The history of the beginning and

establishment of Seventh-Day Adventist

church in Bangladesh
By Sunil Sarkar

In the beginning of 1906, the first Adventist local minister of

India Pastor Lal Gopal Mookerjee and his wife Grace Madeline

Kellogg Mookerjee a Bible worker from Wisconsin had brought the

Adventist truth in Bangladesh for the first time in Adventist History.

Initially Pastor Lal Gopal Mookerjee and his father A.C. Mookerjee

were the member of William Carry initiated Baptist church at

Srirampore, India whose ancestor was one of the first convert of

William Carry. In 1897 after receiving the Adventist truth, the father

and the son had started to work for the Adventist cause in Calcutta,

India with the foremost Adventist missionaries who were sent by the

General Conference of the Adventist church to establish the first

Adventist mission station in India and which was extended till far to

Bangladesh.
 The Adventist church history of East Bengal (Bangladesh) is

very much connected to the Adventist church history of India; and

Pastor L. G. Mookerjee is one of the first local Adventist minister of

India; and the first person to start the Adventist work in East Bengal

(Bangladesh). Elder G. C. Tenney was the first General Conference

worker to travel from Adelaide, Melbourne on Wednesday, October

12, 1892. After spending few thoughtful days with Mrs. Ellen G.

White and A.G. Daniells; he bored a steamship named Massilia to

Colombo to travel to Calcutta for the first time. After making some

contacts in Calcutta, G.C.Tenney went to attain the General

Conference meetings via Europe and then two literature evangelists

named William Lenker an American, and A.T. Strope an Australian

were sent for the field of India (1).

On November 23, 1993, Willam Lenker and A.T. Stope had

landed at Madras, India by ship travelling from Southampton,

England (2). After canvassing at Madras, Calcutta and Bombay for a

while in the month of April, 1894 they had requested for 20

literature evangelists to the Foreign Mission Board of General

Conference (3). And then before January 1895, three more

Australian literature evangelists were sent to India. Among this five

literature evangelists three where appointed to work in Madras,

Mysore, and Hyderabad; and two in Calcutta (4).

In the middle of 1895 elder D. A. Robinson was appointed to be

the first superintendent for the field of India. In the month of

October elder D.A. Robinson and his wife, their little girl Ethel,

brother Ellery Robinson and sister Miss. M.M. Taylor had travelled

from London to Calcutta(5). And then in 1897 brother Dr. Palace

had joined them with medical missionary work that helped many

people to be interested in the truth as 20 to 30 joined the Bible

readings every Saturdays and Wednesdays and 200 people would

gather in their meeting hall every Sunday evening meetings (6).

Here is a true story from the time of William Carry. When

William Carey had been preaching to a crowed in a city of India; he

had met a Brahman priest carried on the shoulders of several men.

Carry had handed to him a paper of these written words I am a

sinner; Christ is my Saviour". No one ever dared to tell this Brahman

man that he was a sinner as he was regarded more as god. The

priest had repeated these words again and again in his mind I am a

sinner; Christ is my Saviour "; and finally had said it is true". I am

a sinner and Christ is my Saviour. But the priest wanted to test

Carry first. He said in his heart; if Cary is true, he will eat with us.

Up on the invitation, William Carry had accepted to eat the rice and

dal with the priest in his house. And the Brahman priest laid aside

his priestly robe and offer himself for the baptism. It was the

conversation of the first Brahman man to accept Christianity in

India.

And the grandson of this Brahman priest is the white haired

man Lal Chand Mookerjee in his seventies and lived in the garden

house in the suburbs of Calcutta. And his son A.C. Mookherjee one

of the first Adventist convert and the early Indian Adventist worker
at Calcutta English Church since Brother D.A. Robinson worked in

Calcutta.

