Preface | Origins | Embarkation | Persistence | Currently | Anticipation
In 1948 South China Missionary Rev. Samuel E. Boyle did not realize the strategic importance of his vision for translating Christian literature from English into Chinese. The ministry he started and named the Reformation Translation Fellowship (RTF) has played a major role in the growth of Christianity in China, helping to shape the changes taking place in that great nation. Is it possible that Christian principles will become an important part of China’s renewal? Will the precious message of a God centered hope supersede the worldly message forced on the minds of the people of China but unable to fill their hearts? Will RTF publications, along with the Truth of the Gospel taught from the Bible by traveling evangelists, biblically sound publications and radio, help China become a Christian nation?
There is no official date for the start of RTF but translation work began in December 1948, soon after the Charles H. Chao family joined the Boyle family in Canton (now Guangzhou), South China. The first RTF books were published in 1950. Events which took place prior to the start of RTF show the abiding faith in a gracious God held by all who have participated in RTF’s ministry from its beginning until the present. These events, often miraculous, involve the lives of people dear to RTF and China.