'WHEN the first Methodist missionary, Dr
Denyes, came to Java in 1905, Buitenzorg (now Bogor) seemed to
present the best opportunity, and he settled there. Before the
end of that year he was able to start a small church, which in
a few years became a strong congregation … Buitenzorg is
also the centre for the Training School for Women.With the multiplication of institutions the direct evangelistic work in Buitenzorg failed to receive its due share of attention. The services were well attended and there were additions each year, but practically all of these came from the schools ...
The first evangelistic work in the vicinity of Batavia (now Jakarta) was begun in the village of Karet, a few miles from Batavia, where a Javanese preacher had gathered together a small group of Christians which he turned over to us in November 1905. A short time later, persecutions scattered these people but some of them formed the nucleus for the congregation at Tanah Abang. Soon after a service was started in the lower part of the city, first Kroekoet and later at Mangga Besar.
The church at Pasar Senen was started in 1906, and five years later a building was erected at Kramat, which is our only bona fide church building in the city. We now have three good congregations at Mangga Besar, Kramat and Tanah Abang and about four hundred Christians ... All of our congregations in Batavia are made up of Java-born Chinese, while at Kramat we have a congregation made up of Chinese and natives. If we were able to retain all we have won during the past twenty years, our churches would not hold the congregations …
Our Book Depot is also located in Batavia. At first the function of this Book Depot was to supply our English schools with text-books. Later it became a depository for Bibles and religious books. We still sell enough books to enable us pay all expenses …
… next to Batavia, the largest city in the island of Java [is Soerabaja]. It has a population of nearly two hundred thousand. Since it is the centre of the sugar trade, Soerabaja is the commercial metropolis of Java. Because of its wickedness it is frequently called the "Paris" of Java.
The work of our Mission was begun in 1909 when a Chinese pastor was sent to organise some Hokkiens and Foochows into a church. The following year our first missionary was sent to Soerabaja. Until the latter part of 1918 various missionaries provided their own support by teaching English in a large Chinese school … For five years from 1920 to 1925 Soerabaja enjoyed the full-time services of a missionary. Since that time it has again been without missionary oversight, except such as has been extended from Batavia.
