Roland Allen was an English missionary to China sent by the the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel (SPG. He was ordained a deacon in 1892 and priest the next year. He spent two periods in China , 1895-1990 ( forced to flee because of the Boxer Rebellion. He returned in 1902 but forced to return home due to illness He became an advocate for churches to establish from the beginning a self-supporting/propagating/governing church.After visiting India in 1910 he published Missionary Methods in 1912- one of 10 books he wrote (see Works). His views became increasingly influential. He spent the last years of his life in Kenya. He died in Nairobi.

James was an American Roman Catholic priest who became a missionary in China. In 1915 he became the second priest ordained in the new Maryknoll order. In 1918,with three others, he was sent on his first mission to China. His early years were chaotic- being captured by bandits and caught in local conflicts. In 1927 he was consecrated Maryknoll’s first bishop.In 1936 he left China to become head of Maryknoll. During his 10 year term he oversaw Maryknoll’s first missions to Latin America and Africa In 1948, following the Holy See’s special request, he returned to China to coordinate mission activities in China. The Communist party seized power in 1949. He expected to be arrested but that did not happen until 1958. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison- 12 spent in isolation. He was released in 1970. His release was an important at gesture leading to the thawing of relations with President Nixion’s visit to China in 1972 James returned to the USA,. He did aged 91 in Maryknoll, New York from a heart ailment.

Joseph was a British protestant missionary who spent 57 years in China, 30 in Beijing. He specialised in Chinese religions, especially Buddhism… He was a linguist, translator and philologist. He penned many books about the Chinese language (See ‘Works’). He graduated in1843 from the University of London and ordained in 1847. In 1848 the London Missionary Society (LMS) sent him to China. He edited the Chinese and Foreign Concord Almanach from 1852-58. He also collaborated with others to translate many Western scientific works and the Bible. He was also involved with direct evangelism travelling with Hudson Taylor on his first canal travels in China. In 1872 he collaborate with William A.P. Martin to publish Peking Magazine- 36 issues terminated in 1875. In 1880 resigned form LMS to become a translator for the Chinese Imperial Maritime Customs. He became the Customs head and translated a series called 16 Primers for Western Knowledge covering many subjects. In 1903 he survived typhoid and was still writing at the age of 81. He died in Shanghai on Easter Sunday 1905. He married three times , his first wife , Jane Rowbotham Stobbs, died in 1863 aged just 22.

James, with co-founder Rev. Thomas Frederick Price, founded Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers (the Catholic Foreign Mission Society of America - CFMSA in 1911. ( See separate sheet About Maryknoll - The Maryknoll Magazine) James attended Boston College High School where his skills in debating and journalism were first recognised. He transferred to Harvard College as a ‘special student’. He completed his studies at St. John’s Seminary in Brighton, Boston. In 1992 he was ordained. In 1903 he was appointed Diocesan Director of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith and in 1907 he founded The Field Afar magazine. He served as Superior General of the Maryknoll Fathers Brothers from 1911 until his death in 1936. During that time he made trips across the USA , Rome and other places throughout the world. In 1933 he was named to the episcopacy as Titular, Bishop of Seine. His teaching, as a priest, gave students strong encouragement to follow their dreams in life,

John was a Scottish Christian missionary, orientalist and educator in the Bombay presidency, British India. In 1828 he married Margaret Bayne and together they went as missionaries of the Scottish Missionary Society (SMS) to Bombay. He was more intelligent than his siblings- learning to walk and talk at an early age. In the playground he was regarded as the ‘priest’ because he often preached to his classmates!l 1819-1827 he attended the University of Edinburgh studying linguistics (8 languages), philosophy and theology. His first experience of teaching was as a guide and tutor to the three boys of Colonel Rose Cormack as they travelled through the Netherlands. In Bombay the couple studied Marathi at Harnai. John established the Ambroli Church, a school for the young and a college (1832-6). In 1829 Margaret established schools for girls. In 1832 she established a boarding school for females - now called St. Columbia High School. They opened schools in Marathi and Hebrew for the native Jewish community of boys and girls. They translated the Old Testament for their benefit. John was an author of many books (see Writings) and a started a periodical The Oriental Christian Spectator which ran from 1830-1862. He was an archaeologist and passionate advocate for the preservation of Indian historical monuments becoming the Honorary President of the Asiatic Society in Bombay. In 1948 he was elected the first president of the Bombay Cave Temple Commission In 1857 he helped establish Bombay University and became Vice-chancellor in 1869.