In the month of June1897 brother Ellery Robinson had sold

brother A.C. Mookerjee a copy of Patriarchs and Prophets"; then a

copy of Great Controversy"; and then a book on Daniel and

Revelation" and brother A.C. Mukherjee had accepted the truth as

he was led by God. Brother A.C. Mookerjee had eleven sons and

daughters and all of them lived under the same roof at garden

house. Every morning, noon and night he had gathered the family

stopping the work in the printing office to study the Word and pray

with them. And these Adventist books were used occasionally for the

family devotion.

Brother A.C. Mookerjees home was like an Adventist training

school of fourteen members including his son in law who had

accepted the truth. The oldest son of the family brother L.G.

Mookerjee had been working as nurse in Calcutta since the time of

Dr. Palace in 1897; and who would often pray with the patients to
ask forgiveness of their sins in their clinic bed in the 1903. The

ancestor of the first Brahman priest convert had gotten light from

William Carry and finally had gotten greater light from father to son

and father to son (7).

In the end of 1898 after the sudden death of Elder D. A.

Robinson; Mrs. Robinson, Dr and Mrs. Place, Elder and Mrs Ellery

Robinson, Elder and Mrs. W.A. Spicer had left the field of

Calcutta.In the beginning of 1899 W.W. Quantock a graduate of

Battle Creek College was called by Foreign Mission Board to carry on

the work in India as the secretary and treasurer of International

Tract Society at Calcutta that had been producing tracts for the

people of India (8). In the middle of 1899 Dr. and Mrs. Ingersoll had

replaced Dr. and Mrs. Place when they had moved the medical

mission work to 50 Park Street at Brother L. G. Mookrjees place

where Brother L.G. Mookerjee was in charge of the treatment rooms

for the men and continued to work there for six years till he discover

East Bengal (9).

 Elder W.A. Spicer had visited Calcutta for the second time and

described the anxiety of work in India and in the month of May,

1901 the Mission Board approved five missionaries like Professor

and Mrs J. L. Shaw; the father of sister Shaw Elder G.K. Owen the

Bible teacher; Misses Annie Knight and Dona Humphrey the nurses

to work on their own charges (10). During this time Miss Grace

Madeline Kellogg an Adventist Bible worker at Ripon, Wisconsin also

had called the Wisconsin Conference to resign the work to sail to

work in India on September, 1901 (11). Brother Luther J. Burgess

also arrived in Calcutta, India on June 25, 1901 before other

missionaries and started to master the local language to reach out to

more hungry souls in India (12).

Since 1901, Sister Grace Madeline Kellogg had been working at

Chandernagore, Hoogly area and was carrying out the work in spite

of the hindrance of Hindu religious people from the surroundings.

Because of her Bible studies a young man had taken a stand for

Christ; a Hindu man decided to offer his house to conduct worship

meetings; and a Muslim man promised to join Bible classes regularly

(13).

Superintendent for the field of India brother J.L. Shaw had

Chandranagor sister Madeline Grace Kellogg in the month of May,

1903 and baptized three candidates in the river of Hooghly before

one hundred fifty English and native people at Chandranagor,

Hoogly. The Hindu native educated man that had accepted Christ

had lost his job and his wife returned to her parents after receiving

Christ (14).

In July, 1903 when Sister S.E. Whiteis with Sister Ratna

Mookerjee the sister of Brother L.G. Mookerjee had visited Sister

Grace Madeline Kellogg; they found her giving Bible readings to

many English-speaking Bengali lawyers, doctors and teachers at

Chandernagor; and many of them were interested to accept the Lord.

One Bengali babu after getting Bible study had shared to his wife

and as she couldnt speak English it becomes difficult for Sister

Kellogg to give her Bible studies. Another woman was interested in

zennas work as she knew English (15).

In the month of July 1904 Calcutta Sanatorium where Brother

L.G. Mookerjee was working had been moved to No. 50, Park Street

(16). During this time Sister Rigan from Burma and brother and

sister Burgess were given leave to go back to America (17).

Since the beginning of 1904 brother A.C. Mookerjee had been

conducting Bible lessons on Daniel and Revelation specially the

prophecies with charts at 39-1, Free School Street, No.1, Dehi

Serampore Road, Calcutta for the Bengali Christian community.

