Elizabeth Bernard

Elizabeth Bernard
Elizabeth C. Bernard, Hong Kong, China, ca.1959-1969
BornOctober 10, 1890
DeSoto, Texas
DiedDecember 12, 1971 (aged 81)
Hong Kong

Elizabeth Bernard (October 10, 1890 - December 12, 1971) was an American missionary for the Churches of Christ, known for her missionary work with blind children in Asia.

Born in DeSoto, Texas, Elizabeth sought training as a nurse at the College of Industrial Arts in Denton, Texas. Upon completing her education, she joined the United States Army as a nurse in 1918, but was discharged due to poor eyesight after two years of service. Elizabeth then spent three years in schools across America teaching blind children, before moving to Guangzhou, China in 1933 to pursue missionary work.[1] She was able to do this due to a government pension.[2]

World War II disrupted Elizabeth's missionary work in Asia, causing her to flee or relocate several times. Prior to the break out of the Second Sino-Japanese War, Elizabeth fled in 1938 from Guangzhou to Hong Kong.[3] She moved once more to Macau before settling in Guilin. After spending some time in India, Elizabeth returned to the United States in 1944, during which time she attended the Alhambra Church of Christ.[4][2][5]

After World War II ended, Elizabeth was able to return to Guangzhou in 1947 and repair the Canton Bible School damaged during the war. She began caring for orphans, but the communist revolution forced her to leave Guangzhou and settle in Hong Kong, taking several orphans with her.[2] By 1949, Elizabeth was the only Churches of Christ missionary in Hong Kong and she worked alone until 1959 when additional missionaries were sent on short-term assignments.[6] Working with others from the American Churches of Christ, Elizabeth reestablished churches and preaching schools, thus reviving the Hong Kong mission.[7] She returned to the United States in 1967 and then made one final trip to Hong Kong in 1970. Elizabeth died on December 12, 1971, and was buried in Happy Valley on Hong Kong Island.[3][2]

  1. ^ Hughes, Richard T.; Roberts, R.L. (2001). The Churches of Christ. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. p. 174. ISBN 0313233128.
  2. ^ a b c d Forsythe, Chuck (Summer 1991). "Hong Kong Kall: China For Christ". Elizabeth Bernard's Legacy.
  3. ^ a b Murch, James DeForest (1962). Christians only: a history of the Restoration Movement. Cincinnati: Standard Pub. p. 316.
  4. ^ Hinckley, Malcom (February 9, 1982). "The way it was - in Alhambra". Firm Foundation: 12.
  5. ^ Cubstead, L.; Bennett W., "Foreign Evangelism Of The Churches of Christ: 1959-'60" (1960). Stone-Campbell Books. 421. http://digitalcommons.acu.edu/crs_books/421 .
  6. ^ The Stone-Campbell movement : a global history. Williams, D. Newell., Foster, Douglas A. (Douglas Allen), 1952-, Blowers, Paul M., 1955-. St. Louis: Chalice Press. 2012. ISBN 9780827235298. OCLC 834144270.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  7. ^ Holloway, Gary. Renewing the world : a concise global history of the Stone-Campbell Movement. Foster, Douglas A. (Douglas Allen), 1952-. Abilene, TX. ISBN 9780891123736. OCLC 934808594.