Mark is a missionary, evangelist, ordained minister of the International Ministerial Fellowship and the House of God. He originally wanted to pursue a career in politics and went to the University of Maryland to earn a degree in public relations. Upon graduation he began a career in Christian ministry and attended the Candler School of Theology at Emory University- this followed a supernatural experience in his youth -, a mandate from God calling him to be a preacher, and becoming a born again Christian.His wife Alison had a similar mandate for Mark. Mark became a pastor at Oak Grove Methodist Church in Woodstock, Georgia. December 1975 he was baptized in the Holy Spirit and experienced speaking in tongues at Atlanta, Georgia. This was a turning point in his life. He began preaching at revivals and conferences. His first mission was to Mexico in 1977. He began his missions in earnest in 1979 when he went to Ghana. This was followed by missions to Nigeria, India, Benin, Colombia , Peru, Thailand, Mexico and many other countries. He founded Trinity Foundations - now called Global Servants; and House of Grace (1988). In 1987 he became an associate pastor at Mount Paran Church of God in Atlanta. In 1990 he took over a leaderless Calvary Assembly of God in Orlando and transformed it over the next 5 years. In 1999 he became the new president of struggling South Eastern University of God in Lakeland, Florida. Over the next 10 years it became a full university with a tripling of its enrollment (Read president of Southeastern University). In 2009 he became president of Oral Roberts University. He helped the enrollment numbers to increase form just over 3,000 to 6,500. In 2011 he announced he would leave ORU within two years- He would then be 64 years of age. He has remained active . He is the founder and director of the Institute on Christian Leadership, a one year educational programme for ministers and business leaders. He written 17 books (See Published works). Brief information about ORU included Source used Wikipedia

Robbie Brightwell was captain of the GB team at the i1964 Olympics in Tokyo. He was a 400m runner. He came fourth in the individual 400m; the 4x400 men’s team won silver. He married Ann Packer-( the surprise GB winner of the individual 800m gold medal ) after the Olympics. After his own disappointment in the individual 400m he had encouraged the reluctant Ann to run in the 800m. Both received MBEs in 1965 for their services to athletics.

Mary Denise Rand (nee Bignal) is a former English track and field athlete. In 1964 she won the gold medal for the long jump, in a new world record - 6,76 metres, at the Summer Tokyo Olympic games. At the same Olympics she also won silver in the Pentathlon (5 events) and bronze in the 4 x 100 relay. Mary remains the only GB athlete to win medals in a single games.

Ann, at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, was the unexpected winner of the 800m winning in world record time of 2:01.1 minutes. This was only her eighth race over the distance. She had already won silver in the 400m. Her local club was Reading Athletic club where she competed in 200m, 400m, 800m, 4 x 100 and 4 x400 relays, hurdles and long jump. After winning the gold she announced her retirement. She, with her future husband, Robbie Brightwell, were awarded MBEs in 1965 for services to athletics. In 2011 they published a book detailing their careers Robbie Brightwell and his Golden Girl:The Posh and Becks of Yesteryear. Source Wikipedia