Many local Bengalis were interested to read the translated tracts and

some of them had sent funds to A.C. Mookerjee to publish and

circulate tracts by post in advance. In the month of August, 1904

they had raised 22 Rupees from the local Christians of Calcutta to

publish Oriental Watchman, Good Health and Present Truth

tracts in English and Bengali at International Tract Society. During

this time there were 24 regular Bengali Sabbath keepers attending

the Serampore church every Sabbath (18).

In the month of August 1904 Brother A.G. Watson had initially

joined to work with the local International Tract Society Press at

Serampore. In August a baptism service was conducted at

Serampore church when three souls have accepted Jesus as their

personal savior (19).

Beside the nursing work at the treatment rooms; Brother L.G.

Mookejee with Sister Grace Kellogg Mookerjee had been holding

Bible classes at Calcutta, Sanatorium. In October, 1904 LG

Mookerjee explained about his gaining of experience quoting Mrs.

Ellen Withe that "the trials of life are God's workmen, to remove the

impurities and roughness form our character. Their hewing,

squaring and chiseling, their burnishing and polishing, is a painful

process, it is hard to be pressed down to the grinding wheel. But the

stone is brought forth prepared to fill its place in the heavenly

temple (20).
 Since the beginning of 1905 brother A. C. Mookerjee had been

making several inquiries on Gopalgonj, those days at Faridpur

District of East Bengal where he had found the residence of 200

families living in the watery land and few protestant Christians were

present there. During these inquiries and tract readings two people

from Faridpur had expressed their desire for the truth and few

others had expressed to start the work in Faridpur, East Bengal as

they have learnt the truths from the translated tracts and

subscriptions. One of the local missionary from Faridpur District

had come to brother A.C. Mookerjee to discuss the truth and was

satisfied with the answers. In the end of 1905 A. C. Mookerjee had

been sending tracts and answering their questions with many people

of East Bengal (21).

In the beginning of 1905, Brother A.G. Watson and A.C.

Mookerjee had been translating Oriental Watchman in Bengali along

with other Bible tracts. During this time a man visited them named

Brother M.K. Chakrovorti, who hated Christians before; but with the
influence of a Baptist missionary he was baptized. He knew many

protestant Christians of East Bengal and Calcutta followed the New

Testament and did not obey the fourth commandments the Sabbath

truth.

A preacher had told to Mr. Chakravorti that brother A. C.

Mookerjee was a bad man with bad moral character; but it only

made him more interested to meet him. And as brother A.C.

Mookerjee read Bible with Mr. Chakravorti; he declared Adventist

messages as the truth. Finally Mr. Chakravorti had resigned his

teaching job with the Baptist Missionary College on August 23. 1905

and on Friday August 25, 1905 had come to Calcutta, reside with

Brother A. C. Mookerjee (22).

Latter Mr. Chakravorty had joined the Calcutta Sanatorium to

work with Mr. singh and Nabo Mookerjee the son of A.C.

Mookerjee .In the end of1905, Mr. Chakravortiy also helped editing

and translating Bengali tracts like His Glorious Appearing and

The Immortality of the Soul; and during this time brother A.C.
Mookerjeee had been translating Is Sunday Sabbath? (23). Brother

Chakravorti had written two books "The Daughters of Light" and

"The Bible changes the human heart" (24).

In the month of January, 1906, Brother L. G. Mookerjee and

His brother in Law had visited Gopalgonj of East Bengal for the first

time to inquire about the interest created out through the

correspondence of A.C. Mookerjee(25). Since then brother L.G.

Mookerjee had started to visit the watery field of East Bengal time to

time. A day in the month of March, 1906; he decided to stay in East

Bengal field about five days to visit nonbelievers, conduct meetings

and Bible. Often brother Mookerjee had woke up 2 to 3 AM in the

morning to discuss the gospel with some protestant Christians,

Hindus and Muhammadians to the Sabbath truth, prophecies and

the second coming of Jesus. He also had started to teach some

children of East Bengal to memories the Bible verses.

