Draft:Charles Hodgson (Missionary)
Early Life:
Charles Hogdson was local to Yorkshire, England and was born in the late 1800s, though not much is known about his exact birth date. He studied Theology at the University of Cambridge, where he met, the Earl of Chichester who was at that time known as Lord Pelham, who shared similar goals of spreading the Gospel as himself. In his early student life, he was known as a "beautiful horseman and keen huntsman." [1]It was not until their early twenties that these men decided to give their lives to Christ together.
Hodgson is credited with foudning the first periodical of the Church Mission Society in 1838, the Church Missionary Gleaner.[2][3] This publication was renamed several times and was published up to 2009 as Yes Magazine.[4]
Mission
Hodgson found his calling in church service and spreading Anglican Christianity in the 1800s. Not long after he was elected Secretary of the Church Mission Society, he created a periodical with the help of his colleagues within the society. Together, they decided to create a Magazine-like periodical that would document the journeys of various missionaries all around the world.
According to the book entitled History of the Church Missionary Society which was published in 1899, "it was his desire, since his happy reunion with his precious Savior, to make that Gospel known at home and abroad."
Together, Charles Hodgson and his hunting companion, the Earl of Chichester, who he met at Cambridge, assumed their respective positions on the board of the Church Missionary Society on Christmas Eve of 1834. Charles assumed position of Associate Secretary, and the Earl assumed the role of President.
The Church Mission Society and Involvement:
Hodgson was elected Association Secretary of the Church Mission Society in 1832, where he remained in Yorkshire, England traveling on various missions until his death.
At his prime, Charles Hodgson kept record of missionaries located in the following countries:
Algeria, Australia, Bangladesh, Cameroon, Canada, China, Egypt, France, Ghana, Hong Kong, India, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Japan, Kenya, Liberia, Mauritius, Morocco, New Zealand, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Uganda, and the United Kingdom[5]
The Church Missionary Gleaner Origin and History
The CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY GLEANER, 1841-1921 was renamed CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY OUTLOOK, 1922-1972
In 1814, Hodgson launched the Gleaner, a type of missionary magazine. This magazine bridged the gap between the Record and the Quarterly Paper.
This allowed for input of a "a selection of the most interesting facts from the Record and information from other sources, to illustrate the proceedings of the Society."[6]
Additionally, it was later renamed the Church Missionary Society Outline in 1922 where it stayed in publication until 1972. Church Missionary Society Periodicals can still be found today at this link.
Related Publications:
This magazine aimed at bridging the gap between the following:
• The Quarterly Paper: highlighted the contributors of small donations to the Church Missionary Society
The Church Missionary Record: this record aimed at recording all current missions that the Church
Missionary Society underwent
• The Madras Gleaner or the Berkshire Gleaner: were examples of localized publications created as a result of the Missionary Gleaner.
Cost and Influence: The Gleaner began as a two-penny magazine, and ten years later was enlarged while the price was reduced to a penny. Localized versions of this publication would later become available, such as the Madras Gleaner.
The Missionary Gleaner officially ceased publication in 1870 due to the gradual drop in interest in missionaries since the 1860s. However, its legacy would live on in the form of following Missionary Magazines, such as the Church Missionary Society Outlook, which picked up interest in the 1920s.
Church Missionarv Gleaner
Legacy and Significance:
Records of Hodgson and the Missionary Societv's work are maintained by Yale University's Divinity Library Special Collections. [7]However, there are many current, up-to-date publications that keep record of where Christian missionaries travel, though they do not have the title that includes "Gleaner." The aforementioned "Church Missionary Society Outlook" is still available for purchase today.
Following Publications:
In 1874, Henry Wright[8] re-started the progress that Hodgson had started and revived the publication. At peak, around 1890, 82,000 copies of The Church Missionary Gleaner were in circulation. Henry was ultimately focused on Africa-based Christian missions instead of staying local like Hodgson.
In 1922, the publication was again revamped and renamed The Church Missionary Outlook[9]
Additional Publications Inspired by Hogdson:
CMS GLEANER PICTORIAL ALBUM, 1881[10]
CMS MISSIONARY ATLAS, 1896[11]
References
- ^ "CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY ARCHIVE Section III: Central Records Part 2: CMS Gleaner, 1841-1921 (also CMS Gleaner Pictorial Album, 1888 and CMS Missionary Atlas, 1879)". www.ampltd.co.uk. Retrieved 2024-01-12.
- ^ "CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY ARCHIVE Section III: Central Records Part 2: CMS Gleaner, 1841-1921 (also CMS Gleaner Pictorial Album, 1888 and CMS Missionary Atlas, 1879)". www.ampltd.co.uk. Retrieved 2024-01-12.
- ^ "Nature and Scope". Church Missionary Society Periodicals. Church Mission Society. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
- ^ "The Periodical Titles". Church Missionary Society Periodicals. Church Mission Society. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
- ^ "Jan 1890, The Church Missionary Gleaner - Church Missionary Society Periodicals - Adam Matthew Digital". www.churchmissionarysociety.amdigital.co.uk. Retrieved 2024-01-12.
- ^ "Mar 1890, The Church Missionary Gleaner - Church Missionary Society Periodicals - Adam Matthew Digital". www.churchmissionarysociety.amdigital.co.uk. Retrieved 2024-01-12.
- ^ "Explore the Divinity School Library | Yale University Library". web.library.yale.edu. Retrieved 2024-01-12.
- ^ Unavailable (1800s). "Duta, Henry Wright (A)". Dictionary of African Christian Biography. Retrieved 2024-01-12.
- ^ "The First ten years' quarterly papers of the Church Missionary Society ; to which is prefixed A... - Catalogue | National Library of Australia". catalogue.nla.gov.au. Retrieved 2024-01-12.
- ^ "Church Missionary Society Archive". AM. Retrieved 2024-01-12.
- ^ "The Church Missionary Atlas. Maps Of The Various Missions ... - CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY". www.maggs.com. Retrieved 2024-01-12.