Christmas Day Gathering, Jagadhri, Dec 1912

An historic hand-tinted 'magic' lantern slide portraying a well supported Christmas gathering of the Jagadhri congregation at Missionary Miss Alice Henderson's House.

Ironically, unlike the majority of image negatives taken over the succeeding 45 to 50 years, the original nitrate negative for this memorable image, being counted among the earliest handful of images taken on the Punjab Mission Field, still survives.

An Indian Pastor with a Bible Study Group :

Pastor Mukerji (at far right) taking an outdoor Bible lesson with two young men, all sitting on the ubiquitous Indian 'string' bed. His son sits at far left. Taken c.1920. Considerable use was made of trained Indian Bible men and women as Evangelists.

Evangelistic Camping Tours :

Using slow ponderous wooden wheeled bullock carts, annual evangelistic camping tours attempted to bring the Gospel to those living in more remote rural areas who would otherwise have had little or no possibility of hearing the Christian message.

An Evangelistic group with their Model T Ford and trailer loaded with tents and bed rolls about to leave on a country camping tour, 1930.

While the number of 'enquirers' generally grew, Missionaries, constrained by manpower, finance and resources, were unable to bring the Gospel message to all 1,800 outlying rural villages. With no real follow up to those they had actually visited, one Missionary wrote "The Question of reaching these villages with the Gospel is one which our mission can hardly be said to have faced" while another wrote in a similarly frustrated tone, "In truth we are only playing at the problem."

Massed Bands at the 1927 Melá (Christian Fair) Jagadhri :

Held in a large tent village in the hospital grounds, this popular and well supported annual event provided an opportunity to hear the Gospel while combined with varied activities including children's entertainment, sports, music, refreshments and food.

Church Extension in Rural Areas :

Workmen about to place the Cross atop the newly constructed Darnpur Church, 1930's.

Combined Open-Air Communion Service :

Under the shade of trees, the Rev Abdul Rahim officiates during an open-air Communion service at Kalaur in 1939 where eight villages were represented. Note the walls of cloth to create a private area for worship.

The Masha'l Press, Kharar : :

Skilled Indian staff at work in the printing room of the Masha'l Press, c.1950 Typesetting was all laboriously done by hand at compositing desks using a bewildering range of different sized and styled trays of printers type.

A printery had originally been set up by the Rev WM Ryburn in 1931 under the auspices of the Kharar High School. The great need for Christian literature made the usefulness of the press immediately apparent, being formed into a seperate branch of the Mission in 1937. In 1939, and to demonstrate the quite remarkable work they had already accomplished, the press sent samples of no less than 60 different printed publications to New Zealand. The Rev Ryburn, himself a prolific writer, remained as Manager until 1945.

Rural Evangelism :

Miss Lorraine Saunders (at far left) and an Indian Pastor speaking with villagers gathered outside a tent during a country Evangelistic camping tour, c.1950

Parish Initiated Church Extension :

Christian villagers with their Indian Pastor at Mandowli near Jagadhri signing a request to Presbytery that they be formed into a seperate congregation, c.1950

New Zealand Missionaries and an Indian Preacher gathered together for a village service at Mienpur, early 1950's

Those pictured include (L to R) : Preacher's wife & child?; Sr Violet Sutherland (sitting wearing her Solar Topie); Mrs Marion Riddle; Rev Doug Riddle; [unknown] Indian Preacher.

The Offering during a Rural Village Service :

Often being amongst the poorest people in India, the gifts of these village Christians could represent real sacrificial giving.

Baptism - and a New Generation of the Indian Faithful, c.1950 :

A village boy, with his parents standing alongside, being baptised into the Christian faith by an Indian Pastor.

"Baptised in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, to be faithfully and prayerfully brought up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord."

Church Extension Assisted by New Zealand Children : :

Sr Nan Heginbotham and a young girl (possibly a Daughter of the Rev Chander) looking at the Yamunanagar Church foundation Stone laid by the Rev GS Chander in 1955. Building the Church had been made possible through funds collected by the New Zealand children's Missionary magazine "Break of Day" as part of their annual appeal.

A relaxed group of village men, women and children, and complete with their string beds, gathered for an outdoors Religious service under the shade of a tree, 1960.