Even though Brother L.G. Mookerjee was from medical field;

this time he realised the joy of preaching to save the nonbelievers.

After working for about three months; Brother L.G. Mookerjee had

been working in this field for past three months and was able to

organize some Sabbath keepers in three different villages. Some of

the protestant Christian who had joined the Sabbath meetings were

persecuted by their church leaders. During this time brother L.G.

Mookerjee also had applied for a mission board about a mission

ground, a bungalow and a boat to travel from village to village to

permanently start the work in East Bengal (26).

And finally in faith with the love of preaching the people of East

Bengal brother L.G. Mookerjee and Sister Grace Madeline Kellogg

Mookerjee had fully moved to Gopalgonj to carry on the work on

their own expense (27). In the initial stage they rented a mud-

floored, mat-walled jute godown house for Rs.900 per month at the

heart of the bazaar of Gatepara village without any appreciation of

Mission budget for that area and started preaching the Third Angels

Message. They printed their own tracts, engaged preachers, school

teachers, found out dispensary assistants, hired boats to go out on

preaching tours, distributed literatures, bought land and make

modest bungalow, school and dispensary quarters all at their own

expense.

In the month of September, 1906 when their self-owned house

to work in East Bengal was almost complete brethren W.W. Miller,

J.C. Little, W. A. Barlow and A.C. Mookerjee had visited Gopalgonj.

And an evening meeting was held to invite the delegates and people

came from several villages to join the meeting. The people attended

the meeting was revived by the Adventist preachers. During the

meeting one man stood and hoped to be an Adventist. But some of

the other protestant church members had started to spread the

rumors against Adventist church and one of them named Dr. Rouse

had even produced tracts like Sunday as Sabbath and distributed

to the people of Gopalgonj (28). As some of the Scotch church

members joined Sabbath keeping Mr. Bose had told the Sabbath

keepers to move out of Gopalgonj. Few others threatened Brother L.

G. Mookerjee and told him to leave Gopalgonj or they would burn

him alive (29).

While making their own house to live and work in Gopalgonj,

East Bengal; Brother L.G. Mookerjee and Grace Madeline Kellogg

Mookerjee also had rented a jute godown to use as dispensary in the

heart of Gopalgonj bazar to give treatment to the sick people. They

had been giving Bible studies, distributing tracks, conduct meetings

to different villages of East Bengal travelling through boats. Sister

Grace Madeline Kellogg Mookerjee had received some water disease

while working in the field of East Bengal.

And finally while giving the birth of the only son Marcus

Kellogg Mookerjee on November 14, 1906 she became very sick.

Brother L.G. Mookerjee and Sister Grace Madeline Kellogg Mookerjee

had travelled back to Wisconsin, United States of America for two

years (30). During this time brethren A.C. Mookerjee, J.C. Little,

W.W Miller, A.G. Watson and J.L. Burgess had travelled time to time
in this new field of east Bengal and nurtured the church members

under the disadvantages.

On January 27-31 a meeting was held at Gopalgonj when

brother A.C. Mookrjee went a week ahead from Calcutta for

preparation. Brother J. L. Shaw, J.C. Little and A. G. Watson had

joined the meeting. People have joined from several villages and had

fervent prayer and inspiring testimony sessions. The leper brother

who had accepted the truth had been praying for this meeting and

were happy for prayer was answered.

Brother J.C. Little spoke twice and Brother Mookerjee had

given three lantern lectures on gospel themes and many Hindus

were present in the meeting and requested to keep working in

Gopalgonj. When call was given to get rid of sin, 7 Hindu men had

raised. On another call 6 men had stood and 3 of them where

headmen of the different villages. On the last day of the meeting

Brother Podder and Laper brother was baptized by J. C. Little which

was the first ordinance service in East Bengal. Brother Mookerjee

had closed the meeting ending with the parable of ninety and nine.

And because of the urgent need to nurture the large number of

interested people in Gopalgonj, Brother A.G. Watson and family was

asked to locate at Gopalgonj (31).

