 KARL
LUDVIG REICHELT (1877-1952)
Reichelt and the Mission
to Buddhists
Born in Arendal, Norway,
September 1, 1877. Served in Nanjing, China from 1922 until
1926 and in 1930 established his lifework at Tao Fong Shan
in Hong Kong where he worked until his death in 1952.
"Are we permitted to believe that the Spirit
of God, the pure Spirit of Jesus Christ, may also be at work
within these melancholy walls, where superstition and
idolatry walk side by side with the loftiest longings for
truth, purity and liberty?"
So Reichelt wrote as he painfully sought how we might
work with highly developed and pious monks at Weishan monastery in
China as a young missionary from Norway.
The pioneering years to come would be difficult for
Reichelt as he endeavored to understand how to communicate the
Gospel to Buddhists in China, and how he might help the Church at
home understand his desire to reach them. Visiting monasteries
on foot in China, he invited many monks to study Christianity at Tao
Fong Shan Centre in Hong Kong.
As a result over 1200 Buddhist
monks decided to follow Christ, while many more became "Friends
of the Tao (Way)."
|
A
Brief Timeline of Karl
Ludvig Reichelt |
 |
1877-1905 |
Reichelt’s
Calling to Missions |
|
1905-1922 |
Years
of Preparation |
|
1922-1926 |
The Nanking Experiment Hosts 4,000 Buddhists |
|
1926-1930 |
The
Search for a New Location |
|
1930-1934 |
Building
Tao Fong Shan in Hong Kong |
|
1934-1939 |
Ministry
to over 838 Buddhist visitors to TFS |
|
1940
|
Awarded
the Order of Saint Olav for his Missionary service.
|
|
1940-1944
|
Writing
under the Japanese Occupation
|
|
1944-1952 |
Reichelt
serves at Tao Fong Shan until his death
|
|
