China Inland Mission Founder and world-renown British missionary Hudson Taylor’s great grandson James Hudson Taylor III passed away at the age of 79 on the morning of March 20 in Hong Kong.
Without any regrets but with a simple love for China, five generations of the Taylor’s family have devoted their lives to serve in China for the cause of Christ in the last 180 years. In the Seventh CCCOWE Conference held in Macau in 2006, James Taylor said that he hopes that he will also die in China. His remark touched the thousands of audiences, where many shed tears, and the crowd stood up to give a standing ovation.
In recent months, James Taylor had been suffering from liver cancer. At the Eigth CCCOWE Conference preparation meeting held on Apr. 18, his son Jamie Taylor told the committee that consists of Chinese Christian leaders from various parts of the world about his father’s health condition. In his report, he said that if he needs to describe his father in one sentence it should be that “He lived to make a difference.”
In CCCOWE Centre’s news report, they’ve also commented that that Rev. James Taylor have truly “made a difference” whether at the time of this youth in China, or when he was imprisoned in the Japanese concentration camp in Shandong, or in Taiwan pushing forth the theological education, shouldering the heavy responsibility of OMF International, or in Hong Kong serving through professional careers.
“We deeply hope that the example of Rev. Taylor will also become a source of determination for everyone of us who stands before the Lord,” according to the CCCOWE Center’s report.
Rev. Taylor was born in 1929 in Henan, China. He once went to the United States to receive middle school education. In 1955, he and his wife Leone went to Taiwan to begin their service in Asia and three of their children were also born there.
In 1970, James Taylor took the position as the president of China Evangelical Seminary (CES) in Taipei. In 1980, he took up the position as the seventh General Director of Overseas Missionary Fellowship. In 1993, with a Chinese American Professor of Paediatrics and a businessman from Hong Kong, he formed Medical Services International (MSI). He can speak fluent Mandarin and has a passionate heart of love towards China, giving a deep impression towards others.
Hudson Taylor once promised God saying that “As for me and my household, we shall surely serve the Lord.” As the fourth generational descendant, Rev. James Taylor has truly inherited the will of the family to serve China, and his wife and children are all faithful servants.
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Reporter Sharon Chan contributed to this report.