Brother A.G. Watson and Mrs. Watson arrived at Gopalgunj on

February 16th, 1909. They started to take care of the sick people,

giving Bible study meetings among some people at Gopalgonj and

Borashi. He had also got acquainted with Purna Chand Gayen and

Anondo Halder who were interested in the truth. They brought with

them a Church of England preacher to study the truth together (32).

Even though Sister Grace Kellogg Mookerjee could not fully get

rid of her sickness; the family returned to Calcutta on March, 1909

to spread the Adventist message. She took the two years little boy

Marcus Kellogg Mookerjee with here in different areas of Calcutta

and distributed tracts, Oriental Watchman and Adventist books.

During this time brother L.G. Mookerjee travelled the East Bengal

fields from Calcutta to preach the gospel (33).

 Brother L.G. Mookerjee, Grace Madeline Kellogg, son Marcus
Kellogg, Brother in Law and his wife in 1910.

During this time Sister Mookrjee was sick could work very

little, like one day she went out with her baby boy Marcus Kellogg
Mookerjee for a walk and sold a copy of Oriental Watchman. During

the same day she also had met a young man and had been talking

about the second coming of Jesus with him who got very interested

in the truth and finally came to home for Bible study. Few other day

even with her sickness Grace Kellogg had work for the Lord

canvassing and visiting Bengali English speaking people and the

Roman Catholics members nearby her house (33).

In the month of July Sister Grace Kellogg became severely ill

and Brother L.G. Mookerjee had taken the family for the treatment

room in Darjeeling (34). Sister Grace Kellogg had been taking

treatments and the little boy Marcus Kellogg did not do that well in

Darjeeling. So, they have returned to Calcutta (35). And finally due

to that rapid tropical disease Sister M. Grace Kellogg had been

suffering that she had received in the field of East Bengal on 12 th

November, 1910, the Sabbath afternoon at 4pm sister Grace

Madeline Kellogg Mookerjee had lived her last breath (36).

 In the month of April , 1911, Elder French sketched a house

boat that was purchased for East Bengal field. Which was thirty

seven and half feet long and ten feet wide with two rooms, a bath

room, toilet, and kitchen. The large room is nine by ten feet long.

This boat was used to travel during the flood monsoon to visit the

Sabbath keepers in different part of the field. And also three

hundred thousand dollar fund received to make mission house at

Gopalgonj to move brother and sister Watson from Barisal to

Gopalgonj (37).

In the month of June, 1911 as it was suggest by the Advisory

Board to Brother Watson two months ago to move to Gopalgonj they

had finally moved. After two hours of travel by stemmer, and in a

boat Brother A.G. Watson, his wife and his six years old baby girl

Naomi landed in the mission property in Gopalgonj where two years

ago a bungalo was made to conduct medical mission work. But they

had found that the house was still occupied by the tenants. A room

next to the bungalow was hurriedly fixed to store the household

goods of Brother Watson and they lived in the boat for three days

with the baby girl and they did their cooking and dining in the

narrow verandah of Brother K.D. Poddar. And after they moved in to

the bungalow, after a month in one night there was a big storm that

lasted for two hours when the part of the roof of the bungalow was

rolled with crack wall. The floor of whole bungalow flooded with the

water on all furniture. Brother Watson prayed with the family and

survived (36).

In the month of June, 1911 as it was suggest by the Advisory

Board to Brother Watson two months ago to move to Gopalgonj they

had finally moved. After two hours of travel by stemmer, and in a

boat Brother A.G. Watson, his wife and his six years old baby girl

Naomi landed in the mission property in Gopalgonj where two years

ago a bungalo was made to conduct medical mission work. But they

had found that the house was still occupied by the tenants.

A room next to the bungalow was hurriedly fixed to store the

household goods of Brother Watson and they lived in the boat for
three days with the baby girl and they did their cooking and dining

in the narrow verandah of Brother K.D. Poddar. And after they

moved in to the bungalow, after a month in one night there was a

big storm that lasted for two hours when the part of the roof of the

bungalow was rolled with crack wall. The floor of whole bungalow

flooded with the water on all furniture. Brother Watson prayed with

the family and survived (37).