Richard Allen was a minister, writer and one of USA’s most active and influential black leaders. He taught himself to read and write. He founded the African Methodist Episcopal church (AME) - the first Black denomination in the USA. He opened the first AME church in Philadelphia in 1794 and in 1816 he was elected their first bishop. He was born into slavery. His family were sold to Stokley Sturgis who had a plantation. Having financial problems Sturgis later sold his mother and two younger siblings,keeping him and his older brother and sister. The three attended the local Methodist Society. The Revd. Freeborn Garrettson came to preach in Delaware in 1775.He preached at Sturgis’s plantation and convinced him that slavery was wrong, This resulted in him giving Richard the chance to buy his freedom. Aged 17 he joined the Methodists Society and began to evangelize which angered the slave owners . In 1780 he bought his freedom having done extra work for Sturgis. He changed his name from Negro Allen to Richard Allen. With his future Flora they establish a church (1787-1799). They married in 1790. In 1800 he met Sarah Bass who became his second wife after Flora, died in 1801 after a long illness. They moved to Philadelphia, married and had 6 children. Sarah was highly active and became in the AME Church the* Founding Mother.* December 1784 he went to the Christmas Conference of the Episcopal Church in North America. Along with harry Hosier they were the only 2 black attendees. In 1786 he became a preacher at St. George’s Methodist Episcopal church but was restricted to the early morning services. Along with Absalom Jones he resented the white leaders segregation of blacks for worship and prayer. They decided to leave St. George’s to create an independent, self-reliant worship for African Americans. 1787 Allen and Jones led the Black members out. They formed the Free African Society (F.A.S.). ( White ministers had to consecrate the bread and wine.) In 1793, during the yellow fever epidemic, Allen and Jones, helped to organize free blacks as essential workers. Allen caught yellow fever and nearly died. 1794 he founded the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME) and opened his first church. 1799 ordained as first Black Methodist minister in recognition of.his leadership and preaching (The Blacks still had to negotiate with the white leadership). 1816 he proposed the uniting of the 5 African-American Congregations. The first fully independent Black denomination was created -the African Methodist Episcopal Church (A.M.E,). Richard was elected as their first bishop. From 1797 until his death in 1831 Richard and Sarah operated a station in the City of Brotherly Love on the Underground Railroad for fugitive slaves. Richard died in 1831 having firmly established a separate Black Methodist denomination. The A.M.E. is the oldest and largest formal institution in Black America. Source Wikipedia

Antoine was a French philosopher, mathematician and a leading theologian of the Jansenist movement ( See notes). He studied law and theology at Sorbonne. In 1641 he was ordained as a priest and deeply associated himself with the Jansenist movement at the convent at Port-Royal. His book De la frequente communion (1641) caused a storm - it attracted controversy by being against frequent communion. For 20 years he was forced to withdraw from public life and the faculty at the Sorbonne. He spent a lot of his time writing. He died, aged 82, in Brussels. His complete works -37 volumes in 42 parts was published between 1775-81. Boilrau wrote a famous epitaph The most learned man who ever wrote. Antoine was also regarded as being one of the most important mathematicians of his time His sister Marie Angelique Arnauld became abbess at Port-Royal.( See note) Source Wikipedia

Michael, born a Jew, became the first Anglican bishop in Jerusalem. He was born into a Jewish family in Prussia and emigrated to England in about 1820. His education in the Talmud began when he was a child. From 16-20 he was a teacher in the community teaching the Talmud and the German language. In Norwich he became a rabbi. While there he came into contact with William Marsh a stalwart of the London Society for Promoting Christianity Among the Jews.- (now known as Church’s Ministry Among Jewish People (CMJ)) He attempted to escape the Christian influence by moving to Plymouth to teach. In 1825 he converted to Christianity. In 1827 he moved with his wife, Deborah, to Dublin. In the same year he was ordained into the Anglican church. From 1827-30 he worked for CMJ in Danzig and from 1827-41 in London. In 1841 a unique agreement was reached between the British and Prussian governments - the establishment of a Protestant Bishopric in Jerusalem. Michael - the Jewish born Christian -was appointed bishop in 1842. His position was always controversial - the Jews called him an apostate. He died just 3 years later but by that time he had set up a School of Industry, an Enquirers house, a Hebrew College and the first Hospital in Palestine. Note The Christ Church - a simple Gothic building- was completed in 1849, 4 years after Michael’s unexpected death. Outside it differs very little from many Anglican churches but inside the building has more similarity to a synagogue, Source Wikipedia

