Walter Russell Lambuth
Encyclopedia
Walter Russell Lambuth was a Chinese-born American
Methodist Bishop who worked as a missionary establishing schools and hospitals in China
, Korea
and Japan
in the 1880s.
, China
as the eldest son of James William Lambuth and Mary Isabella McClellan, he was sent to his relatives in Tennessee
and Mississippi
for his early education. Walter's parents were pioneering missionaries in China. Together they also founded the mission work of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South
in Japan
. Walter's grandfather had been a Preacher in the Mississippi Annual Conference
. Walter's great-grandfather, the Rev. William Lambuth, was a Preacher in the Holston Annual Conference (admitted in 1795).
in 1875, and later received theology and medical degrees from Vanderbilt University
.
He returned to the United States in charge of all missionary work as General Secretary of the Board of Missions of the American Southern Methodist Episcopal Mission
. Lambuth was elected Bishop by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, in 1910 and was assigned to Brazil
. The following year he established Methodist work in the Belgian Congo
, Africa
, later traveling to Europe
and establishing Southern Methodism in Belgium
, Poland
, Czechoslovakia
, and Siberia
, supervising missionary work worldwide until his death in 1921. He died in Yokohama, Japan and his ashes were buried in Shanghai
, China, next to his mother Mary.
Lambuth Day is held October 6 at Pearl River
Church in Madison County, Mississippi
.
Lambuth University
in Jackson, Tennessee
and Lambuth Inn at Lake Junaluska, North Carolina
are named in his honor.
Lambuth Memorial United Methodist Church in Oklahoma City, OK was named for him. Some say the name was chosen the day he died in 1921 when the church began.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Methodist Bishop who worked as a missionary establishing schools and hospitals in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
in the 1880s.
Birth and Family
Born in ShanghaiShanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
as the eldest son of James William Lambuth and Mary Isabella McClellan, he was sent to his relatives in Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
and Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
for his early education. Walter's parents were pioneering missionaries in China. Together they also founded the mission work of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South
Methodist Episcopal Church, South
The Methodist Episcopal Church, South, or Methodist Episcopal Church South, was the so-called "Southern Methodist Church" resulting from the split over the issue of slavery in the Methodist Episcopal Church which had been brewing over several years until it came out into the open at a conference...
in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. Walter's grandfather had been a Preacher in the Mississippi Annual Conference
Annual Conference
An Annual Conference in the United Methodist Church is a regional body that governs much of the life of the "Connectional Church." Annual conferences are composed primarily of the clergy members and a lay member or members from each charge . Each conference is a geographical division...
. Walter's great-grandfather, the Rev. William Lambuth, was a Preacher in the Holston Annual Conference (admitted in 1795).
Education
Walter graduated from Emory and Henry CollegeEmory and Henry College
Emory & Henry College, known as E&H, Emory, or the College, is a private liberal arts college located in Emory, Virginia, United States. The campus comprises of Washington County, Virginia, which is part of the mountain region of Southwest Virginia...
in 1875, and later received theology and medical degrees from Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University is a private research university located in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, the university is named for shipping and rail magnate "Commodore" Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided Vanderbilt its initial $1 million endowment despite having never been to the...
.
Ordination and Ministry
He was ordained an elder in the Tennessee Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, and returned to China with his wife Daisy Kelly as a medical missionary in 1877. Then he was dispatched to West Japan where they were founders of Methodist work in Japan.He returned to the United States in charge of all missionary work as General Secretary of the Board of Missions of the American Southern Methodist Episcopal Mission
American Southern Methodist Episcopal Mission
American Southern Methodist Episcopal Mission was an American Methodist missionary society operated by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South that was involved in sending workers to countries such as China during the late Qing Dynasty.- See also:...
. Lambuth was elected Bishop by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, in 1910 and was assigned to Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
. The following year he established Methodist work in the Belgian Congo
Belgian Congo
The Belgian Congo was the formal title of present-day Democratic Republic of the Congo between King Leopold II's formal relinquishment of his personal control over the state to Belgium on 15 November 1908, and Congolese independence on 30 June 1960.-Congo Free State, 1884–1908:Until the latter...
, Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, later traveling to Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and establishing Southern Methodism in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
, and Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
, supervising missionary work worldwide until his death in 1921. He died in Yokohama, Japan and his ashes were buried in Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
, China, next to his mother Mary.
Lambuth Day is held October 6 at Pearl River
Pearl River, Mississippi
Pearl River is a census-designated place in Neshoba County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 3,156 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Pearl River is located at ....
Church in Madison County, Mississippi
Madison County, Mississippi
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 74,674 people, 27,219 households, and 19,325 families residing in the county. The population density was 104 people per square mile . There were 28,781 housing units at an average density of 40 per square mile...
.
Lambuth University
Lambuth University
Lambuth University was a liberal arts university located in Jackson, Tennessee. It was supported by the Memphis Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. Lambuth's athletic teams participated in the NAIA's TranSouth and Mid-South Conferences...
in Jackson, Tennessee
Jackson, Tennessee
Jackson is a city in Madison County, Tennessee, United States. The total population was 65,211 at the 2010 census. Jackson is the primary city of the Jackson, Tennessee metropolitan area, which is included in the Jackson-Humboldt, Tennessee Combined Statistical Area...
and Lambuth Inn at Lake Junaluska, North Carolina
Lake Junaluska, North Carolina
Lake Junaluska is a census-designated place in Haywood County, North Carolina, USA. It is part of the Asheville Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 2,675 at the 2000 census...
are named in his honor.
Lambuth Memorial United Methodist Church in Oklahoma City, OK was named for him. Some say the name was chosen the day he died in 1921 when the church began.
See also
- List of Bishops of the United Methodist Church
- Christianity in JapanChristianity in JapanChristianity is a minority religion in Japan, with less than one percent claiming Christian belief or affiliation. Nearly all known traditional denominations of Christianity, including Roman Catholicism, Protestantism and Orthodox Christianity are represented in Japan today.The root of the Japanese...
- Christianity in KoreaChristianity in KoreaThe practice of Christianity in Korea revolves around two of its largest branches, Protestantism and Catholicism, accounting for 8.6 million and 5.1 million members respectively. Roman Catholicism was first introduced during the late Joseon Dynasty period...