In 1912 to 1914 the work in East Bengal was carried out under

the leadership of A.G. Watson, J.C. Little, J.L. Shaw and L.G.

Mookerjee. Clara May Loveday was appointed as the editor in

Oriental Watchman Publishing House in Lucknow when Brother

L.G. Mookerjee had helped to translate Adventist tracts and Healthy

living books in Bengali for the distribution. The Adventist work had

been carried through two languages Bengali and Santali with the

working force of 11 European and 34 Indians work for publishing,

educational, evangelical and medical field. In the publishing

department 11 colporteurs were engaged in selling quarterly, Yuga

Lakshan, and few Bengali and Santali tracts (38).

In May, 1915 Brother L. G. Mookerjee and sister Clara May

Loviday had re-started to work at East Bengal starting with Khulna.

In the month of September because of illness the family returned

back to Calcutta and thought of making occasional trip to East

Bengal. Even though had had a plan to conduct Bible Training in

East Bengal for a month with the new Sabbath-keepers there.

But Brother Mookerjee had selected a man of representative

from each of the selected villages like Khulan, Gopalgunj, Faridpore,

Suagram, Sharengkati, etc and brings them to Calcutta to conduct

training to spread the good news in East Bengal. Some of these

selected man have been believer seven years ago during Brother

Little's ministry at Barisal. And some of these believers have been

keeping the Sabbath as they time to time bought the literature and

continued the work. In Sharangkati believers even being farmers

had even built their own school and church building (40).
 Brother L.G. Mookrejee writes in August, 1915 that the calls

had come from Sharankati and Suagram villages where brother P.K.

Roy had been working. Three independent farmers of Sharangkati

had started to keep the Sabbath for four years and have raised a

small church building and school. He mentions that as he visited

Gopalgonj two new families who had received message early had

taken stand and another brother who was converted from Hinduism

had been taught by the lapper brother in Gopalgonj. Brother L.G.

Mookrjee had gone by boat to different villages and many families in

Barisal and Faridpur had shown their interest for the truth.

In 1915 after Pastor L.G. Mookerjee and Clara May Loveday

returned to Gopalgonj, they had started to repair the work that was

carried on under disadvantage. This time they had opened a bamboo

made and tin shaded village school in Gopalgonj to educate the

children. Another school was opened in Jalirpar, Faridpur District of

East Bengal (Bangladesh) where they had put one of the best teacher

name Jonas Singh.

(Picture from Easter Tidings)
 In 1917 the long visit leading brethren, Pastor W.W.Fletcher

who spent eighteen days on a boat with Pastor L.G. Mookerjee to

study the word and to get better acquainted with the mission work

in East Bengal (Bangladesh). Finally the visit of J.E. Fulton changed

the past work of East Bengal (Bangladesh) with list of several

workers.

Pastor L.G. Mookerjee was made the superintendents for East

Bengal area in 1919 till 1926. In the beginning of 1921 Pastor and

Mrs. Mookerjee were able to build a bamboo made, tin shaded and

straw walled dormitory for boys, a house for conducting class room

activities and a small kitchen for cooking food for students, workers

and few parents at Gatepara village of Gopalgonj, East Bengal

(Bangladesh).
 (Seventh day Adventist boys and girls dormitories at Gatepara,
Gopalgonj, East Bengal, picture from Easter Tidings)

These school premises became the first Seventh-day Adventist

churchs mission station for conducting annual meetings of the

North East Union of India.

The end of the year of 1922 was demonstrated with a big flood when

the school land, property, and houses were massively destroyed. The
students, teachers, buildings and land of the school then gradually

grew up.

The flood and crisis leaded this school to start to be a self-

supported school with 44 elementary students studying up to two

standards, three local teachers, one building and two acres of land.

The school students and parents cleaned up the school, worked for

vegetation, planted trees, yearn the threats, weaved and made fine

saris and house hold clothes.

