Our Missions in India 1834-1924

This volume aims at giving a plain narrative of the missionary service rendered by the Presbyterian Church in the USA through its missions in India. The Western Foreign Missionary Society, having decided to undertake missionary work in India, had sent a circular letter to the Theological Seminary Allegheny, Pennsylvania calling for volunteers.In reply letters were received from two students – John C. Lowrie and William Reed, offering themselves as missionaries. On May 1833 they set sail for Calcutta. Thus began their long journey of preaching the Gospel to Hindus, Buddhists and Muslims; expansion in north India; Anglo Indian education; its work during the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857; a mission to the Afghans; the Kapurthala Mission; medical missionary work; preaching in towns and villages, setting up of schools and col­leges. Perhaps one of its most important contributions was the training given in Mission schools and colleges in various sports – cricket, football, badminton, tennis and hockey. It also contains the administra­tive?details?and?challenges?the?Missions?encountered.

Elwood Morris Wherry (1843-1927) was an American Presbyterian missionary to India where he spent forty years of his life. For five years Wherry taught the Old Testament literature and church history at theological seminary in Saharanpur. He also translated many textbooks into the vernacular. In 1888 he resigned from the Mission Press of which he was in charge to return to the USA. He returned to India in 1898 where?he?remained?till?1923?engaged?in?missionary?work.