The Act of Uniformity prescribed the form of public prayers, administration of sacraments and other rites of the Established Church of England according to the 1662 Book of Common Prayer. The Great Ejection meant ministers, who refused to follow the act, were forced out of their position. 2000+ Puritan ministers were ejected out of the C OF E and were now called nonconformists. The Act of Uniformity is one of 4 crucial pieces of legislation known as the Clarendon Code. Source Wikipedia

Isaac was an English Puritan divine. He was born one year after James VI of Scotland became James 1 of Scotland and England(1603-25). He was brought up in a well known Roman Catholic family. Aged 17 he entered Brasenose College Oxford. He graduated in 1624 with a B.A. and ordained. He became one of Charles 1 's itinerant preachers in Lancashire. He spent time in Garstang before he was selected by Lady Margaret Hoghton as vicar of Preston. In 1641 he became a Presbyterian minister and was on the celebrated committee for the ejection of 'scandalous and ignorant ministers and schoolmasters during the Commonwealth. ’ He became caught up in the Civil War - Royalist v Parliamentarians (Charles II v Oliver Cromwell). Twice he was imprisoned by the Royalists. He tried to evade the political controversies of the time. . In 1654, as a result of the Civil War, he left his great church in Preston and moved to Garstang. The 1662 Act of Uniformity saw him ejected, along with 2,000+ ministers, because he refused to conform ( See* Act of Uniformity and Great Ejection*) His gentleness of character and earnest presentation of the gospel attached him to his congregation . As a religious writer he had a vividness and freshness of imagination possessed by few of the puritan Nonconformist. His Looking unto Jesus held its own popular appreciation with the writings of John Bunyan. Source Wikipedia See also sheet House of Stuart and First Interregnum

Lancelot was an English bishop and scholar who held high positions in the Church of England during the reigns of Elizabeth I and James 1. During the reign of James I he served successively as Bishop of Chichester (1605-9), Ely (1609-19) and Winchester ( 1619- 1626). In 1571 he entered Pembroke College, Cambridge. He earned a BA and a MA. In 1576 elected fellow at Pemborke. 11th June 1580 he was ordained. He was incorporated MA at Oxford. He oversaw the translation of the King James version of the Bible .His name is the first on the list of divines appointed to compile the authorized version commissioned in 1604 and published in 1611. His elder brother Roger also served as a translator. Once a year he would spend a vacation of a month with his parents. He would use this time to study European languages- eventually he acquired most of the modern languages of Europe. He sought to defend and advance Anglican doctrine, criticising both Puritan and Roman Catholic teaching. He was renown his preaching. His most famous book was * Preces Privatae* (1648) - a collection of prayers. Following the discovery of the Gunpowder Plot - November 5th 1605 - he was asked to prepare a sermon to be presented to the king in 1606. In the sermon he justified the need to commemorate the deliverance and defined the nature of celebrations. Read* During Elizabeth’s reign and During the reign of James I* Lancelot’s feast day is 25th September Source Wikipedia

Aphrahat was a Syriac Christian author of the third century. His ancestors were from the Persian /Sasanian Empire. All of his known works, the *Demonstrations * come from later in his life - 336-344. Aphrahat is the Syriac version of the Persian name Frahat, which today would be Farhad. The author, known as the Persian sage, also took the name Jacob at his baptism. There is a suggestion that he became a bishop Read about order and subjects of the 23 Demonstrations.

Earnest was originally a British mathematician and scientist. In his late twenties he became a liberal theologian and bishop. He became the leader of the Modernist movement in the Church of England. He was renowned as a pacifist during WW11. 1893 he went to Trinity College, Cambridge. I1897 elected to a Trinity Fellowship. 1902 appointed as a lecturer in Mathematics and ordained as a deacon in the Church of England. 1903 ordained as a priest. 1906/8 appointed junior dean. 1908 appointed tutor. 1915 he left Cambridge, and his career in mathematics, to become Master of the Temple in London. 1918 he received a canonry at Westminster Abbey. 1924 became bishop of Birmingham (1924-53) 1953 retired after nearly 30 years due to poor health. He was perhaps the best known liberal bishop of his time, identified with the modernist or broad church movement. His time as bishop was marked by continual controversy. His book The Rise of Christianity attacked many Christian claims including the virgin birth and the bodily resurrection of Christ. Read Pacifism and Eugenics, Earnest died, aged 79, at his home in Sussex.