 (Picture from Eastern Tidings)

We have six evangelists besides the writer. Our Christians are

scattered in three districts and about thirty-five villages. These
Sabbath keepers are grouped together into five churches and
three companies. The fifth church and one new company were
added to our list this year (Mookerjee L.G. 1922, January).

The school teacher Jonas Singh became the first Bengali

headmaster for school at Gatepara, Gopalgonj in 1924.

 (Picture from Eastern Tidings)

In the beginning of 1926, A.G. Youngberg became field

superintendent and principal of the school and prepared a building

for the purpose of managers house, classroom, and office work and

boys remained in the same tin shaded house prepared by Pastor

L.G.Mookerjee. In this time pastor L.G Mookerjee joined Northeast

union and took in charge of Ranchi Training School.

In the month of August, 1926 fresh graduate of class of 25 of

Loma Linda University Dr. Charls.F.Schilling responded the call of

work at East Bengal as a Medical Missionary. He developed the

medical dispensary to hospital at the school of Gatepara village of

Gopalgonj.
(The wife and Dr. Charls F. Schilling, picture by his great grandson
Dan Dunkin)

At this time the village school of Jalirpar, Faridpur district

moved to Gatepara and C.F. Schilling took charge of the school and

hospital and his wife Mrs. Schilling as principal of the school. In

1929 the Bengali Girls School of Hoogli also combined with the

Gopalgonj, Gatepara School and became coeducational boarding

school for girls and boys with tin shaded bamboo made and straw

walled dormitories. In 1929 when two schools become co-

educational Mrs. Sarojini Sircar added to the school work as a staff

and faculty for many years.

Dr.Charls.F. Schilling also had started a hospital project at the

previous school place at Jalirpar, Faridpur in 1929 and put A.C

Youngbarg and the wife in charge of the hospital building process. Brother

C.F Larsen was the architect to build the hospital building (KMMS

administration building today) at Jalirpar, Faridpur district against

various disadvantages of flood and transportation in 1931.

 (New hospital building of 1931 Picture by Dan Dunkin great
grandson of C.F. Schilling)

The motto of the hospital work was: Ourselves your servants for

Jesus shake 2 Cor.4:5 and the aim were: Our work as nearly perfect as

human brains and hand can make it Educ. P. 222

Babu Surendranath Arinda, Babu Prashad Chandra Gayen, Miss

Jamini Bala, Dr. and Mrs. Schilling, Pastor and Mrs. A.C. Youngburg with

few other staffs, faculty and teachers helped the operation of the hospital

using the training of nurses and students. The hospital treated the

villagers freely as they had no money.

 The school place shifting occurred around six times before 1931 and

finally the school was transferred back to Jalirpar, Faridpur in 1931.

Brother E.R. Osmunson was the architect to build the workers quarters

(present day KMMS principals house) and LeRoy hunter was in charge of

the building process which had completed in 1934.

(The workers quarters, picture by Dan Dunkin the great grand son
of C.F.Schelling)

In 1931, the school was made a full fledge high school under

the direction of Pastor and Mrs. Mookerjee and LeRoy Hunter. Later
Pastor and Mrs. Mookerjee supported the school and the hospital by

collecting funds from neighbors, promoting business in the school,

with the support from Southern Asia Division of Seventh day

Adventists and the world church of Seventh day Adventists to run

the school financially.

In 1931 the budget for the school and the hospital extended to $

957.00 and still it was managed by the school administration.

 (A.C Youngburg and wife with other staff, picture from Eastern
Tidings)

Beside the funds of Southern Asia Division and World Church of

Seventh day Adventist the school and hospital had its own income. The

students, staffs and faculties had cultivated rice, jute and grains in its

field to feed the students, staffs and even neighbors. The school garden,
mills, tractors and printing press also supported the school as the

students work with it for the neighbors.

In 1932 Mr. and Mrs. H.P. Biswas, Mr. and Mrs. N Das and Mr.

and Mrs. S.K.Halder joined to the school to teach and supervise.

