMF in East Asia, as well as information relating to various American missionaries affiliated with the organization; material specific to the US offices (previously located in Pennsylvania); and post-1950s operations and administrative documentation.
The holdings are mainly pre-1950s: CIM-OMF records, including London Council minutes; CIM China Council minutes; James Hudson Taylor papers; personal and private papers of missionaries; records relating to Chefoo Schools; CIM photographs; CIM-OMF publications (directories of missionaries and mission stations, field bulletins, China Millions/East Asia Millions, etc).
The holdings are mainly pre-1950s: correspondence, minutes, directories, newsletters, brochures, photographs, book manuscripts, slides, audio tapes, photo albums, and materials documenting the origins of the CIM North American branch; church planting, evangelistic, medical, educational and literature work in China up to 1951; CIM’s reorganization into OMF.
The holdings are microform materials from SOAS. Its section on Digitization Projects includes a “China Through the Eyes of CIM Missionaries” database that contains 225 lantern slide and glass plate negative images of portraits, landscapes, scenery and architecture in China as well as shots documenting the socio-economic activities of the Chinese from the 1900s to the 1930s.
Some five years ago OMF leadership made a decision to reformulate our mission statement with the goal “not to change or review our mission but to in order to better express it and explain it.” And whether we read the old statement that proclaimed the Fellowship exists “To glorify God by the urgent evangelization of East Asia’s millions” or the new one that declares “We share the good news of Jesus Christ in all its fullness with East Asia’s peoples to the glory of God,” the center is the revelation of God’s glory through the proclamation of the gospel. The connection between God’s glory and the preaching of the gospel is significant. God is glorified as the gospel is preached and as it is believed. For this reason, it is essential that we know what the gospel is, how it is good news for people today, and how it can be rightly shared in our context.
During the first week of June 2019, OMF held its sixth Mission Research Consultation on the theme “Sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ in All its Fullness” and discussed how it impacts our ministry. Four of the major papers from the Consultation form the bulk of this issue of Mission Round Table, each one pushing our understanding of the gospel in a slightly different direction.
Synopsis: Traces the response of CIM and OMF leadership to the challenges of accepting members from Pentecostal and charismatic backgrounds into a mission that is broadly evangelical. These challenges have not gone away. The discussion concludes with considerations about how we can maintain unity amidst differing theological understandings and practices. Walter McConnell Walter’s journey began [...]
The cover photographs show different ways in which OMF workers have shared the gospel in East Asia since the 1950s. Sharing the good news of Jesus Christ in all its fullness The connection between God’s glory and the preaching of the gospel is significant. God is glorified as the gospel is preached and as it [...]
"As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." Some stories are well known and repeated so often that one storyteller can pick up where another has left off without missing a beat. While the voice changes, and some details may be enhanced or slightly modified, the underlying story remains the same. This is [...]
Synopsis: This research paper describes the sociodemographic characteristics of early CIM pioneers who sought to take the gospel to the Tibetan plateau prior to the withdrawal of CIM from China in 1952. By Zi Yu Mission Round Table Vol. 12 No. 1 (January-April 2017): 42-46 Introduction The Tibetan Highlands, also known as the Tibetan Plateau, [...]
Synopsis: This paper reflects on how recent scrutiny of the Korean Missionary Movement sheds insights on the contexts of Korean mission and the development of Korean mission agencies. Warren Beattie Reflections on the Korean Missionary Movement: A Critical Review of Recent Research Mission Round Table Vol. 12 No. 1 (January-April 2017): 35-41 Rev. Dr. Warren [...]
Synopsis: The paper looks at the impact of the internet based on statistics for Southeast Asia, China, and Japan, and focuses on the development of an internet ministry in Thailand for evangelism and Christian nurture. It presents four stepping stones that can be used to develop an effective internet ministry and how this can be [...]
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