Rev John Hodgkinson served in Sarawak under the Sarawak Chinese Annual Conference (SCAC) for 20 years, from 1957 to 1977.

In his first decade in Sarawak from 1957 to 1967, he served the Foochows in Sibu, Bintangor, Sarikei and Kuching. From 1968 to 1977, he took up pioneering work among the Cantonese in Bintangor and Sarikei, laying a good foundation for the work among the community by SCAC.

In 1977, under the instruction of the Methodist Missionary Society (MMS), Rev Hodgkinson began to look into opportunities to evangelise the Chinese in the UK. As a result, between 1978 and 1988, the UK Methodist Church sent him to the Chinese Overseas Christian Mission (COCM) to work as a missionary among the overseas Chinese in the UK. With their experience in Sarawak, Rev and Mrs Hodgkinson were suited for this work among the Chinese (from mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Southeast Asia) in Manchester and Sheffield.

In 1998, Rev Hodgkinson retired in Derby because of poor health. However, he still did his best to serve the Chinese, the people whom he loved so much, in this city.

In an interview for this book, Rey Hodgkinson expressed his joy at learning that SCAC had started cross-cultural mission work. He felt that God had raised the Chinese to undertake a global gospel work in this era.

He pointed out that Chinese had two strong points in mission work:

(1) Owing to their historical background, it would be easier for them to work among non-whites.

(2) They were hardworking and diligent — essential qualities of missionaries. He hoped that more Chinese missionaries would come and re-evangelise this “dark continent”.

The Hodgkinsons also related how they overcame difficulties in their mission work and how, for the sake of sharing the gospel, they learned standard Mandarin and Cantonese. Although they left Sarawak 20 years ago, they could still remember vividly the churches, leaders and members whom Rev Hodgkinson had worked with. 

Like many other missionaries, Rev and Mrs Hodgkinson devoted themselves to the Lord and serving the Chinese. “They may be white, but their hearts are yellow."

(Material supplied by MMS)