Set in the context of the Chinese Exclusion Acts, the Woman's Missionary Association (WMA) of the Church of the United Brethren in Christ supported the community education and evangelistic work of Moy Ling in Portland, Oregon, from 1882 until his death in 1926.Moy immigrated to the United States in 1872 at the age of 19. Settling in Portland, Moy worked as a household servant for General Oliver Otis Howard who was stationed in Portland as commander of the Department of the Columbia from 1874 to 1880. Howard was instrumental in Moy's conversion to Christianity. Moy opened a night school for the Chinese community of Portland in 1877. In 1882, Moy came in contact with Bishop Nicholas Castle who brokered a partnership between Moy and the WMA. Over the next half century, the Portland Chinese Mission made important contributions to the education of the Chinese immigrant communities in Portland, established the Kwan Hing Church, and shaped the attitudes of a generation of United Brethren members toward the Chinese.The United Brethren Church experienced a schism in 1889, dividing into the New Constitution and Old Constitution branches. Moy was instrumental in the establishment of United Brethren missions in Guangzhou, China, for both branches of the church. In 1889, Moy traveled to China with a New Constitution delegation to open a mission in Guangzhou. In 1924, Moy introduced the Old Constitution WMA to Chiu Yan Tsz, a professor at Canton Christian College in Guangzhou, who then founded the Old Constitution mission in China.Moy sought to influence United States immigration policy. His relationship with Howard developed into a lasting friendship, and they kept in contact for over 30 years. Letters between the two men show that Moy, together with a group of Portland merchants, engaged Howard to use his national reputation to advocate against the permanent congressional renewal of the Geary Act in 1902.The relationship between Moy and the WMA displayed characteristics which are consistent with current missiological definitions of healthy partnership. Such characteristics, as described by Luis Bush, include autonomy, trust, agreed-upon expectations, complementary resources, and mutual goals. / Department of Educational Studies
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:BSU/oai:cardinalscholar.bsu.edu:handle/176154 |
| Date | January 2005 |
| Creators | Fetters, Luke S. |
| Contributors | Armstrong, Joseph L. |
| Source Sets | Ball State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Format | xi, 210 leaves : ill., maps ; 28 cm. |
| Source | Virtual Press |
| Coverage | n-us-or |
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