There were many missionaries alone with the workers to grow the

Seventh-day Adventist work in East Bengal (Bangladesh). And then

in 1934 Mr. and Mrs. Suranjan Sircar, Miss Baroi and Mrs.

Chandromoni Biswas were added as teachers to the school.

The dream of Dr. C.F. Schelling about building a medical

college and sanatorium started diverting towards just a school at

Jalirpar, Faridpur for the crisis of funds in the medical sector as its

neighbors needs free treatments. The school girls and nurses were

transferred to Gatepara hospital and its school in name Gopalgunj

Primary English School. And the name of Jalirpar, Faridpur School

turned into Bengali Boys Middle School. The Gatepara SDA

hospital and school gradually grew as it had better income for its

neighbors could afford medication.

 So, the Bengali Boys Middle School again combined and was

transferred back to Gatepara,Gopalgonj and became Bengali Co-

Educational School in charge of C.F.Schelling.

(Church building at Jalirpar, Faridpur, picture by Dan Fullar )

Principal, H.H. Mattison came in the school in 1938, and in 1939 the

school was transferred back from Gatepara, Gopalgonj to Jalirpar,

Faridpur again which is 19 miles north, near branch of Modhumati River

(Present name, Kumar Canal. The vacated Jalirpar hospital building

provided school and dormitory accommodation. After all these transfer

and shifting the Seventh-day Adventist work in East Bengal miraculously

prospered and many had accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Savior.

The school at Jalirpar, Faridpur started producing evangelists and leaders

for East Bengal producing its own fund through income generating

activities.

Our school garden is also quite encouraging. We have planted

cabbages, cauliflowers, tomatoes, brinjals, radishes, pumpkins, water
gourds, etc. We are trying our best to produce all we can for our needs,
and in every way economize expense so that we may operate our school
within the means allotted, (Dass, 1943, p.7).

Some amount finance used to be given by parents as the yearly fees

set by the school administration. But most of the students were self

supported earning and paying their won school fees working at the school

press, selling books, selling other hand made products and through

manual labor at the school.

Manny Annual meetings were held in this school and thousands of

people accepted the gospel and were baptized in this school itself. The

schools main focus was building the workers to preach the Third Angels

Message to the entire world baptizing them in the name of Father, Son
and Holy Spirit. In most cases the students voluntarily participated in

cottage meetings, house visitations, prayer meetings, thanks giving

meetings, and preaching the gospel through branch Sabbath school

programs.

The fruits of this SDA school at Jalirpar, Faridpur introduced

Bangali Branch Bible Correspondence School in the city of Dacca in

1957 which was the second Bengali school in East Pakistan

(Bangladesh) and latter it became the union mission for the Seventh

- day Adventist church in Bangladesh.

Many students, staffs and faculties joined in literature

evangelism work, pathfinder activities, week of prayers, voice of

prophecy radio programs and self supported ministries to preach the

gospel to proclaim salvation messages of Lord Jesus for other

unbelievers. And many accepted Jesus Christ as their savior and

started spreading the lights to various other districts from Faridpur,

Gopalgonj and Dacca of East Pakistan (Bangladesh).

 The prosperity of Adventist learned men and women from Kellogg-

Mookerjee Memorial Seminary School of Jalirpar, Gopalgonj of East

Pakistan (Bangladesh) are the cause of the development and progress of

the Seventh-day Adventist church from which the leaders scattered to all

over the country and opened institutions. And finally in 1967 Bangladesh

Adventist Seminary and College promoted as the need of students raised

to study the word and preach the gospel.

Bibliography

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Other bibliographies for this documents is found in my research on

Kellogg Mookerjee Memorial Seminary School in Gopalgonj
Bangladesh which can be found in google search. Thank you.

"And the Gospel of the Kingdom shall be preached in the entire world for a
witness unto all nations; & then shall the End come." (Matthew 24:14).

Thank you Lord.

Sunil Sarkar
Date: 18-01-2011

sunilsarkar1981@gmail.com

"And this