William was a Church of Scotland minister, an author, radio and television presenter, and Professor of Divinity and Biblical Criticism at the University of Glasgow. He wrote a popular set of New Testament Bible commentaries -sold 1.5 million. He studied Classics and Divinity at Glasgow University (1925-9). He also studied at the University of Sam Ratulangi Manado (1932/3). 1933-47 He was minister at Trinity Church Renfrew from 1933-1946. In 1947 he returned to the University of Glasgow as a lecturer in New Testament. He became Professor of Divinity and Biblical Criticism in 1963. He then dedicated his life to making the best biblical scholarship available to the average reader. The Daily Study Bible was the result -17 commentaries on the N.T… Today, in its updated version, it is called the New Daily Study Bible series. Also In 2008 Saint Andrew Press took the study series and began to produce pocket-sized thematic titles called Insights. The books are introduced by contemporary authors, broadcasters and scholars. William wrote many other popular books drawing on scholarship but written in a highly accessible style. In his book The Mind of Jesus he states his aim was to make the figure of Jesus more vividly alive, so that we may know him better and love him more.- See list of Worksto appreciate the number of books that he wrote. William described himself theologically as a * liberal evangelical.* Source Wikipedia

Thomas was born around 1495 in Norwich. He became a protestant martyr. He is believed to be the person who converted Hugh Latimer to the doctrines of the Reformers- he also died a martyr. Around 1550 , aged only 15, he entered Trinity Hall, Cambridge University where he studied law. Conversion He was ‘struck’ by these words from 1 Timothy ch1 v15 This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came onto the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. ‘Immediately I felt a marvellous comfort and quietness, in so much that my bruised bones lept for joy.’ Scripture became his chief study and In 1519 he took holy orders. In 1525 he obtained a license to preach throughout the diocese of Ely. In 1527 he was arrested for heresy. He recanted and was released but in 1531 he was arrested again for spreading ideas critical of the hierarchical structure of the church and the cult of the saints, For this he was burnt at Lollards Pit, in Norwich,on 19 August 1531. Afterwards it was alleged that his execution had been carried out without the proper authorisation by the state. THe result was Bishop Nix in 1534 was condemned on this charge and had his property confiscated. ( Thomas was nicknamed Little Bilney because of his short stature.) Source Wikipedia

Thomas was popularly known as the ‘Archbishop of Nonconformity’. He was noted for sermons and writings in defence of the principles of Noncomformity, devotional verse and for involvement in the cause of anti-slavery After a short pastorate on the Isle of Wight he moved in 1829 to King’s Weigh House Chapel, London. There he continued to discharge the duties of the ministry until he resigned in 1869 (40 years). During his time there the congregation grew so large that a new chapel on Fish Street Hill was built. In 1834 he personally laid the foundation stone of the chapel. He visited Canada and the USA in 1845 . Between 1857-9 he visited the Australian colonies. He was twice chairman of the Congregational Union of England and Wales. He worked to obtain reunion with the C.of E. He introduced the chanting of psalms into Congregational worship as one step towards this. He gave a special impulse with the publication of The Service of Song in the House of the Lord. (See Books for other of his publications) On the other hand he wrote Twenty -Four Reasons for Dissenting from the Church of England (1848). He was an active member of the British and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society formed in 1839. He wrote the biography of Sir Thomas Fowell Buxton, a leading parliamentary abolitionist. Thomas’s liberality of view and breadth of ecclesiastical sympathy entitles him to be ranked, on questions of Nonconformity, among the most distinguished. He gave his last sermon in November 1873. Following months of pain Thomas died,aged 76, on 24th February 1874. He wrote the well known hymn Eternal Light! Eternal Light! Source Wikipedia