Secretary of the (Methodist) Missionary Society, is preserved on microfilm in the Archives.
It helps us understand the background of the man and his fruitful ministry.
Oldham was saved for service
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IT IS no exaggeration to say that the pioneer missionary to Singapore,
the Rev William F. Oldham, worked himself to the point of exhaustion
from the time he arrived in February 1885, until he and his wife,
Marie, were repatriated in September 1889.
Besides being the only missionary for the first two years, running
the Mission single-handedly, he taught a full day at Anglo-Chinese
School and built up the English (later Wesley) Church through
regular (and frequent) preaching, hospital visitations, fund-raising,
and travelling to explore new mission possibilities .He was also
Wesleyan Chaplain to the troops.
The letter which he wrote to Dr Jonas Peck, Corresponding Secretary
of the (Methodist) Missionary Society, clearly shows that the
decision to send him and his wife back to America was taken by
Bishop Thoburn, initiated and urged by Oldham's fellow workers
who had written to express their concern over his health. Perhaps
Oldham's self-sacrificing attitude can best be gauged from reading
the letter itself:
"Dear Sir and Brother,
I write to say that by advice of the Doctors I have hurried away
from Java whither I went to meet the Dutch Missionaries in their
biennial Conference and am now on my way to a cold climate and
skilled medical treatment.
I am suffering from my liver and from inflammation of the peritoneum
but these I fancy are largely symptoms of an enfeebled constitution
and this long sea voyage will I think largely recuperate my strength.
I am certainly worn down a great deal. I left New York in 1884
weighing 147 lbs and this morning I weigh 114. For a man 5ft 10½
in. high you can imagine this is pretty light weight - and yet
I am hoping my stay in the States will not be wholly taken up
with getting well and strong. I am anxious to push the work of
this mission as God shall give me opportunity. I hope to be at
Kansas City and would thank you to write the pastors there to
provide Mrs O. and myself with lodging (if possible). I shall
be glad to be used at any of the meetings during the week as I
hope to be much better by that time. Please send me a line to
"Care of Rev. Dr. A.B. Hyde, Denver, Colorado."
I have left Bro. R.W. Munson acting Superintendent in my place
subject to Bishop Thoburn's confirmation. I received a telegram
from the Bishop saying "Go America" in answer to a letter
written without my knowledge by my fellow missionaries to the
Bishop. I did not wait for the cablegram from you because my fellow
workers insisted that I must not delay a week more. I trust our
expenses of which I am keeping an a/c and which will be less than
$450 (gold) will be paid out of Transit Fund.
Yours respectfully,
W.F. Oldham"
It is remarkable that even though the Rev Oldham was quite
ill, he maintained an even tone, hoping that the time spent in
America would not be wholly devoted to nursing him back to health,
but expressing his desire to "push the work of this mission
as God shall give me opportunity".
As it turned out, he was to spend the next decade and a half as
a missionary speaker, a highly esteemed preacher and pastor, professor
of missions, and exerting an influence over many key Methodists
who took over leadership positions in the next three decades.
In 1900, he came into the limelight of the Methodist Church in
America when he was elected ministerial delegate to the General
Conference at which he was elected one of the Secretaries of the
Missionary Society, viewing his task to promote interest in missionary
work in all countries and not of "Malaysia" only.
In 1904, his spiritual and organisational gifts were recognised
by the Church, and at the General Conference in Los Angeles, Oldham
was elected a missionary bishop on the first ballot. He was assigned
to India and Malaysia, where he remained until 1912. It was a
period that has been acknowledged to have enabled great progress
to be made by the Methodist Mission in this part of the world.
Earnest Lau, the Archivist of The Methodist Church in Singapore,
is also the Associate Editor of Methodist Message.