Pioneering ministry: Chinese United Methodist Church, Manhattan

Ministering to the Chinese community in New York City for more than 50 years

Early Chinese Immigration The exclusion of Chinese immigrants is a sad and difficult episode of American history. Chinese immigrants began arriving in the mid-19 th century, laboring in the California gold rush and helping to build the transcontinental railroad. Prejudice, fear, and economic tensions resulted in discrimination, which culminated in the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882,the only U.S. law ever to prevent immigration and naturalization on the basis of race.

Chinese Immigration in the 20 th Century Exemptions to the Exclusion Act (for teachers, students, merchants and travelers), along with illegal immigration meant that the Chinese population in the U.S. did grow, but slowly. Many Chinese moved to large cities on the west and east costs. By 1900, there were 7000 Chinese Americans living in New York’s Chinatown. A view of New York City’s Chinatown in 1909, courtesy of the Library of Congress

Chinese Immigration in the 20 th Century The Chinese Exclusion Act was extended several times. It was repealed in 1943 when China and United States became allies during World War II, but significant restrictions remained. The Immigration Act of 1965 finally removed the restrictions, allowing large numbers of Chinese to immigrate. Today there are more than 700,000 Chinese Americans living in the greater New York area. President Lyndon Johnson signs the Immigration Act of 1965 Chinese American girls in New York’s Chinatown, 1965

First Methodist Mission to Chinese Immigrants in New York  In the 1800s Chinatown was located just east of the notorious Five Points area, a high-crime slum filled with poor and unemployed who suffered horrific living conditions.  A Methodist mission was begun at Five Points in the 1850s, and in 1878 we find the first mention of a Chinese evening school and religious services, initiated at Five Points by Chu Bok, a young Cantonese ministerial student. During the period there was a well- established Methodist Chinese Mission, staffed by Mary A. Lathbury, superintendent, and Chu Bok. Mulberry Bend in the Five Points neighborhood, photographed in 1898 by Jacob Riis.

Second Methodist Mission to Chinese Immigrants in New York  The second Chinese mission work in the New York Conference began at the Church of All Nations (originally the East Side Parish) on Manhattan’s lower east side in  It was directed by Mary Banta, a lay woman who was the daughter of a Methodist minister and had attended the interdenominational Brooklyn Union Missionary Training School. She served for thirty years and was beloved within the Chinese community.  Upon her retirement in 1934, Banta and a group of Chinese worshipers left Church of All Nations for reasons unknown and Chinese work at Church of All Nations was discontinued. Church of All Nations Chapel and Neighborhood house on Houston Street in the 1920s

There was a small group of Chinese Christian worshipers at Five Points mission well before the 1960s. In the Spring of 1966 the programs at Five Points Mission were merged into the Presbyterian Church of Sea and Land, but the Chinese group voted against the merger. The Chinese Methodist Church, housed in the old Five Points building, was formed to minister to the increasing numbers of Chinese immigrants in the area. Rev. Moses Lee (already on staff at the former Five Points Mission) was the first pastor. The CUMC mission was not just to actively preach the Gospel, but also help people “understand God’s bountiful love through church-sponsored social welfare activities.” Group photo, 1969 Rev. Lee, Rev. Cheung and members of the Church Council, 1970 Rev. Moses Lee

Early outreach activities in the 1960s and 1970s included a community center, adult English classes, the Mei-Wah Chinese School (with an after school center), and a summer day care center – as well as Boy Scouts and numerous sports, music, and other clubs. In 1972 the Chinese Methodist Community Center (CMCC) was established as a separate non-profit entity. By 1978 the church had about 250 members and the church and CMCC programs served approximately 300 people per day.

In 1997 the Five Points Mission donated the 69 Madison Street building to CUMC, helping to build a permanent Chinese United Methodist presence in Chinatown

CUMC helped the Chinatown community survive the 9/11 tragedy with its resulting emotional stresses and economic hardships. Ministries through the years: Christian education Small group ministry using the ChristCare model AlphaChinatown (outreach to non-Christian families that participate in CMCC) AlphaCourse (a series of evangelistic talks and small group discussions) Joyful News Festival (an annual cooperative program with nearby Chinese churches)

CUMC has also undertaken mission work in China, Russia, and Malaysia, and social action work to meet the needs of immigrants in the community (including youth ministry and the church’s Immigration Legal Clinic).

In 1989 a daughter church (the Flushing Chinese Mission, now Flushing Chinese UMC) was organized. Current pastor James K. Law and his son, Rev. Simeon Law, also a NYAC pastor.

Pastors of CUMC Senior Pastors:  Rev. Moses Lee,  Rev. Benjamin Chiu,  Rev. James K. Law, present Rev. Lee and Rev. Law with Rev. Chiang and Rev. Tsang, both volunteer associate pastors who served the Flushing Mission.

CUMC looks forward to celebrating its 50 th anniversary in We honor CUMC for its long-time ministry to the Chinese community in lower Manhattan. Lay servants receive their certificates, April 2015.